There’s a chill in the air… the nights are getting darker… and red balloons can be seen floating above drains.
It’s almost Halloween, and it’s time to plan some frightening fun! There are loads of spooky spots around the North East, so we thought we’d put together an eerie agenda for your October travels.
Hop on the train and follow NationalRail.com’s Haunted Tour of the North for a week of screams this Halloween!
Brace yourself for: Edinburgh
There’s no better place to start than at one of Scotland’s darkest locations: The Real Mary King’s Close. This uniquely preserved underground network of 17th century streets and spaces was once a bustling part of Edinburgh, and is now a social history tour guided by one of the former residents. Discover the real story behind the myths, where the truth is often stranger than fiction.
Take the train to Edinburgh and book your tickets ahead of time for this popular attraction. The dates of our Halloween tour are October 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th and 21st at 10:15pm.
Stay the night…
At a 13th century castle to meet Lady Catherine, the ‘Grey Lady,’ who lurks around the dungeon and turrets of the castle.
Find reservations for Dalhouse Castle Hotel and Spa, Edinburgh.
Venture to: Alnwick
The next day, you can enjoy a somewhat less horrifying day at Alnwick Castle, just an hour away on the train to Alnwick train station. Spend the day exploring the Poison Gardens, full of illegal and poisonous plants and dangerous enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. Eat lunch at their treehouse restaurant, explore the castle, and then brace yourself for a night of screams in their Bamboo Labryinth haunted tour from 6pm!
Bamboo Labryinth at Alnwick Castle, free with admission to the gardens, 21st-25th October, 18:00-19:30
Try to sleep…
At the Chillingham Castle in Alnwick. In this haunted castle, keep your eyes out for the elusive ‘Blue Boy’ and the White Pantry Ghost, which is a woman who might ask for a glass of water due to her suspected poisoning.
Creep down to: Gateshead
Next, take the train south to Gateshead to continue your spooky travels and enjoy a night of true paranormal activity learning to track down ghosts in Bensham Grove! They’ll provide the psychic tools and scientific equipment so you can gather your very own evidence of the ghosts in this haunted location!
Friday, 27 October, Bensham Grove in Gateshead. Find more events from GHOSTnortheast and book your paranormal evening here.
Next stop: Redcar
Prepare for a scare on your train journey to Redcar train station. The Scream Factory attraction is back, bigger and more horrifying than ever for 2017. Choose from the Twilight (family-friendly) haunted house tour, the Extreme Tour for a heart-pumping, stomach churning train of fear… or put your big boy pants on and sign up for the Isolated Tour… alone!
ScreamFactory, Redcar, TS10 5NW – book your tickets online here.
Scream down to: York
From the York train station, it’s just a short journey over to a haunted farm… where a terrible tragedy occurred in 1873 involving a circus troupe who still wander the grounds today. Five live-action haunted houses filled with clowns, zombies and other terrors can be found at York Maze’s Hallowscream from 13-31 October 2017 – and watch out for zombie tigers and acrobats while you’re there:
Here’s what you can expect:
Book tickets to Hallowscream here.
What do you think: trick or treat? Let us know what your Halloween plans are this year, and grab your cheap train tickets from NationalRail.com to let the screams begin!
