Terrifying trails and gruesome tales
Spooktacular tales and spine-tingling trails await brave families this Halloween at National Trust locations up and down the country.
For the really brave, there will be super scary ghost tours and campfire story-telling in deserted woodland after dark. For less daring visitors, there are delicious candle-lit dinners in haunted manors, and plenty of fun pumpkin crafts for tots.
Each time you visit a National Trust property, you are helping the charity to take care of very special places. Now it’s time to find a spooky Halloween treat near you.
Dare you explore Ham House this Halloween?
South East and London
Cliveden, Buckinghamshire
Halloween – Witch and Wizard Week, 24 October – 1 November, 11am – 3pm
Follow the clues on this spooktacular Hallowe’en trail to find the ingredients for a mysterious magical potion, with prizes at the end. Don’t forget to come dressed in your wildest wizard and witch outfits to frighten off any evil spirits. Make the most of your visit and explore the giant yew-tree maze, storybook-themed play area and majestic beech woodlands to make it a day to remember.
Price: Free event (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 01628 605069, nationaltrust.org.uk/cliveden
Ham House and Garden, Surrey
Ghost Tours, 24 – 25 October and 30 – 31 October, 6pm – 7.30pm, 7.30pm – 9pm, 29 October, 7.30pm – 9pm
Haunted Ham House is reputed to be one of the most ghostly houses in Britain. Discover the ghostly tales scattered through the houses’ chaotic history. Drinks and refreshments in the Orangery will be followed by an atmospheric after-hours ghost tour in the house and garden.
Price: £22
Find out more: 020 8940 1950, nationaltrust.org.uk/ham-house
Bodiam Castle, East Sussex
Crones’ Corner, 31 October – 1 November, 11am – 3pm
There will be magic and mayhem in the castle tower this weekend as the Crones are back. Come and listen to the tales of magic and mayhem with our Crones, they select and mix, stir and brew a delightful range of concoctions. Enter their tower if you dare, but be wary of their unconventional cooking.
Price: Free event (normal admission fee applies)
All Hallows’ Eve Ghost Tales, 30 – 31 October, 7pm – 8.15pm, 9pm – 10.15pm
Spend Hallowe’en evening exploring the ruins of Bodiam Castle. Warm up with a meal in the Terrace Room before taking a wander through the castle to meet some of Bodiam’s oldest residents and hear their ghostly tales. Windows where arrows were once fired, a tower that was once a look-out and ruins that were once walked upon by knights. The recommended age for this evening is 16+.
Price: £22.50 (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 01580 831324, nationaltrust.org.uk/bodiam-castle
Enroll the little ones at magic school at Liverpool’s Speke Hall. Image by Andrew Butler
North West
Speke Hall, Liverpool
Spooky Speke School, 28 October, 1 November, 12pm – 4pm
Take a trip to Speke Hall for a haunting half-term magic school. Take broomstick lessons, solve the terrifying trail, join in with cauldron class and practice your creepy crafts. This beautiful building has witnessed more than 400 years of turbulent history, and is now an oasis on the edge of the city.
Price: Free event (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 0151 427 7231, nationaltrust.org.uk/speke-hall
Fell Foot, Cumbria
Hallowe’en Spooktacular, 31 October, 5pm – 9pm
Get toasty by the fire with a pumpkin carving evening in the ghostly nineteenth Century boathouse of Fell Foot. Afterwards set out on a ghost hunt around the park, with a warm drink and a spooky snack to warm you up at the end. From climbing frames to scramble nets, there’s plenty hidden around the woods for a fun family day out.
Price: £2.50 (booking essential)
Find out more: 015395 31273, nationaltrust.org.uk/fell-foot
Image by Nick Meers
South West
Studland Beach, Dorset
Hallowe’en Night with Cider and Sausages, 31 October, 6pm – 8pm
Spend Halloween in bare feet on the beach for a cider and sausage BBQ on the sands at Studland Beach. If you’re feeling brave, go for a spooky night time walk through the black swash along the shore. A glorious slice of natural coastline in Purbeck, Studland is a four-mile stretch of golden, sandy beach.
