These stories are all about ghosts that exist today, and who you can visit in castles and houses around Britain. Who are these ghosts? Where can you find them? And what’s their story?
1. Dunstanburgh Castle Northumberland
This 14th-century castle is the tiny fishing village of Craster, in Northumberland. The ruins of the castle are a thirty-minute walk along the coast, high up on a cliff. A number of visitors to this castle claim to have seen the ghost of a man in 16th-century costume wandering about the grounds. Experts say it is the ghost of Sir Guy, who lived there more than four hundred years ago. The story goes that one day Sir Guy arrived home and saw the vision of a lantern. He followed the vision around the castle until it got to a small chamber at the top of a tower. The chamber was locked but on looking through a small hole in the door, Sir Guy could see a beautiful woman inside. The lantern offered Sir Guy the choice of a sword or a horn to help him rescue the woman. Sir Guy chose the horn and blew it in order to call for help; at which point the lantern and the woman suddenly disappeared. Sir Guy never forgave himself and fell into a deep depression, dying shortly afterwards. (Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm)
2. Scarborough Castle Yorkshire
This 12th-century castle is in the town of Scarborough, on the north-east coast of England. Scarborough is one of the oldest resort towns in Britain, and visitors have been going there since the 17th century. Visitors to this castle claim to have seen the ghost of a man dressed in black; some even claim the ghost has tried to push them off the castle’s battlements. The locals say this is the ghost of Piers Gaveston, a 14th-century lord. He was King Edward II’s lover, and he had a lot of influence over the king. However, this caused great jealousy and resentment among the other lords. Years later, during a rebellion against the king. Piers was captured by the Earl of Warwick and beheaded on Blacklow Hill in 1312. A nasty death, but not as bad as the manner in which poor Edward died: his death involved a hot poker… and we’ll leave the rest up to your imagination. (Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm)