Manchester is gearing up for spooky season, with inflatable monsters, pumpkin lanterns and masses of pumpkin patches rearing their heads. Now, as Halloween creeps closer, new research has revealed the UK’s spookiest, most chilling walks, and from haunted woods to ghostly moors, these trails are not for the faint of heart…
The team at GO Outdoors has analysed the number of Tripadvisor reviews which mentioned terms like ‘spooky’ and ‘ghost’ alongside reports of paranormal activity to identify the scariest walking spots across the UK.
Of course, with our region being absolutely steeped in history – some of it pretty gruesome – the North West has come up trumps in the research, particularly Lancashire, which is historically packed with folklore, dark goings-on and true horror stories.
The Lancashire spot named one of the UK’s spookiest walks
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pendle Hill was named the fifth spookiest walk in the UK, and there’s no shortage of stories and history to wade through there. With 29.5% 0f reviews mentioning something spooky about the place, plenty of paranormal sightings, and an overall score of 8.31/10, Pendle Hill makes quite the eerie spot for an autumnal walk, throwing up local folklore and infamous history along the way.
Set in the picturesque South Pennines, Pendle Hill is just an hour from Manchester, and can be characterised by its steep drop on one side. Pendle, and its Hill, are renowned for the witch trials of 1612, where 12 local women were held in custody, one dying before trial due to the awful conditions, one being found innocent, and 10 being eventually brutally hanged.
These women were mostly from two rival families in the area – Demdike and Chattox – the widows of which were seen to lead Pendle witchcraft, named Elizabeth Southerns AKA ‘Old Demdike’ and Anne Whittle AKA ‘Mother Chattox’.
The Pendle witches were held on account of anything from cursing locals, to signs that they’d sold their souls to the Devil, all against a backdrop of religious unrest, with Lancashire seemingly leaning more towards Catholic thinking during dissolution from the ruling class.
Though the witch trials are the most famous of the happenings that make Pendle Hill one of the spookiest walks in the UK, there’s plenty more where that came from. At just an hour’s drive from Manchester, why not pay the area a visit and see for yourself?
Top three spookiest walks in the UK
Wistman’s Wood in Devon claims the top spot as the spookiest walk in the UK, scoring 9.61 out of 10. One in four Tripadvisor reviews mention spooky experiences, making this oak woodland, with its twisted trees, a must-visit this Halloween. Following in second place is Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire, an ancient site full of mystical energy with one of the highest rates of paranormal reports among the top 10 – 390 recorded sightings.
Rounding out the top three is the Culloden Battlefield in Inverness, where 552 visitor reviews mention spooky terms. Another spooky Scottish spot included is Greyfriars Kirkyard, notable for sightings of the legendary Greyfriars Bobby – a terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for reportedly spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until his death.
If you fancy a trip across to the east coast, Whitby Abbey & Clifftop Walks pulled in the second most reviews mentioning spooky keywords, at 599 – as compared to London’s Highgate Cemetery, with 1,269. Whitby is definitely worth the trip, and has now been proven to be a northern goldmine for those who love a spook.
The UK’s spookiest walks
Looking for somewhere to take an eerie stroll this autumn? Here are the top 10 spookiest walks in the UK:
- Wistman’s Wood, Devon
- Avebury Stone Circle, Wiltshire
- Culloden Battlefield, Highland
- Greyfriars Kirkyard Walk, Edinburgh
- Pendle Hill, Lancashire
- Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire
- Whitby Abbey & Clifftop Walks, North Yorkshire
- The Rollright Stones, Oxfordshire
- Hound Tor, Devon
- Highgate Cemetery, London
Natalie Wolfenden, Author and Hiking Enthusiast at GO Outdoors, reminds us, though: “Finally, while walking through a spooky setting can be exciting, remember that many of these locations are steeped in history. Whether it’s ancient woodlands or historic battlefields, make sure to be respectful and leave no trace”.