Spooky Events Guide
Explore ghost tours, haunted attractions and spooky experiences across Britain and Ireland with our Events Guide.
Cardiff
Cardiff Castle – Black Tower Tales
Immersive retelling of Llywelyn Bren’s rebellion, imprisonment and murder in the Black Tower, with the ghosts of long ago bringing the story to life.
Available during school holidays and on weekends from March–August, subject to availability; times 11.30am, 12.30pm and 1.30pm
Cardiff Castle, Castle Street, Cardiff, Cardiff, Cardiff, CF10 3RB
North Yorkshire
Barley Hall
Six-hundred-year-old medieval townhouse with seasonal Haunted Hall ghost-hunting and dark-storytelling events.
28 Mar–25 Oct 2026: 10am–4.30pm; 26 Oct 2026–19 Mar 2027: 10am–3.30pm; Haunted Hall runs 24–31 Oct 2026
Barley Hall, Coffee Yard, off Stonegate, York, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 8AR
Bristol
Historical Walk: 1831 Riots
Dark-history walk retracing the violent 1831 Bristol riots, deaths, destruction and sites connected with the unrest.
2026 dates: 4 Oct, 1 Nov and 6 Dec at 2.30pm
M Shed, Princes Wharf, Wapping Road, Bristol, Bristol, Bristol, BS1 4RN
Belfast
Belfast City Cemetery Heritage Visit
Historic Victorian cemetery with 220,000 burials, notable graves, unusual heritage features and self-guided trails.
Cemetery open daily with seasonal hours; visitor centre currently closed; free self-guided app available
Belfast City Cemetery, 511 Falls Road, Belfast, Belfast, Antrim, BT12 6DE
Dublin
St Michan’s Church Crypt Tours
Historic burial vaults and preserved remains beneath one of Dublin’s oldest churches.
Mon–Thu: tours 10am–12pm and 2pm–4pm; closed Fri–Sun and public/bank holidays; drop-in tickets sold on arrival
St Michan’s Church, Church Street, Dublin 7, Dublin, Dublin, D07 YK23
North Yorkshire
York Minster
Ancient cathedral with crypt and undercroft spaces, medieval history and layers of Roman and Christian remains beneath the building.
Sightseeing Mon–Sat 9.30am–4pm; Sun 12.45pm–2.30pm; times can change for services and events
York Minster, Deangate, York, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 7HH
East Sussex
Smugglers Adventure
Underground cave attraction focused on smugglers, danger, crime and the darker history of the Sussex coast.
Open daily 10am–5pm; last admission 4.15pm
Smugglers Adventure, St Clement’s Caves, Hastings, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 3HY
Cardiff
Castell Coch
Gothic Revival castle with medieval foundations, dramatic towers and a strongly atmospheric woodland setting.
1 Sep–31 Oct: 9.30am–5pm; 1 Nov–28 Feb: 10am–4pm; last admission 30 minutes before closing
Castell Coch, Tongwynlais, Cardiff, Tongwynlais, Cardiff, CF15 7JS
Bristol
Red Lodge Museum
Atmospheric historic house with a Victorian reform-school chapter and a current seasonal Spooky Week programme.
