New tours, new tricks and new treats for Halloween, writes Susan Welsh
If you go down to the woods today, in particular the tree-lined Ness Islands in Inverness, you’re in for a big surprise of the spine-chilling variety.
Once again, the picturesque islands will be transformed into a Halloween haven, where hundreds of families, dressed in spooky costumes, gather to help scare away the annual invasion of ghosts, beasties and unmentionables.
The paths and walkways, trees and open spaces throughout the islands will be used to stage the show The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and feature scenes from cinema and television adaptations of the Halloween short story.
Expect surprises at every corner, thanks to the projection skills of Arts in Motion and the performing skills of the talented members of Eden Court Creative, who will bring the terrifying headless horseman to life. The show runs from 6.30-8.30pm on Saturday, October 31, and is free of charge.
Outwith the islands, you’ll find the city centre a very lively place on Halloween, as city revellers have taken this to their hearts and, once the youngsters are off to bed, see it as the perfect excuse to dress up and have fun and enjoy the carnival atmosphere in the city’s pubs and clubs.
Elsewhere, at Fyvie Castle, Vlaad the ghostly butler and the green lady will tell spooky stories that make children quiver and shiver on Saturday, October 31, from 1.30-2.20pm. Call 01651 891266 for tickets.
Leith Hall Garden and Estate also has a few ghoulish treats up its sleeves. From 11am-4pm on Saturday, October 31, youngsters can follow Witchy Woo’s spell trail. Collect her spell sheet before heading into the woods and garden to collect all the ingredients before returning to the entrance hall where Witchy Woo will be waiting to help visitors cast their spell in her cauldron.
Between 11.10am and 5pm, to celebrate the final day of the season at the hall, visitors can see inside the cellars where the family headstones will be on display. There will be no guided tours. Instead, the public will be able to wander at their leisure and hear all about the ghosts and spirits from the past that still haunt the house today. On Sunday, November 1, from 2.30pm, the hall will play host to a ghostly themed handbell concert in the sumptuous music room, where the players will play a specially selected repertoire for the Halloween season. For details of all Leith Hall events and to book a place, contact 01464 831216.
STEAM AND SCREAM
The Strathspey Railway has gone full steam ahead and organised “fangtastic” Hocus Pocus Halloween train trips for Saturday, October 31, when passengers can expect treats and tricks galore. Mr Snake, a friendly 5ft-long red corn snake, will be on board to meet children who are being encouraged to wear fancy dress, while Graham the gruesome guard – he’s said to have died years ago – will return from beyond the grave to persuade passengers to have horror tattoos or fake wounds applied while onboard.
Trains will run at 10.30am, 12.30pm, 2.45pm and, for the first time, there will be a 6pm evening train for a “dark” Halloween experience, when passengers can tuck into devilishly good homemade stovies designed to warm you up for a family ride with a difference. Trains depart from Aveiemore Station on Dalfaber Road. Under fives travel free, otherwise, tickets are priced at £7.15 for children and £14.25 for adults, with concessions and family tickets available. Contact www.strathspeyrailway.co.uk or 01479 810725.
A HAUNTING YOU WILL GO
Across the country, there’s a veritable feast of chilly fare taking place on and around Halloween. Here are a few highlights:
A Newhailes Halloween
Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, October 29-31 (times vary)
Mercat Tours, in partnership with the National Trust for Scotland, has launched a brand-new Halloween tour for 2015: a tour of the beautiful Newhailes House, located less than half an hour’s drive from Edinburgh’s city centre. Guides will share sinister tales of curses, witches, massacre and death around the spooky grounds. This is an opportunity to hear about the Dalrymple family and the chilling legacy they have cast upon Newhailes and the surrounding area. Priced from £9 per person (not suitable for those under eight).
Contact: www.mercattours.com and www.nts.org.uk
Samhain Festival
Scottish Crannog Centre, near Kenmore, Aberfeldy, Perthshire,
7pm, October 31
Join a traditional Samhain festival (known as the Feast of the Dead in the pagan calendar) for storytelling around a fire, fire shows, a wicker ram sacrifice, refreshments and much more – suitable for all ages. Spook the night away with lantern-carving competitions as well as one or two surprises. Priced from £5 for children. Booking essential on www.crannog.co.uk
Dark Truth Tour
The Real Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh, from 9pm, October 28-31
Step beneath the Royal Mile for the Real Mary King’s Close’s Dark Truth experience and uncover the real stories of Edinburgh’s murky past. These tales, which span over 500 years of Edinburgh’s history, will be brought together for this special late-night performance at The Real Mary King’s Close. Journey through time and get up close to some of Edinburgh’s most notorious characters, from the imposing
figure of Kincaid the Witch Pricker
to the infamous William Burke. Suitable for those aged 16 and over, with tickets priced at £14.95. www.realmarykingsclose.com
Halloween Brewery Tour
Tennent’s Brewery Visitor Centre, 161 Duke Street, Glasgow, from 6pm, October 30 and 31
Join the team for a ghostly edition of one of Glasgow’s most-loved tours, guided by none other than a special guest . . . the ghost of Hugh Tennent. See how Hugh’s “mad man’s dream” came to fruition from the man himself. Ghostly Hugh will lead you through the history of the Tennent’s Brewery from his family history to the present day. Unlock the mysteries of the iconic venue and listen in as the eerie myths and legends of Scotland’s oldest running brewery he helped to make world famous come to life. Tickets priced at £20. Contact: www.tennents
trainingacademy.co.uk/leisure
Chill-seekers can extend their travels by making their own way around some of Scotland’s spookiest locations, such as Glamis Castle, which sits just outside the village of Glamis, and is reputed to be one of the most haunted castles in Scotland. King Malcolm II was murdered there, leaving a bloodstain on the floor which defied all efforts to be removed. Eventually, the floor was boarded over. The castle is also said to contain secret rooms, one of which is believed to have housed a monster which roamed at night. This monster was believed to have been the son of a Laird of Glamis, who was horribly deformed. A ghost named the Grey Lady is also said to haunt the chapel.
In the past, scores of kilted soldiers have reputedly been sighted on Skye near Harta Corrie, which is celebrated in local history for the Bloody Stone that marks the scene of a bitter battle between the Macdonalds and the Macleods some 300 years ago. Also, often seen is a driverless 1934 Austin car, hurtling along roads at breakneck speed.
Dornoch saw the scene of the last judicial execution for witchcraft in 1772. Some claim that the old woman is still seen on occasions, struggling and cursing against the rising flames and smothering smoke on autumn evenings, when the moon is on the wane.
The buildings at GlenDronach Distillery in Aberdeenshire are said to be haunted by a woman who arrived from Spain in a sherry cask.
Contact: www.visitscotland.com/halloween