Haunted Castles of Scotland

Scotland's haunted castles are reminders of a very stormy past. For centuries, Scotland was a divided nation with countless conflicts with England and between Highlanders and Lowlanders. Behind the walls of these impressive castles these spirits of the past continue to inhabit an ethereal domain. Old feuds, dastardly deeds, and ancient discords cross the centuries from kinds and queens, lairds and ladies, to Highlanders and Lowlanders. You can experience these haunting's for yourselves, as we did. While staying at Delgatie Castle we experienced some strange things. I'd love to hear about some of your experiences and I invite you to leave a comment about your experiences in ancient Scotland. Below is a short list of some Haunted Castles in Scotland for you to visit. Who knows, you may get lucky and actually experience a haunting yourself.

When touring the south and border region of Scotland you should visit the following haunted castles in this area.

1. Hermitage Castle - Newcastleton, Borders - There is an admission charge. Hermitage Castle broods in desolate isolation amid some of the eeriest countryside imaginable. Creepy corridors and cold stone staircases meander between the moss clad walls of its ruinous interior. Hermitage Castle was built around 1300 on the disputed borderlands between England and Scotland and the castles ownership would switch between these two countries over the next 400 years. The frequent conflicts that swirled around its towering walls led to its being dubbed the "guardhouse to the bloodiest valley in Britain." One of the earliest owners of Hermitage Castle was Sir William Douglas who took it from the an Englishman, Sir Ralph de Neville in 1338. Douglas was very respected in Scotland because of his victories against the English. When the Scottish King David II made Sir Alexander Ramsay sheriff of Teviotdale, the ruthless and envious Douglas lured Ramsay to Hermitage and imprisoned him in a pit or dungeon which was devoid of sanitation and airless. Ramsay was starved to death in this dungeon and his ghostly groans have been heard echoing down the centuries ever since. Another owner was Sir William de Soulis, also known as "bad Lord de Soulis", who owned Hermitage Castle during the reign of Robert the Bruce. There is a legend behind that name which is far more dramatic than historical accounts of his death. Historically he was arrested and executed for plotting the assassination of Bruce. But the legend is that de Soulis was thoroughly evil and practiced the Black Arts. It is said that he kidnapped the children of the neighborhood and used their blood in his sinister rituals. Eventually the locals begged Robert the Bruce to relieve them of their wicked lord. After Bruce said "boil him if you must but let me hear no more of him" which the locals took literally, they stormed the castle, wrapped him in lead, and plunged him headfirst into a boiling cauldron. His ghost now wanders the castle accompanied by sobs of children.

2. Sanquhar Castle - Nr Sanquhar, Dumfries and Galloway- Sanquhar Castle stands in ruin. Sanquhar Castle was built in the 13th century and was once a stronghold for the Crichton family. The chilling aura that descends as you enter is greatly enhanced by the knowledge that a golden-haired "white lady" is sometimes seen gliding around what little remains of the old castle. She is thought to have been a local lass, having set out to visit the castle, vanished without a trace in 1580. Rumor was that she was murdered by one of the Crichton lords. Local gossip always maintained that she was buried somewhere within the castle. Eventually the castle was left to ruin. Then, during excavations in the 19th century, the castle gave up a ghastly secret. Workmen uncovered the skeleton of a woman, lying face down in a pit. The identity of the woman found is not known but local tradition maintains they were the remains of the local lass who had vanished. Many visitors to the castle have felt an icy touch to the back of the neck and , turning around, have seen the fleeting phantom gliding around the ragged remains of her eternal prison.

3. Borthwick Castle - Nr Gorebridge, Midlothian - You can actually stay the night at Borthwick Castle. Borthwick Castle was completed around the end of 1430 and it appears little altered since. Standing between the two towers, you can imagine the terror of prisoners who were given the chance of freedom if they could leap the 12 foot gap with their hands tied behind their backs. In 1567, Mary Queen of Scots and her third husband, the Earl of Bothwell, fled Edinburgh and sought sanctuary within Borthwick's walls as the Scottish lords demanded their blood from outside. Bothwell, who knew that capture would mean certain death, made good his escape. Mary shaved her head and disguised herself as a pageboy. She then climbed through a narrow window that can still be seen in the Great Hall, and lowered herself down by rope to make her break for freedom. They were reunited briefly and on June 15, 1567 he was defeated by the Scottish lords and fled Scotland. Mary fared little better. Soon she crossed the border to England and threw herself on the mercy of her cousin, Elizabeth I. She was imprisoned for 19 years and then was executed in 1587. It is said that her ghost returns to Borthwick Castle, where she appears in the garb of a pageboy.

