With its dramatic mountains, dark lochs and swirling mists, it’s easy to see why Scotland has long been known as the home of myths, legends and tales of the supernatural.
Visit any city, town, village or remote part of the countryside and you’ll come face to face with stories of ghosts, ghouls and mysterious events.
As Halloween is approaching, there’s no better time to visit one of these frightfully good places.
A good starting point is the Tolbooth Museum in Aberdeen, where there’s a witchcraft exhibition running until Saturday, January 25. Prosecutions for witchcraft, historically, were rare in Aberdeen, but the 1590s brought a wave of persecution, prosecutions and executions.
This exhibition will show, for the first time, some of the documents relating to the charges laid against those suspected of witchcraft and the costs of executing some of those convicted.
Chris Croly, historian with Aberdeen City Council, said: ‘It is the first time that these documents about the persecution of so-called witches in Aberdeen, in 1597, have been on display, so I would encourage people to take this opportunity to come and view this important material.”
The museum is open Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm, and admission is free.
The “Black Colonel”, the notorious John Farquharson of Inverey, is just one of the ghosts said to haunt Braemar Castle, where’s there’s a spooky family fun day taking place this Sunday, October 27.
Don fancy dress, bring a lantern and take a scary tour of the castle looking for the colonel and his fellow-phantoms.
Advance booking is essential for this event on 013397 41944.
Plenty of spooky goings on can be found in the Ness Islands, Inverness, which is where the city’s Halloween show takes place.
Since first being staged five years ago, the event has inspired thousands of families to dress up and help scare away the annual invasion of ghosts, ghouls and beasties.
This year’s show takes the theme of ghost train, and shows what happens when the fat controller is too afraid to come out in the dark after a ghost train breaks down in the islands.
With superb lighting and a large cast of performers from Eden Court Creative and Fly Agaric, the event tomorrow and Saturday is a must-do.
It runs from 6.30-8.30pm both nights and is free of charge.
Meanwhile, city pubs and nightclubs are expected to be lively on those nights, too, as it has become the custom for adult revellers to get dressed up and join in the fun.
Other eerily good places you may want to visit include:
Glamis Castle, Forfar.
Glamis 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 which is believed to house a monster which roamed at night. This monster was believed to have been the son of a Laird of Glamis who was horribly deformed and was kept in one of the secret rooms. A ghost named the Grey Lady is said to haunt the chapel.
Skye
In the past, scores of kilted soldiers have been reputedly sighted on the island.
They are often seen 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 car hurtling along roads at breakneck speed.
Cawdor Castle, Cawdor
The most noted apparition at Cawdor is said to be the ghost of a young woman with no hands.
According to stories handed down the generations, the girl was the daughter of one of the early Earls of Cawdor, who fell in love with a neighbouring chieftain.
They met in secret, but it’s said that when her father found out he vowed they would never embrace again and hacked off his daughter’s hands. She is said to haunt the building.
Cullen House, near Banff
The house is thought to be haunted by the spirit of the third Earl of Seafield, known in history as the “mad earl”.
James Ogilvie, third earl, inherited the estates in 1764, but gained a reputation for being insane. It is said that, on November 3, 1770, while mentally unstable and unaware of what he was doing, he murdered his best friend.
Later, when he regained his reason, he was so overcome by remorse that he committed suicide.
Laid to rest in the family vault, it’s said many people have seen his spirit in the library and church.
Fyvie Castle, Turriff
The best-known spectre in Fyvie Castle is that of the Green Lady, thought to be Dame Lilias Drummond, wife of Alexander Seton, owner of the castle in the early 17th century.
She bore him five daughters but he wanted a son and embarked on a passionate affair with one of his wife’s relatives, Grizel.
Neglected Lilias left, became ill and died, but she was barely in her grave before Alexander and Grizel married.
After their wedding, they were disturbed by moans and heavy sighs from outside their bedroom window.
The next morning, Alexander found the name D Lilias Drummond etched into the solid stone of the outside ledge.
The mysterious impression is still there.
Her spirit, swathed in green, is said to make frequent returns to the stairways and corridors of the old castle, bemoaning her betrayal and leaving the delicate fragrance of rose petals in her ghostly wake.