{"id":531993,"date":"2025-10-27T22:30:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T22:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/531993\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T22:30:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T22:30:36","slug":"scotlands-spookiest-sites-for-halloween-thrill-seekers-according-to-new-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/531993\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland\u2019s spookiest sites for Halloween thrill-seekers according to new research"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to a study, Scotland hosts five of the UK\u2019s most haunted attractions, with thousands of reviews highlighting their eerie and ghostly reputations.\"AScotland is home to five of the UK\u2019s most haunted attractions, making it a top destination for Halloween thrill-seekers.(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Halloween<\/a> is creeping closer, and a spine-tingling chill is returning to the air. With almost four in ten Brits believing in ghosts, new research reveals that Scotland is home to five of the UK\u2019s most haunted attractions, making it a prime destination for thrill-seekers this October.<\/p>\n

Betway<\/a> analysed nearly 180,000 TripAdvisor reviews from 30 famously haunted sites across the UK, scanning them for chilling keywords such as \u201cscary,\u201d \u201chaunted,\u201d \u201cghosts,\u201d \u201ceerie\u201d and \u201csinister\u201d to determine the frequency of mentions.<\/p>\n

The results produced a definitive ranking of the nation\u2019s most unsettling locations.<\/p>\n

Mary King\u2019s Close, located beneath Edinburgh\u2019s<\/a> Old Town, ranks as the UK\u2019s fifth-most haunted attraction. Known for its dark history, almost 15 percent of visitors highlighted its spine-tingling atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\"AGlamis Castle in Angus is known for its striking architecture, royal history, and eerie ghost stories.(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Despite only a small number of reviews mentioning ghostly encounters, it remains a must-visit for anyone seeking Edinburgh\u2019s most atmospheric and haunted experiences.<\/p>\n

Glamis Castle in Angus<\/a> is Scotland\u2019s next featured haunt, ranking seventh overall. Famous for its striking architecture and royal connections, the castle is steeped in legend and ghost stories.<\/p>\n

\"CullodenCulloden Battlefield was named among the scariest spots in Scotland(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Just over 7 percent of visitors report eerie sounds, mysterious apparitions and sightings linked to its dark past, cementing its reputation as one of the country\u2019s most haunted castles.<\/p>\n

Other Scottish attractions in the ranking include Culloden Battlefield, 13th for overall scariness and 20th for ghostly mentions; Peterhead Prison Museum, 19th for general scariness and 23rd for ghost sightings; and Cawdor Castle<\/a>, ranked 25th for ghostly encounters, though it scored lowest for overall scariness due to fewer chilling mentions in reviews.<\/p>\n

At the top of the UK list is Chillingham Castle in Northumberland, crowned the most haunted location in 2025.<\/p>\n

This 13th century, Grade I listed castle boasts a long and bloody history dating back to the 1200s. Visitors can explore its infamous Torture Chamber or join after-dark ghost tours in rooms long regarded as some of England\u2019s most haunted.<\/p>\n

Of the 1,306 reviews analysed, 61.6 percent included words linked to fear, hauntings or the supernatural.<\/p>\n

Almost 30 percent of reviews mentioned specific ghosts, including the spirit of Lady Berkeley and John \u201cDragfoot\u201d Sage, a notorious dungeon torturer.<\/p>\n

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Second on the list is Berry Pomeroy Castle in Devon, known for legendary spirits such as the White and Blue Ladies.<\/p>\n

Almost a third of reviews, 32.8 percent, referenced the castle\u2019s scariness, with 13.3 percent mentioning ghost sightings. Northern Ireland\u2019s Ballygally Castle also features, famed for hosting the spirit of Lady Isabella Shaw.<\/p>\n

Bodmin Jail in Cornwall takes third place for scariest UK attraction, with 23 percent of its 1,758 reviews referencing fear-inducing experiences, including footsteps and rattling keys, while 7 percent of reviews mentioned ghosts.<\/p>\n

Glamis Castle ranks fourth in ghostly mentions with 7.4 percent of visitors reporting supernatural encounters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"According to a study, Scotland hosts five of the UK\u2019s most haunted attractions, with thousands of reviews highlighting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":531994,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5009],"tags":[748,22572,1102,4884,10838,4729,76823,712,115545,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-531993","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scotland","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-castles","10":"tag-edinburgh","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-halloween","13":"tag-museums","14":"tag-peterhead","15":"tag-scotland","16":"tag-the-supernatural","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115448501552921120","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=531993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/531994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=531993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=531993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=531993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}