Top 6 Creepiest Castles in Scotland to Visit This Halloween

For a change, you don’t have to dress up for the Halloween costume party or hang pumpkin lanterns to guide lost spirits home. Even pranksters can take a break and spend the last day of October in Scotland. Faraway highlands, dark history, secret chambers, underground passages, and paranormal sightings create an ambiance that befits the occasion. “Beneath the moon’s pale beams,” as spirits visit our world and the chill in the air gets the better of you, the idea of visiting some of the spooky places in Scotland will keep you charged.

For those who want to have a ‘Fright Fest,’ this All Hallows’ Eve, visit these 6 creepiest castles in the country.

#1. Inveraray Castle, Argyll and Bute

This 18th-century castle made of gray stone looks “grim and forbidding.” Located on the shore of Scotland’s longest sea loch (lake) – Loch Fyne – the secluded setting of the castle gives an eerie feeling to the visitors. The surrounding Scots Pine and the conical roofs of the castle create a wonderful synergy. During your walk around the castle, you come to know that the place is haunted by the “ghost of a harpist who was hanged in 1644 for peeping at the lady of the house.” Listen to the chilling tales of the locals who have heard the sound of a mysterious harp being played inside this castle.

#2. Edinburgh Castle

Perched on top of an extinct volcano, this 12th-century castle is one of the most haunted locations in Scotland. Rising about 400 feet above sea level, it takes a steep walk to reach this lonely fortress that guards a stormy history. It takes a brave heart to explore the dungeons beneath the castle that are believed to be stomped on by ghosts of erstwhile prisoners. Paranormal sightings are not uncommon in this castle that’s “the most besieged place in Great Britain.”

#3. Dunstaffnage Castle, Oban

Built around 1220, one of oldest stone castles in Scotland has a haunting history of being besieged and rebuilt several times in the past. This partially ruined castle looks stunning yet spooky. The massive stone structure near the town of Oban, is believed to be home to a ghostly lady in green. According to local legends, her expressions are a sign of times ahead. Her smile is a good omen, whereas crying is a presentiment of bad times.

#4. Eilean Donan Castle, Dornie

One of the most recognizable castles in Scotland, it is both romantic and creepy. Almost cut-off from the mainland, this 13th-century castle lay in ruin for over 200 years. What gives this place a haunted look is its location where three lakes meet. According to locals, the apparition of a certain Lady Mary has been often witnessed in one of the bedrooms. As far as the history goes, when Englishmen captured the Spanish soldiers who had fortified the castle, some of them were killed and the rest were put to prison.
The spirits of those dead Spanish soldiers, if legends are to be believed, haunt the grounds of the castle.

#5. Culzean Castle, Ayrshire Coast

If you haven’t tried the ‘Light into Dark’ night walk inside the Culzean Castle, you must. There’s hardly any better address in Scotland to relive the charm of Halloween than this 14th-century castle. Taking a tour of the battlements encompassed by forests give you a feeling that you are not the only one who treads here. There is every possibility that in some nook and cranny of this massive structure lurk the
“instruments of darkness.”

#6. Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire

Sound of footsteps, knocking on doors, and the bagpipes being softly played in the tower – each of these incidents surrounding the 13th-century castle has now become a legend that the locals fiercely believe in. One of the creepiest castles in the country, it is the place to get goosebumps, especially after dark when the interplay of light and darkness transports you to a different world where phantoms prowl and history howls.