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Dare you visit our darkest, most haunted corners? From playful poltergeists to headless queens, Britain’s oldest houses and landmarks are (legend has it) brimming with ghosts. Whether you’re an avid ghoul-hunter or an ardent sceptic, these spooky tours, creepy pubs and infamous hotels will certainly send a shiver down your spine…

Dare you stay in these ghostly hotels?

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Young child sat on a green armchair in front of a fireplace with a teddy bear next to them at Criag y Nos Castle in the Brecon Beacons

Craig y Nos Castle

Want to party with poltergeists? Join a seance to chat with the spirits? Craig y Nos Castle in the Brecon Beacons is full of opportunities to spook yourself silly. It was once a sanitorium, and has been running ghost tours for over a decade.

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Drovers Inn

If its taxidermy animals don’t give you the creeps, the Drovers Inn’s ghoulish stories certainly will. From dead children and ghostly lights, to a frozen family at the foot of your bed, this Loch Lomond hotel isn’t quite as serene as it looks.

Jane Coltman

Chillingham Castle_Making an entrance by Jane Coltman

Chillingham Castle

Feeling fearless? Join a ghost-hunting tour of Northumberland’s Chillingham Castle, before bedding down in this medieval fortress for the night. With a little luck - or maybe not - you’ll meet its woman-in-white in the pantry, and witness the spooky voices in the chapel.

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St Briavels Castle, Gloucestershire

At 800 years old, St Briavels Castle – now a YHA hostel – has seen it all. But its gatehouse still holds horrible secrets: visitors often report a chilling atmosphere, and its walls bear the scars of graffiti carved by long-deceased prisoners.

Paranormal pints: Britain’s spookiest pubs

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People sitting at table inside the Pilchard Inn

Pilchard Inn, Devon

It won’t just be the timbers which are shivering here. In the 1300s, the Pilchard Inn was the hideout of pirate Tom Crocker, who was eventually hanged for smuggling. Legend has it, he appears on the August anniversary of his death.

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A group of people toasting inside The Stag Inn, Hastings

Stag Inn, Hastings

With its mummified cats, a murdered sea captain in the cellar, and ghoulish girl dressed all in white, The Stag Inn isn’t for the faint-hearted. Ask the bar staff about the secret underground tunnel, if you dare.

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A set of pints on a table outside the Adam and Eve pub in Norwich

Adam and Eve, Norwich

The spirit of Lord Sheffield lives on at the Adam and Eve, where he likes to run his fingers through customers’ hair! He was murdered here in 1549, and the pub is a favourite of ghost hunters.

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A group of hikers and people sat on tables outside The Skirrid Mountain Inn in Avergavenny, Wales

The Skirrid Mountain Inn, Abergavenny

Welcome to the most haunted pub in Wales. While it serves a great pint, Abergavenny’s Skirrid Mountain Inn is best known for its creepy footsteps, slamming doors and whispering voices.

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Ye Olde Starre Inne, York

This historic York pub is popular with both the living and dead. Its cellar was a Civil War mortuary, which explains the blood-curdling screams – while two ghost cats are often seen around the bar.