Chillingham Castle in Northumberland has been named the UK’s spookiest castle ahead of Halloween, with 406 Tripadvisor reviews mentioning ghosts. Warwick Castle came second and Scotland’s Glamis Castle third, in a new study by Go Smoke Free.
The research searched English-language Tripadvisor reviews of UK castles for words including ghost, haunted, spooky, eerie and paranormal. Castles were ranked on how many reviews mentioned their most-used spooky word.
The UK’s 10 spookiest castles
- Chillingham Castle, Alnwick, England: 406 ghost reviews
- Warwick Castle, Warwick, England: 168
- Glamis Castle, Glamis, Scotland: 163
- Pembroke Castle, Pembroke, Wales: 98
- Muncaster Castle, Ravenglass, England: 88
- Oxford Castle Prison, Oxford, England: 87
- Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, England: 66
- Dunster Castle, Dunster, England: 63
- =Dudley Zoo and Castle, Dudley, England: 62
- =Berry Pomeroy Castle, Totnes, England: 62
- Dover Castle, Dover, England: 51
Why Chillingham stands out
Chillingham is in a league of its own. Its 406 ghost mentions make up 28.57% of its 1,421 searchable English reviews, so more than one in four visitors bring up ghosts.
Warwick Castle tells a different story. Its 168 ghost reviews are spread across more than 17,000 reviews, which works out at just under 1%. Big visitor numbers can generate plenty of spooky chat on their own.
Hidden gems for a Halloween day out
Berry Pomeroy Castle in Devon is one to watch. It only just makes the top 10, but 13.19% of its 470 reviews mention ghosts, one of the highest rates in the ranking.
Glamis Castle also scores strongly, with ghosts appearing in around 9% of its reviews. Pembroke Castle is the top Welsh entry in fourth, while Dunluce Castle in Portrush is Northern Ireland’s highest at 25th, where “haunting” was the most used word.
Northumberland is a hotspot, with Chillingham, Alnwick and Bamburgh Castle (15th, with 29 ghost reviews) all near the top. That makes it a great option for families planning a spooky road trip.
A spokesperson for Go Smoke Free said: “Although a Tripadvisor mention obviously does not prove anything supernatural happened, hundreds of visitors independently leaving with ghosts on their mind certainly adds to the intrigue.”
