With the rustle of autumn leaves and a chill in the air, the veil between worlds thins. As Halloween (or Samhain) approaches, a ghostly ambience settles, inviting us to explore the spookier side of the season.
Which might seem, for the sceptics out there, overly ridiculous; however, according to GO Outdoors, certain areas in the UK have been the sites and sights of some unexplained, paranormal activity from beyond the spirit realm. Tales of feeling brushes against the skin while walking through forested areas, or unexplained bumps and grazes after visiting the graveyard and cemeteries in the capital.
GO Outdoors managed to collate a top ten, but for the sceptics, how did they create the list?
To determine their top 10 spookiest walks, GO Outdoors created a starting list of "spooky walking locations" found on the website Tripadvisor. This served as their initial pool of candidates for analysis. For each location on the list, they analysed the Tripadvisor reviews to find the percentage of reviews that mentioned specific "spooky" keywords.
The keywords included terms like spooky, eerie, scary, Halloween, haunted, misty, ghost, paranormal, dark, ancient, legend, shadow, buried, sinister, killer, grave, fog, and witch.
They cross-referenced their list with data from the website Paranormal Database. For each walk, they took the total number of paranormal sightings recorded in the wider county where the walk is located. Finally, they created a normalised score out of 10 for each walk.
This final score was based on the two factors they analysed. the percentage of reviews mentioning "spooky" keywords and the number of paranormal sightings in the surrounding county, with the information collected on September 16.
So, where did they unearth in the UK the spookiest places to venture into, or avoid completely, this Halloween?
5. Sherwood Forest (Nottinghamshire)
This legendary forest, home to Robin Hood, also has a ghostly side. Many reviews mention a haunting atmosphere, with visitors claiming to have seen the ghost of Robin Hood himself and other spectral figures wandering through the ancient trees. 👻 8.00/10 | Archive/National World
6. Pendle Hill (Lancashire)
Infamous for the 17th-century witch trials, Pendle Hill is steeped in spooky history. Visitors have reported strange noises, shadowy figures, and feelings of being watched while walking on the hill, which is often shrouded in mist. 👻 8.31/10 | Joyce Margaret Clarke
7. Greyfriars Kirkyard Walk (Edinburgh)
Over half of the reviews for this walk mention spooky terms. The kirkyard is famous for its supernatural activity, particularly the Mackenzie Poltergeist, one of the most well-documented cases of its kind. Visitors have reported unexplained cuts, bruises, and feelings of unease after walking through the area. 👻 8.54/10 | Provided
8. Culloden Battlefield (Highland)
The site of the final pitched battle on British soil is believed to be haunted by the spirits of fallen soldiers. Visitors have described their experience as “haunting” and reported seeing spectral figures in the area, a solemn reminder of the 251 reported paranormal sightings. 👻 8.77/10 | rphfoto - stock.adobe.com