Murder, revenge, misadventure … Scotland's macabre past is alive and well, and scaring the bejesus out of those who come into contact with it.
Glamis Castle, Forfar
THE Angus castle has often been described as one of Scotland’s most haunted locations and ghost hunters will be spoilt for choice, with a raft of ghoulish goings-on.
Resident spirits include the Grey Lady, believed to be Lady Janet Douglas of Glamis, who was burned at the stake for witchcraft in 1537. She is said to haunt the chapel. Another restless soul is a woman without a tongue, who it is claimed can be seen wandering the grounds pointing to her badly wounded face.
Then there’s King Malcolm II of Scotland who was wounded in battle near Glamis in 1034 and died in the Royal Hunting Lodge, which sat at the site of the present castle, leaving a large bloodstain.
According to legend, no matter how many times the floor was scrubbed, said bloody mark would always reappear and eventually had to be covered with new boards.
Perhaps the nastiest of the castle’s supernatural crew, however, is Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford, aka Earl Beardie, who was known for his cruel streak and heavy drinking.
The story goes that while visiting the castle, the earl flew into a rage because nobody would play cards with him on the Sabbath, saying he would happily play with the devil himself if need be.
Shortly afterwards a tall gentleman in a long dark coat knocked at the door and asked if the earl still needed an opponent. They retired to a room and played cards long into the night.
The story goes that a servant who peeked through the keyhole to watch their game was blinded. When the earl left to attend to the commotion and reprimand the servant for spying, he returned to find the room empty. The mysterious man – the devil – took with him Earl Beardie’s soul.
Many believe the earl remains in a secret room gambling with the devil for all eternity. Nor is that the only concealed space that Glamis Castle is said to boast.
Another is claimed to hide a monster – the son of the 11th Earl of Strathmore – who was horribly deformed and still emerges from his makeshift prison to roam at night.
Visit glamis-castle.co.uk
The Real Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh
Located in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, the Real Mary King’s Close can lay claim to its share of spooky occurrences.
It is said that former residents of this warren of plague-ravaged streets have lingered for hundreds of years, seemingly trapped or reluctant to leave.
Among their number is Annie, a girl abandoned by her family and left alone to die. A visiting Japanese medium in 1992 claimed she felt Annie take her hand.
The woman returned later and placed a tartan-clad Barbie close to where the incident occurred. It has since become tradition to leave toys, dolls and teddy bears in the cramped bare-brick space known as Annie’s room.
When renovation work was under way before the Real Mary King’s Close opened in 2003, it is rumoured that workers tidied the toys into a neat pile. When they returned later, the items had been strewn around by an unseen hand – even though the doors were locked and nobody was inside.
This Halloween the historic visitor attraction is running a new one-hour tour, Condemned, that promises chilling insight into 18th-century Edinburgh witchcraft.
Condemned is at the Real Mary King’s Close at 9pm today and tomorrow. Visit realmarykingsclose.com
West Port, Edinburgh
It was here that the infamous Burke and Hare lurked in the shadows, picking off their victims then selling the corpses for dissection at Dr Robert Knox’s school of anatomy. The pair murdered at least 16 people – possibly as many as 30 – over 10 months in 1828.
Their killing spree only ended when a body was discovered under Burke’s bed. Hare escaped execution after he agreed to turn King’s evidence against his partner in crime.
Burke was hanged in 1829 and in a twist of irony, his body was donated to Edinburgh University for “useful dissection”. Hare is said to have died a pauper in London in 1858.
Ghost walk specialists Mercat Tours is running a new event for Halloween 2016 exploring the murky world of Burke and Hare. The two-hour tour starts from St Cuthbert’s graveyard and weaves its way through the Old Town towards the Grassmarket.
Up Close with Burke and Hare is at 5pm on Monday. Visit mercattours.com
Culzean Castle, Ayrshire
On stormy nights the sound of phantom bagpipes is said to echo around Culzean Castle on the South Ayrshire coast.
Legend has it that a piper was exploring caves underneath the castle when he disappeared. His ghost is often reported in the grounds, both on Piper’s Brae and by the ruined church.
Other apparitions include a white lady, a ballgown-wearing spectre and the screams of Commendator of Crossraguel Abbey, Allan Stewart, who was roasted on a spit in the dungeons by Gilbert Kennedy, 4th Earl of Cassilis, in a land row during the 16th century.
Stewart survived but his tortured cries are still said to resonate through the castle walls.
Footnote: this writer once spent a night with a ghost-hunting team at Culzean Castle and had to take herself off to Maybole for a calming fish supper (there’s a sentence I never thought I would write).
Visit nts.org.uk
READ MORE: four Herald writers recall their favourite Halloween memories
The Drovers Inn, Argyll
From the ghostly form of a young girl in a pink dress appearing on the stairs to guests being photographed while they sleep, The Drovers Inn is packed with creepy tales.
According to eyewitness accounts, room 115 crackles with unexplained activity. One couple claim to have seen dozens of glowing orbs flickering around, while other guests staying in the same room said they awoke to find their camera had been moved and a series of photos taken throughout the night.
The images included one of them asleep with an otherworldly light emanating from above the four-poster bed. At first they suspected their travelling companions had snuck in and played a prank, only to realise the door remained locked from the inside, exactly as they had left it.
Visitors staying in room six, meanwhile, reported being woken in the night by the feeling of a cold, wet form next to them in bed. It is believed to be the ghost of a girl who drowned in the River Falloch during the 1800s and whose corpse was laid out in the room.
Visit droversinn.co.uk
Comlongon Castle, Dumfries and Galloway
The famed Green Lady, believed to be Lady Marion Carruthers who met an untimely end in 1570, is regularly spotted at Comlongon Castle. Her death was recorded as a suicide and it is stated that she “did wilfully take her own life by leaping from the lookout tower”.
Many believe, however, Lady Marion was murdered by the henchmen of Sir James Douglas of Drumlanrig after she fled to escape marrying him. It is claimed that no grass has ever grown on the spot where she fell.
Eerie lights have been witnessed around the castle and there are several photographs which purport to show spooky manifestations including a misty, hovering shape by the fireplace in the Great Hall.
Mostly Ghostly Investigations are running a new tour of the castle which includes the option of dinner and an overnight stay.
Comlongon Ghost Tour takes place at 6.30pm on Monday. Tickets: £20 (adult), £16 (child), £56 (family). Visit mostlyghostly.org. To add dinner and accommodation packages, call 01387 870283.
Various locations, Skye
It may be best known for its tales of giants and fairies, but Skye has some cracking ghost stories too.
John MacRaing, an outlaw who robbed and murdered, is reputed to roam high in the Cuillins, while spectral soldiers are seen near Harta Corrie, home to the Bloody Stone that marks the site of a fierce battle between the MacDonalds and the MacLeods in 1395.
The ruins of Duntulm Castle on the Trotternish Peninsula are said to be haunted by Hugh MacDonald, who was starved and tortured in its dungeons until he went mad. The grisly legend goes that so ravenous was poor Hugh, he even attempted to eat his own hands.
The castle’s crumbling walls are also said to emit the heartbreaking wails of a young housemaid who accidentally dropped a baby from a window to his death on the rocks below. It cost the girl her own life and it is claimed her cries can be heard on calm, still nights.
There have been reports of a ghost car, believed to be a 1934 Austin, whose headlights come racing out of the dark on the A87 road between Portree and Sligachan. On one occasion, a policeman reportedly tried to give chase, only for the car to vanish into thin air.
Visit visitscotland.com
READ MORE: four Herald writers recall their favourite Halloween memories
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here