Leading provider of tailor-made tours, Authentic Vacations, have analysed the number of mentions in ‘most haunted’ articles and the percentage of scary TripAdvisor reviews to reveal the most haunted destinations to visit in the UK. You can view the full findings here.
The UK is home to a number of ancient buildings, from the Tower of London to Edinburgh Castle, so it’s no surprise that lots of these play host to a macabre past and some spooky ghost stories. Each of the UK destinations analysed by Authentic Vacations has garnered a reputation of supernatural activity – but which are the most haunted?
According to the research, Gloucestershire pub ‘The Ancient Ram Inn’, is the most haunted destination in the UK, with a total ‘scare score’ of 83/100. The ‘scare scores’ have been created using three metrics: number of mentions in ‘haunted’ destination list posts, percentage of TripAdvisor reviews containing the words: ‘haunted’, ‘scary’, ‘ghost’ and ‘scared’, and overall TripAdvisor ratings.
The Ancient Ram Inn, based in Gloucestershire, was built in 1145 and has several ghostly tales of paranormal activity – one of the most popular legends being that of a witch who was burned at the stake in the 1500s, and still haunts the room that she took refuge in before she was captured and killed. The pub was mentioned in 22/100 list posts and 61% of TripAdvisor reviews for the inn contained ‘scary’ words.
The top ten most haunted destinations in the UK are below:
|
Rank |
Property name |
Location |
Overall ‘Scare Score’ |
|
1 |
Ancient Ram Inn |
Gloucestershire |
83 |
|
2 |
Chillingham Castle |
Northumberland |
64 |
|
3 |
Skirrid Mountain Inn |
Abergavenny |
59 |
|
4 |
Pendle Hill |
Lancashire |
58 |
|
5 |
Berry Pomeroy |
Devon |
56 |
|
6 |
Golden Fleece |
York |
51 |
|
7 |
Tower of London |
London |
50 |
|
8 |
Schooner Hotel |
Northumberland |
45 |
|
9 |
Tulloch Castle Hotel |
Scotland |
43 |
|
10 |
Woodchester Mansion |
Gloucestershire |
37 |
From castles to hotels, and cemeteries to mansions, there are a whole range of popular tourist buildings around the UK that have a ghastly past, and are open to the public to explore.
Take Edinburgh Castle, which welcomed over 2 million visitors last year, and ranked in 24th place as the most haunted destination in the UK. The popular tourist hotspot, scored a total scare score of 23, having received 10 mentions in ‘haunted’ destination list posts. It is rumoured that the castle dungeons are haunted by the ghosts of their victims, as Edinburgh Castle burned more witches than anywhere else in the country during the 16th century, further contributing to the castles paranormal reputation.
The Tower of London, one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, ranked in 7th place as the most haunted destination, with a scare score of 50/100. The Tower of London has been used as a royal palace, prison and fortress, and has been the infamous setting for tales of royal tragedy and death. It is thought that the ghosts of past prisoners and royal murders still roam around the castle, including Anne Boleyn, who is said to stalk the site of her execution on Tower Green.
Other UK destinations that made the top 10 most haunted include Chillingham Castle in Northumberland, Pendle Hill in Lancashire, and Woodchester Mansion in Gloucestershire.
Leslie Intriago, Head of Digital Marketing at Authentic Vacations comments:
“We’ve all heard tales of ghosts and haunted houses from a young age, and our fascination with the supernatural extends to adulthood with films, documentaries, and books revealing the gruesome past of some of the most well-known tourist sites in the country”
“Haunted destinations are a great place to visit (if you dare), not only for the excitement of catching a glimpse of the paranormal, but also to learn about the rich history of these ancient buildings”
“Our research highlights the best places in the UK to give yourself a fright, just in time for Halloween.”