Thu–Sun 11am–4pm in 2026; Spooky Week runs 24 Oct–1 Nov 2026
Red Lodge Museum, Park Row, Bristol, Bristol, Bristol, BS1 5LJ
North Yorkshire
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal
Vast medieval abbey ruins and atmospheric heritage landscape shaped by centuries of monastic history
Abbey and water garden admission currently 9.30am–4.30pm; opening times vary seasonally and no advance booking is required for a normal visit
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Garden, Fountains, Ripon, North Yorkshire, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3DY
North Yorkshire
Ripon Prison & Police Museum
Former prison with original cells, barred windows and displays on Victorian punishment and policing history
Open daily 10am–4pm from 14 Feb to 22 Nov 2026
Prison & Police Museum, St Marygate, Ripon, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 1LX
North Yorkshire
Scarborough Castle
Dramatic headland fortress with centuries of conflict, ruined religious buildings and a long military history
Currently open daily 10am–5pm, last entry 4.30pm; Halloween half-term programme runs 24 Oct–1 Nov 2026 with seasonal hours
Scarborough Castle, Castle Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO11 1HY
North Yorkshire
York Castle Museum
Historic prison site with original cells, crime-and-punishment history and atmospheric recreated streets
Monday 11am–5pm; Tuesday–Sunday 10am–5pm; Mondays open from 10am during school holidays
York Castle Museum, Eye of York, York, York, North Yorkshire, YO1 9RY
Wrexham
Chirk Castle
Medieval Welsh Marches fortress with centuries of history and seasonal after-dark folklore events
On 25 Sep 2026 the castle is open noon–4.30pm and the garden/tower 10am–5pm; hours vary seasonally
Chirk Castle, Chirk, Wrexham, Chirk, Wrexham, LL14 5AF
Caerphilly
Caerphilly Castle
Huge medieval fortress with centuries of violent history, atmospheric towers and seasonal Halloween and ghost-story events
1 Sep–31 Oct: 9.30am–5pm; winter hours reduce to 10am–4pm; last admission 30 minutes before closing
Caerphilly Castle, Castle Street, Caerphilly, Caerphilly, Caerphilly, CF83 1JD
East Sussex
Battle Abbey & 1066 Battlefield
Historic battlefield and abbey site associated with the deaths of 1066 and the violent Norman conquest
Visitor attraction with seasonal opening times; check the official calendar for the date of your visit
1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield, High Street, Battle, East Sussex, Battle, East Sussex, TN33 0AE
West Sussex
Arundel Castle
Atmospheric Norman and Gothic castle with centuries of history, dramatic towers and medieval interiors
2026 season runs 1 Apr–1 Nov; gardens and chapel 10am–5pm, Keep 10am–4.30pm, castle rooms noon–5pm; last admission 4pm; generally closed Mondays except bank holidays and August
Arundel Castle, Arundel, West Sussex, Arundel, West Sussex, BN18 9AB
Nottinghamshire
Wollaton Hall Hidden History Tour
Behind-the-scenes exploration of hidden rooms, underground spaces and the darker corners of Wollaton Hall’s long history
Daily January–November at 11am and 2pm
Wollaton Hall & Deer Park, Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG8 2AE
Nottinghamshire
Nottingham Castle Cave & Dungeon Tours
Guided tours through Nottingham Castle’s underground caves and dungeon, with stories of imprisonment and the site’s darker history
Castle Museum & Grounds 10am–5pm; cave tours run daily from 11am, subject to availability; dungeon tours run on selected dates and times
Nottingham Castle, Lenton Road, Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG1 6EL
Antrim
Haunted Tours NI – Carrickfergus Castle & Islandmagee Witches Walking Tour
Guided Carrickfergus tour combining castle history, Islandmagee witch-trial history and local ghost stories
2026 dates include 10, 11, 24, 25 and 31 Oct; starts 12.50pm; booking required
Carrickfergus Castle, Marine Highway, Carrickfergus, Carrickfergus, Antrim, BT38 7BG
Somerset
Dunster Ghost Walk – self-guided
Self-guided village ghost walk based on Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat, with more than 60 stories and a route through Dunster
Year-round self-guided experience using the book
Dunster village, Somerset, Dunster, Somerset, TA24 6SG
Herefordshire
The Ghost Tour of Hereford
Walking tour of Hereford’s darker history, local hauntings, executions and macabre legends
Friday and Saturday evenings, year-round
Bull Statue, High Town, Hereford, Hereford, Herefordshire, HR1 2AA
North Yorkshire
Whitby Storyteller – Whitby Ghost & Dracula Walk
Private Whitby ghost and Dracula walk mixing folklore, maritime history and Bram Stoker connections
Private bookings available; contact Whitby Storyteller to arrange date and time
St Mary’s Church, East Cliff, Whitby, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO22 4JT
Edinburgh
Auld Reekie Tours – The Terror Tour
Adults-only late-night tour combining torture history with reportedly haunted underground vaults
9pm and 10pm; additional 11pm departure on 30 and 31 Oct
300 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH1 2PH