While touring Fife, Scotland you should visit both of the following haunted castles.

1. Balgonie Castle - Nr Glenrothes, Fife - There is an admission charge and you can only visit on a tour. Balgonie Castle is reportedly Scotland's most haunted castle. It was built in the 14th century and added on to over the centuries until 1702. It fell into ruin over the centuries since but in 1985, Raymond Morris purchased Balgonie Castle. He and his family now live there with the ethereal inhabitants to whom a fortress of such impressive antiquity is, inevitably, home. The laird's son has seen a ghostly old man walking across the courtyard; a head and collar materializing out of a wall in front of him; and a phantom dog and its nebulous owner appearing, then disappearing, into an invisible doorway. One night, the lady of Balgonie, was asleep by the fire in the tower's upper room, when she awoke to find the figure of a man in 17th century attire sitting on the couch opposite her. A few weeks later she came across a portrait of the 1st Earl of Leven and immediately recognized him as the man she had seen. The castle's most famous specter is "green Jeanie", described in 1842 as being a "well known phantom". Nobody knows who she is or what event made her such a permanent fixture in the castle's phantom guest book. The Great Hall has never been remodeled and still retains many of its original features. There are reports of indistinct shapes flitting around its darker recesses, or the often heard sound of disembodied voices engaged in muffled conversation, which send shivers down the spine.

2. Glamis Castle - Nr Forfar, Angus - There is an admission fee. At least six ghosts are known to wander its rooms and halls. The scene of the first haunting is in the crypt. Behind one of the thick stone walls there is a chamber, around which are woven many legends. It was here that one of the Lords of Glamis was once playing cards and he was reluctant to give up the game, even though the Sabbath was rapidly approaching. No sooner had the clock chimed midnight than the devil appeared and asked to the the game. The rash Lord promptly gambled away his soul and died soon after. For years the ghostly sounds of cursing and swearing were heard echoing from the room at night. There are several reports of guests waking to find him leaning over their beds, gazing at them with evil intent. The Castle's chapel is the haunt of the Gray Lady who is thought to be the ghost of Janet Douglas, whife of John, the 6th Lord of Glamis. Her ghost has been seen many times in the chapel, kneeling in silent prayer.

When touring the Northeast of Scotland visit these four haunted castles.

1. Dunnottar Castle - Nr Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire - There is an admission charge. William Wallace dropped by uninvited in 1296 and captured the castle killing 4,000 Englishmen here. The present building dates from the 14th century. A girl aged about 13 years has been seen hovering around the brewery. She wears a plaid-type dress and has the annoying habit of simply melting away in front of startled witnesses. The spectral figure of a "Nordic" man has been seen in the vicinity of the guardroom at the main entrance. There are places where a decided chill hangs in the air, and ghostly voices have been heard chattering in empty rooms.

2. Braemar Castle - Braemar, Aberdeenshire - There is an admission charge. Braemar was built in 1628 by the Earl of Mar and has the presence of a ghostly lady whose ethereal roaming came about as the result of a tragic misunderstanding some 200 years ago. The story goes that a newly married couple arrived to spend their wedding night at the castle. The next morning the husband awoke, crept out of bed, and went out hunting. A little while later his wife awoke to find him gone. The poor girl presumed that he had found their wedding night disappointing and abandoned her. Beside herself with grief and shame, she leaped out of bed, opened the window, and jumped to her death. Her melancholic spirit has remained trapped at the place of her suicide ever since. A Scottish piper appears in the castle's back corridor.

3. Fyvie Castle - Turriff, Aberdeenshire - There is an admission charge. The best known specter 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. They had five children all of which were daughters and this rankled Seton, who longed for a son. Soon his eye fixed upon one of his wife's relatives, a young woman named Grizel Leslie. She more than welcomed his advances and very soon the two were enjoying a passionate affair. Neglected by her husband Dame Lilias retired to their house in Fife, where she became ill and died shortly after. She was barely cold in her grave before Seton had married Grizel and brought her to live at Fyvie Castle. On their wedding night, they were disturbed by moans and heavy sighs from outside their bedroom window. Seton comforted his terrified wife, assuring her that it was just the wind. But the next morning, on opening the window, he found etched into the solid stone of the outside ledge the name D LILIAS DRUMMOND. The mysterious impression is still there, while Lilias's spirit makes frequent returns to the stairways and corridors of the old castle.

4. Rait Castle - Nr Nairn, Highland - It stands in ruin. The ruins of 13th century Rait Castle are reached by a long and overgrown pathway. It is one of the most frightening places you could ever wish to visit, and an overwhelming sensation of desolate apprehension seems to emanate from its very core. The Duke of Cumberland, or "Butcher Cumberland", stayed here on the night before the Battle of Culloden. Its singularly gruesome haunting is said to have its origins in an infamous event that occurred in 1524, when the warring Cummings held the castle. The then laird invited their arch-enemies, the Mckintoshes, to a banquet at Rait Castle, so that the two clans could make peace. In reality, Cummings intended to massacre them the moment they sat down to dine. His adversaries got wind of his plan, however, and having turned up heavily armed, they managed to kill several Cummings before making good their escape. As his daughter was in love with one of the Mackintoshes, the laird was convinced that it was she who had revealed his plans. Furious at her, he chased the terrified girl to an upstairs room where, having climbed out of a window, she clung to the ledge by her fingertips. Her father hacked of her hands and sent her plummeting to her death. Retribution came swiftly where he and his followers were slaughtered, soon afterward, at Balblair. Ever since the ghost of the laird's daughter has wandered the scene of her descent into eternity. Her handless specter, in a bloodstained dress, is still occasionally glimpsed amid the hollow ruins.

When touring the western Highlands of Scotland and the Isle of Skye visit these haunted castles.

1. Eilean Donan Castle - Nr Kyle of Lochalsh, Highland - There is an admission charge. Eilean Donan Castle was built in 1220 by Alexander II. During the Jacobite uprising, William Mackenzie, garrisoned the castle with Spanish troops. Three English frigates unleashed a bombardment of artillery against the defenders that battered them into submission, and left the castle little more than a moldering ruin. It was rebuilt in 1932 by the MacRae family. The ghost of one of the Spanish troops who died in the bombardment is said to wander the castle, carrying his head under his arm.

2. Duntulm Castle - Nr Uig, Skye - It stands in ruin. Duntulm Castle was once the stronghold of the MacDonald clan. It is a place of mystery and intrigue, where legends abound and ghosts wander. Donald Gorm Mor, Chief of the Macdonalds of Sleat, imprisoned his cousin, Hugh MacDonald, for plotting against him. He incarcerated him in a deep, dank dungeon and fed him salted beef and fish, ensuring that no water was given to him. Hugh was driven to licking droplets of stagnant moisture from the fetid walls, and died a slow, agonizing death, his raging thirst driving him to insanity. Meanwhile, Donald Gorm Mor was left in charge of his father's ward, a one-eyed girl by the name of Margaret. She was hopelessly in love with Hugh and was devastated by the cruelty of his treatment. Mor was so incensed by the pity she had shown Hugh and made her life an utter misery. She was driven from the castle by his vindictiveness and she sought refuge in a convent and died shortly afterward. Her ghost now returns to the castle and can be seen weeping among the ruins, while deep beneath the ground come the clearly discernible parched ravings of Hugh, proving that death did not end his torment.

3. Dunstanffnage Castle - Nr Oban, Argyll, and Bute - There is an admission charge. Dunstanffnage was once a stronghold of the Kings of Dalriada, the original Scots who migrated here from Ireland in the 600's. They brought with them the Stone of Destiny. The present castle was erected in the early 1200's by the MacDougalis, Lords of Lorne. The castle is still the seat of the Campbell Captains of Dunstaffnage, who spend one night each year in the gatehouse as symbolic occupancy. It is also the haunt of a lady in a green dress, said to be a gruadhach, a fairy or spirit woman, whose manifestations are closely knitted to clan fortunes. If she appears smiling, then they can expect good fortune. If she looks sorrowful, or appears to be if she is weeping, the family can expect tragedy.