Price: £7
Find out more: 01929 450500, nationaltrust.org.uk/studland-beach
Avebury, Wiltshire
Hallowe’en at Avebury, 22 October, 1 November, 11am – 4pm
Kids can help the witches look for their missing cats, hiding around the garden at Avebury Manor. Find all the cats to win a spooky prize, and stick around to hear spooky tales and face painting. Take an autumn walk amongst the largest stone circle in the world, and soak up the atmosphere of prehistoric Avebury.
Price: Free event (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 01672 538 016, nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury
Brownsea Island, Dorset
Spooky Hallowe’en tales, 31 October, 5.15pm – 8.30pm
Bring the whole family to meet Granny Cousins as she hosts this spooky dinner in the Villano cafe, where the spirits of the island’s past will appear before your eyes. Brought to life by local storyteller Michele O’Brien, characters from Brownsea Islands’ history will join you for dinner. For a small island, Brownsea has had a remarkably varied history. It has been pillaged by Viking raiders and blitzed by bombers in the war, a military stronghold, industrial site, refuge for wildlife and a retreat for Edwardian society.
Price: £15
Find out more: 01202 707744, nationaltrust.org.uk/brownsea-island
Cotehele, Cornwall
Fright Night at Cotehele House, 31 October, 5.30pm – 7.30pm
Wander around atmospheric Cotehele House by torchlight on Hallowe’en night for an eerie evening of fun. Explore the gothic mansion in the dark and experience the spooky side of this Tudor house. Bring your own torch and prepare to be scared silly.
Price: Free event (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 01579 351346 (press 0), nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele
Keep your wits about you during a Tattershall Castle ghost walk. Image by Andrew Butler
Midlands
Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire
Ghost Walks, 24 and 31 October, 6pm – 7.30pm, 8pm – 9.30pm
Take a walk around Tattershall Castle once the day visitors have gone home for a Hallowe’en full of ghostly goings-on. From palatial dwelling to cattle shed, Tattershall Castle has seen lots of characters come and go over its 600 year history. If you’re brave enough to take a tour of the redbrick castle after dark, you’ll discover stories about resident ghosts, and maybe even spot one yourself.
Price: £6.50 (booking essential)
Find out more: 01526 342543, nationaltrust.org.uk/tattershall-castle
Kinver Edge and the Rock Houses, Staffordshire
Hallowe’en lanterns, 29 – 31 October, 11am – 3pm
Craft a paper lantern to take on a starry Hallowe’en procession of lights along Kinver’s woodland sandstone ridge, offering dramatic twilight views across surrounding counties. Drop in during the week to make a unique lantern, then come back for the procession starting at 6pm on Saturday. Stick around for festive refreshments at the Rock Houses after the walk.
Price: £2 (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 01384 872553, nationaltrust.org.uk/kinver-edge
Sudbury Hall and the National Trust Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
Hammer Hallowe’en, 30 – 31 October, 5.45pm – 7.45pm, 7.45pm – 9.45pm
Take a picnic to Sudbury Hall Park for an outdoor cinema under the stars. Sudbury Hall will become the home of Victor Frankenstein, whose experiments lead to a number of famous friendly monsters being let loose on the grounds. Together with ‘The Lost Boys’ Theatre Group, help fight Count Dracula, the Mummy and a whole host of familiar Hallowe’en faces.
Enjoy a spooky snack of hot filled rolls, a piece of cake and mulled cider before the performance (included in your ticket price).
