Look out for ghosts, spectres and unearthly goings on this halloween at one of these spooky lodgings - just don't expect a quiet night's sleep.

1. Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
Yes, it's that Jamaica Inn, of Daphne Du Maurier fame. Unsurprisingly, the 250-year-old tavern hosts an extensive collection of smuggling paraphernalia. Less well known is its collection of other-worldly goings on: the inexplicable noises of cartwheels and horses' hooves in the cobbled courtyard; footsteps in empty corridors; a gentleman in a tricorn hat who walks through walls; and a murder victim who calmly sits outside musing on something. For a guaranteed sleepless night, asK for bedroom four.

2. Chillingham Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England
Chillingham is famous for its moaning and whimpering Blue Boy. His bones and some scraps of blue clothing were discovered behind a wall where his cries have been heard, suggesting he may have been immured there. In the meantime, the rustle of a dress on the turret stairs heralds the passage of the restless spirit of Lady Mary Berkeley as she searches in vain for her husband (he ran off with her sister). Then of course there's the white lady in the pantry, the voices in the chapel etc.

3. Talbot Hotel, Oundle, Northamptonshire, England
If celebrity ghost hunting is your game, head for the Talbot Hotel which, ironically for a fine Elizabethan house, is said to be haunted by Mary Queen of Scots. The hotel's staircase used to adorn Fotheringhay Castle and Mary passed down it on her final walk to the executioner's block. As you might expect in a 16th-century building, there are oak beams and transom windows abounding, and open fires to warm your chilled spine when you witness the doomed conspirator reliving her final steps.


4. Elvey Farm, Pluckley, Kent, England
Pluckley may look familiar as the setting for The Darling Buds of May but, according to the Guinness Book of Records, it's also England's most haunted village. Mediaeval Elvey Farm is slap bang in the middle of it and boasts beautiful bedrooms with ancient rafters and, if you're lucky, a "weeping wanderer". In the vicinity you might also encounter the unhappy wraiths of a schoolmaster, a soldier, a highwayman, a screaming man, a miller, Red Lady Derring, a white dog and many others besides, so don't forget to pack a camera.

5. The Prince Rupert Hotel, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England
In need of an exceptionally grisly night? Try room six, where it is claimed the spectre of a hanging woman can often be seen. If that's a little too much, you might prefer one of the other rooms in which visitors have merely reported the unexplained movement of objects. As the name suggests, the hotel used to be the home of Prince Rupert though guests can choose to plunge even further back in time in suites decked out in the manner of gracious 12th or 15th-century living.


6. Ruthin Castle, Ruthin, Denbighshire, Wales
Any castle that sports a Drowning Pit, a Whipping Pit and dungeons is asking to be haunted, frankly. Add the execution of a jealous wife who had murdered her husband's lover with an axe and the chances of the place not teeming with ghostly goings on is practically nil. At Ruthin – a brilliant red fort with over 400 years of grim history behind it – the Grey Lady can be seen roaming the battlements and chapel (sans axe, regrettably) whilst other areas of the castle are prone to mysterious noises, footsteps, inexplicable changes in temperature and the appearance of a spectral soldier.

7. Maes-y-Neuadd Talsarnau, Gwynedd, Wales
Not all apparitions aim to frighten, of course – this 14th-century granite manor house is home to a ghost who is really quite friendly. Maes-y-Neuadd's Morfa Suite is the scene of many sightings of a woman thought to have been a children's nursemaid. Rather than being terrified, guests claim they became very calm in her presence and found themselves drifting pleasantly off to sleep. If you don't receive a visitation, you can at least console yourself the next morning with the hotel's eye-easing views of Snowdonia.

8. Tulloch Castle Hotel, Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland
Not one for the faint hearted, this – one guest reported waking up to feel two ghostly girls sitting on his chest in an apparent attempt to suffocate him. Others have seen figures at the foot of their bed and experienced nights disturbed by rattling door handles and other noises. There's also a Green Lady who mopes about, having died falling down a spiral staircase. If this were not enough, the former castle, dating from the 12th century, also contains secret passages, a secret door and a secret tunnel to Dingwall Castle. Hard core paranormalists should ask for room eight.

9. Comlongon Castle, Clarencefield, Dumfries, Scotland
It was reported on September 25 1570 that the Lady Marion Carruthers "did willfully take her own life by leaping from the lookout tower of Comlongon Castle and did break her head and bones". It's no surprise to learn that grass refused to grow on the spot where the cruelly imprisoned wife struck the ground or that her sorrowful spirit still stalks this luxurious mediaeval castle on the Scottish borders. The fact that her ghost is green, smells of apples and moves jewellery around rooms is perhaps a little bit special. Marion hunters should request the Carruthers suite, her centre of operations.

10. Dobbins Inn, Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Built in the 13th century and one of Northern Ireland's oldest pubs, the Dobbins has served as a gaol, an armoury, a post office and a safe haven for Catholics (the priest hole can still be seen in the reception area). However, none of this will be any consolation to Maude and Buttoncap. The former, the wife of Hugh Dobbins, fell for the latter, a soldier garrisoned in the castle across the road, and they would meet up via a secret tunnel. When Dobbins discovered them, he killed them both with a sword, though it's only Maude who comes back to caress sleeping guests with her hand.

DIXIE WILLIES WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM