Scotland has quite a boody history and a lot of haunted house stories, here are a list of some of Scotlands haunted houses.

1. Craigievar Castle

This beautiful, fairytale Scottish castle has been in the Forbes family for over 350 years. It is said to have been the inspiration for the Walt Disney trademark castle!

Listen to tales of ‘Red’ Sir John, ancient clan feuds and murder most foul. Visit the Blue Room (‘the ghost room’) and hear about the human forms that move in the shadows and doors that open and close on their own. There are also stories of ghostly cocktail parties filled with Scottish music and voices from the past; apparitions of children at play; and sleeves tugged when no one is there.

2. Crathes Castle

At Crathes Castle you can visit the Green Lady’s Room which was named after the spirit of a young woman who has often been seen by the fireplace wearing a green dress and cradling an infant in her arms. When the castle was renovated in the 1800s, the bones of a child – presumed murdered – were discovered under the hearthstone of the fireplace.

The archives tell of the unearthly appearance of a luminous block of ice that moves like someone walking but is not human in shape – these visions are always accompanied by a sharp drop in room temperature. The tower house is also home to the White Lady, thought to be Alexander Burnett’s young lover, Bertha. Poisoned by Lady Agnes for being unworthy of her son’s hand in marriage, Bertha visits on the anniversary of her murder.

3. Drum Castle

Gifted to the Irvines by Robert the Bruce in 1323, Drum is one of Scotland’s oldest tower houses and a hotspot of supernatural activities – from apparitions of Anna Forbes Irvine (who died in 1900) to the haunting laughter of her son Alexander, who died aged six in 1865.

Hear stories of family heirlooms which inexplicably move in the night and ghostly footsteps in the dark. In 2014 one of Drum’s resident ghosts was even captured on camera, which featured extensively in the local and national press.

4. House of Dun

Beware of the Headless Horseman who roams the lanes of Dun at night, seeking retribution on unwary travellers.

This stunning Georgian mansion and its surrounding estate hold many a dark secret, including that of the harpist murdered at the den of Dun on the very spot where his ghost has been seen playing musical laments. You may also encounter the phantom of the knight who, upon returning from the Crusades, discovered his wife had been tricked into marrying his friend. A sword fight ensued, and the usurper was run through and impaled to an ancient yew tree.

5. Castle Fraser

One of the grandest Castles of Mar, Castle Fraser is full of quirky features including secret staircases, trapdoors and a spy hole.

Over the years there have been numerous sightings of a young woman who was murdered in the Green Room. Her bloodied body, dragged down the round tower, stained the steps to such an extent that they had to be covered in the wooden panelling we see today. Dressed in a long black gown, the ghost of Lady Blanche Drummond, who died in 1874, wanders the castle and its grounds; ghostly whispers, laughter and music have also been heard in the Great Hall.

6. Haddo House

This elegant Georgian mansion was home to the Gordon family for over 400 years. One of its most famous residents was Lord Archibald Gordon, affectionately known as Archie. Unfortunately, he died in 1909, one of the first people in Britain to be killed in a car accident.

Dressed in hunting tweeds with a shock of ginger hair, Archie’s ghost is often seen smiling and talking to visitors. Haddo also has a more menacing supernatural side, where locked attic doors shake violently at night and staff have been threatened and chased by spirits through the servants’ corridors and vaulted cellars.

7. Fyvie Castle

Tales of murder and betrayal cast a spine-chilling shadow over this 800-year-old Scottish Baronial fortress.

When the room temperature drops suddenly and the air fills with the scent of roses, it is said that you are in the presence of the ghost of Lilias Drummond, ‘The Green Lady’. Legend tells that Lilias was starved to death by her husband, Alexander Seton, for failing to provide a son and heir. On the night of his second marriage, her ghostly laments were heard outside the marital bedchamber – in the morning, and still visible today, her name was found freshly scratched into the castle walls. Listen to tales of phantom soldiers, poltergeists and the curse of the weeping stones, then visit the secret burial chamber of the Grey Lady, whose remains were discovered encased in the castle walls and whose spirit roams the passageways.

8. Culzean Castle

Behind the grand facade of Culzean Castle basks a cornucopia of paranormal activity.

Lurking atop a clump of cliffs and sea caves, this castle, which has ties with the American Kennedy family and General Eisenhower, contains at least seven ghosts. Two that stand out are the bagpiper and servant girl. On stormy nights, the shrill cacophony of discordant pipes can be heard battling against the crashing noise of the waves and howling winds. This same ghost is said to play his pipes in the grounds, especially when one of the Kennedy family ties the knot in marriage. Numerous apparitions have also been reported, including a lady in a ball gown, a hazy mist and a servant girl who was mistreated. Culzean Castle also features in cult film The Wicker Man.

9. Skaill House

The fact that Skaill House was constructed within such close distance to the grounds of Orkney’s own Skara Brae — the most complete Neolithic settlement in Europe known as the ‘Scottish Pompeii’ — surely has something to do with the many ghostly reports and sightings. The multiple skeletons found under the floors may have something to do with it also!

Whether laird of the land or visitor, an almost unfathomable number of spooky occurrences have been reported.

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