UK Travel Blog

With Halloween coming, we thought it was time to explore a few of the most haunted ancient sites in the country along with their often gruesome myths and legends.

1) The Reculver Towers in Kent – The site is the ruined remains of a Saxon church of St Mary’s, which has long been abandoned with only two towers remaining. For centuries, it’s been said if you listen carefully during a stormy night you’ll hear the cries of babies, although naturally this was dismissed by sceptics as simply the wind blowing through the towers.

However fast forward to 1960, when archaeologists excavating the Roman fort which once stood on the site discovered the skeletons of a number of babies. Evidence has suggested that the babies were sacrificed to protect the residents of the fort from evil spirits. So maybe the myth behind this wasn’t so far out.

2) Blickling Hall in Norfolk – One of the more famous of the haunted houses is also one of most intact here is Blickling Hall which was the former home of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry 8th. It is said that after her death in 1536, she and her father both return to the house on the anniversary of her execution. Obviously nobody has told Anne that the house she lived in was actually knocked down and replaced by the current Jacobean mansion.

3) Knowlton Church – This is one of those places which you can imagine a headless horseman coming running out of the mists as they swirl around the 12th Century church. There are no stories of horsemen, but there are said to be many spirits found around this church which excavations have shown was built on the site of a Bronze Age Neolithic fort and henge.

Many suggest that parts of the church were built from stones originally used in the henge, and it is the spirits of those Bronze Age peoples who are unhappy about the desecration of what might well have been a religious site. The church has a ditch around it, which it has been suggested was there to keep these spirits in rather than stop any intruders getting into the church.

The church itself was the focal point of the village of Knowlton, until in the 15th Century the entire population of the village was rapidly wiped out by the Black Death. Even during the various outbreaks of the Black Death, that was rather unusual and perhaps not entirely a coincidence…?

The church is 7 miles north of Winborne Minster on the B3078.

4) Kingley Vale – According to 9th Century manuscripts, a group of Vikings invaded the countryside around what is now Chichester sending the citizens of the area running for their lives. However the Vikings weren’t expecting the revolt by the Anglo-Saxons who turned on their perusers with a huge battle in which hundreds were killed. The wood is believed to be the location of this battle, onto which a grove of 60 trees was planted as a memorial. At night, it is said that ghostly figures are seen and the trees both change shape and move around the valley.

5) Wicken Fen – There are several ghostly sightings all over Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, but one of the most feared is Black Shuck, large shaggy dog, who is said to roam around the fens. Legend says those who encounter the Black Shuck shouldn’t look directly at him as this will signify a death in the family.

Elsewhere on the fens are a safer group of ghosts believed to monks from a priory, the site of which is now Spinney Abbey Farm. On still nights the ghostly figures of the monks can be seen wandering over the fens around the abbey and chanting can sometimes be heard. It has even been said that strange lights are seen to bob around the area, possibly the lanterns of the monks.

6) Little Salkeld in Cumbria – The ancient stone circle near Penrith, known locally as Long Meg and her Daughters, is according to legend the site where a coven of witches used to hold their Witches’ Sabbath or Sabbat. This was where the witches would hold devil worship rituals.

During the 13th Century, a wizard called Michael Scot came across the witches and turned them to stone. It is claimed that if anyone can walk around the stone circle and count the same number of stones twice you will break the spell. This might sound easy, but having tried this and with 69 stones (officially) somehow it never quite comes out the same….not that anyone really wants to break this spell.

7) The Skirrid Mountain Inn – The inn dates back as far as the Norman Conquest, but became notorious in 1685 when following the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion against Catholic James II, a royal court was held to try the rebels. Unfortunately for them it was the notorious Judge Jeffreys (1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem) in charge of the proceedings which became known as the “Bloody Assizes”.

In total 180 rebels were sentenced to hanging and all were hung at the Skirrid Mountain Inn. Visitors can still see the marks worn into the beam at the bottom of the staircase by the hangman’s noose as permanent evidence of the executions. Over 600 more of the rebels were sent to the colonies forever.

Customers of the inn have been said to see strange shapes and feel cold spots around the bar, and some even report a feeling of constriction around the neck especially near the staircase.

8. Rannoch Moor – This barren area in the Highlands of Scotland has been the sight of many battles and legends, including fights by Scottish heroes William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. The dark peat bogs and surrounding black mountains give the region a rather spooky appearance, possibly giving rise to many of the stories of fairies and other strange creatures.

One of the most commonly seen creatures is the black dog which is regularly seen by people driving through the exact nature of this dog is unknown but it is said to appear alongside cars or follow them, often frightening the occupants.