Price: £22 (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 01283 586 800
Quarry Bank, Cheshire
Autumn Spooktacular, 26 – 30 October, 12pm – 4pm
Create your own ghost or ghoul at the hands-on craft activity and follow the spooky trail through the Mill. Quarry Bank overflows with the atmosphere of the Industrial Revolution and the people that worked there. The sights and sounds of the working mill will make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
Price: 50p (normal admission fee applies)
Spooky Tours, 30 – 31 October, every 15 minutes from 6.30pm – 9.30pm
Let students from ALRA take you on a dramatic and haunting trip through the Mill. Stroll through the atmospheric corridors of the working mill – one of Britain’s greatest industrial heritage sites – and stimulate your senses. Each performance is 45 minutes long.
Price: £8
For more information, 01625 527468, nationaltrust.org.uk/quarry-bank
An ominous sky over North Yorkshire’s Nunnington Hall. Image by Robert Morris
Yorkshire and North East
Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire
The Hex Factor, 31 October, 11am – 4pm
The Hex Factor is a fancy dress parade open to any willing witches or game ghouls. Dress to impress in your Hallowe’en best or go along and spot the spookiest outfit. Hear stories about Tudor manor Nunnington Hall’s fascinating former residents.
Price: £8.25 (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 01439 748283, nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington-hall
Can you solves the murder mystery at Wimpole Estate? Image by Nick Meers
East of England
Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire
Murder Mystery Evening: The Ruined Recital, 30 – 31 October, 6pm – 10pm
Step back in history to October 1795 and attend a musical recital hosted by the Third Earl of Hardwick to celebrate All Hallows Eve. Watch the action unfold as a murder is committed in the candlelit hall and try to identify the guilty guest. Enjoy a three course buffet in the Old Rectory Restaurant, and explore the grand Georgian interiors in this intimate and atmospheric evening.
Price: £45
Find out more: 01223 206302, nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole-estate
Sheringham Park, Norfolk
Horrible Hallowe’en Trail, 22 October – 1 November, 10am – 4.15pm
Find the spooky clues hidden around the landscape park to win a Halloween treat. Kids can scare themselves silly with local ghost stories. Afterwards explore the scenic coastal countryside around Sheringham Park, or even pick up a geocache pack at reception for a real adventure.
Price: £2.30 per trail
Find out more: 01263 820550, nationaltrust.org.uk/sheringham-park
Put your little one’s pumpkin carving skills to the test. Image by Paul Harris
Wales
Tredegar House, Newport
Hallowe’en, 24 October – 1 November, 11am – 4pm
Put on your most frightening fancy dress and go in search of peculiar activities that Tredegar House have been brewing up in time for Hallowe’en. Follow an eerie trail, decorate a batty biscuit, carve a devilish pumpkin and have a fiendishly good time with creepy crafts. Situated in beautiful gardens and parkland, this delightful red brick house provides an ideal setting for a fantastic autumn day out.
Price: 50p (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 01633 815880, nationaltrust.org.uk/tredegar-house
Chirk Castle, Wrexham
Pumpkin Carving, 26 – 31 October, 11am – 4pm
For fiendish fun this Hallowe’en, families can head to Chirk Castle for pumpkin carving. Pick up a pre-emptied pumpkin and choose from stencils, carving sets and tea lights to make a design. Store finished pumpkins safely in the stables at Home Farm and go and explore the brooding castle ruins, fit for a medieval knight.
Price: £3 (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 01691 777701, nationaltrust.org.uk/chirk-castle
Face painting at Rowallane Garden is treat for little horrors. Image by Paul Harris
Northern Ireland
Rowallane Garden, County Down
Ghosts and Gourds Weekend 17 – 18 October, 10am – 6pm
Rowallane Garden will come to life this Halloween with scary face painting, ghost trails and pumpkin carving, providing plenty of fun for all the family. Prepare to be spooked on this bewitching day out, Why not behead, scoop and carve a pumpkin to take home and ward away the evil spirits this Hallowe’en? Let your imagination run riot among the unusual plants, colours, sculptures and magical features in one of the most beautiful gardens in Northern Ireland. Additional cost for pumpkins and Ghost Trail.
Price: Free event (normal admission fee applies)
Find out more: 028 9751 0131, nationaltrust.org.uk/rowallane-garden