Ghost Haunts in the United Kingdom: York, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Pluckley

(Boo! This is a guest post by Catherine Lavinia.)

You don’t have to wait until Halloween to enjoy an evening of the macabre while visiting the United Kingdom.  The UK is full of spooky delights for you to choose from. Up and down the country, you can spend a bloodcurdling weekend walking along cobbled streets and through haunted graveyards, listening as your guide regales you with spine-tingling stories of the past. Here are some suggestions for planning a spooky weekend trip, including ghost walks:

York

With its claim to be the most haunted city in Europe, it’s no wonder that the English city of York is full of ghost walks and spooky stories to entertain its visitors. From the Roman Legions believed to wander the cellars of the Treasurer’s House to the tales of the infamous 12^th century massacre on the grounds of Clifford’s Tower, York is the place to be if you want to feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

While ghost walks meet every evening to the west of York Minster and in The Shambles, you can also get your fill of macabre torture, with the York Dungeons being a popular attraction.

For a stay in the heart of the haunted happenings, there is affordable York accommodation with Travelodge so that your visit to this historic city doesn’t overstretch the budget.

Edinburgh

Scotland’s capital also prides itself  for being high on the “scariest” list. From the underground walks around Mary King’s Close to the myriad ghost walks operating every evening, including Auld Reekie Tours and Mercat Tours, you can get up close and personal to the spirits said to walk the same streets and haunt the graveyards and buildings across the city.

Stratford-upon-Avon

Best known for its links with William Shakespeare, Stratford is a major visitors’ attraction in England. While the Bard’s birthplace is visited by over a million  people every year, you never know who else may be lurking there.

There must be a reason that Stratford is not only popular with literature fans, but also with practitioners of magic and Wicca. You can even take your ghost hunt to the water with a Ghost Cruise.  If you like to be spooked 24/7, there are accommodations that purport to be haunted.

Drop by Shakespeare’s grave, where his epitaph warns:

 Bleste be the man that spares thes stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones

So, leave your shovels at home!

Pluckley

Although substantially smaller than others on the spooky list, this quaint English village in Kent has made its way into the Guinness Book of World Records, having been named the most haunted village in England. With a population of about 1,000 people (souls?) and 14 spirits, there have been plenty of ghostly sightings across the village, including two women roaming the graveyard of St Nicholas’ Church and a highwayman nailed to a tree.

There are some bed and breakfast possibilities in Pluckley with high charm quotients and the larger town of Ashford is also only about seven miles away with other accommodation possibilities.

In case you’re not yet sufficiently spooked, you can add the cities of Chester, Derby and Lincoln to your itinerary. Wherever you decide to visit, keep your wits about you and your eyes open – you never know what you might find (or what might find you!)

(Boomeresque was compensated for this post).

Have you ever seen a ghost?  Where?  Really?

Tagged as: England, ghosts, Pluckley, Stratford-Upon-Avon, York