Glimpses of past lives

The empty rooms of Belsay Hall are a haunting glimpse of the life that once filled this beautiful home.

But perhaps the laughter never truly died, as some of Belsay's former staff and residents are said to have lingered on. Reports of tugs on the back of clothing in the butlers' room, and talking and laughing in the grounds and formal gardens, are regular occurrences.

On one occasion, a visitor stopped to give a member of staff what he thought was some positive feedback, saying that he thought the actors in the quarry garden were 'very good and realistic'.  The visitor described, in detail, a young boy playing with a metal hoop, wearing breeches, however, there were no re-enactments that weekend.

Ghost in the dungeons

The forbidding ruins of Whitby Abbey are famous for their bloodcurdling connections. But did you know that the abbey harbours a dark secret from long before the time of Bram Stoker's Dracula?

A young nun, Constance de Beverley, broke her sacred vows when she fell in love with a gallant knight called Marmion. When the other nuns found out her secret, her punishment was to be bricked up alive in the walls of a building. Today, it is said that her ghost can be seen at the site of Whitby Abbey, cowering and begging to be released.

Legend also says that a phantom choir can be heard every year at dawn on the 6th of January, the old Christmas Day.

Come to the cliff

With evidence of occupation dating to the Bronze Age, a Roman signal station and a great medieval fortress, Scarborough Castle has a long history.

In 1312, Scarborough became the scene of a dramatic siege, which saw Edward II's controversial favourite, Piers Gaveston, take refuge in the castle. A lack of supplies forced Gaveston to surrender, but despite being promised safe passage, he was captured and executed near Warwick.

Staff at Scarborough Castle have reported unsettling feelings around the Master Gunner's house and a mysterious figure seen in the fog at closing time. It is said that Gaveston returned to his place of sanctuary, where he now attempts to lure people towards the edge of the cliff and to their doom...

Echoes in the basement

Wrest Park is known for its exceptional gardens and landscape, but what about the echoes of former residents?

Sightings are most frequent in and around the dark basement, where unexplained footsteps have been heard, a rope has been seen swinging near the water cooler, and a woman with long black hair is sometimes seen standing in a window near the basement. Footsteps have also been heard in empty upper rooms of the house.

If you are exploring the gardens close to closing time, look for people by the pavilion or entering the woodland. Site staff have followed these 'visitors' to make sure everyone has safely left the site before closing – only to find no one there.

The 'licking stones'

The scene of many bloody sieges, Carlisle Castle is often said to be plagued by restless spirits as well as being the site of gruesome events from history.

It has its fair share of chilling secrets, one of which is revealed in a room used as a dungeon during the Jacobite Rising in the 18th century. In here, you can find the 'licking stones' – stones in the castle walls that were licked by desperate prisoners trying to obtain some water in the cramped conditions.