What did I make of the Glamis Castle ghost tour?

Driving through a foggy dark Angus glen to get to Glamis Castle only adds to the suspense as I prepare for my first ghostly encounter.

I’m tagging along on a Ghosts of Glamis tour, which has returned for Halloween.

I wasn’t feeling in the spooky sprit when I arrived at the 14th century castle.

But a 40-minute tour around its shadowy passages – which were packed full of eerie stories, jump scares and fun – soon changed that.

This was the first of six night of adult (14+) ghosts tours that will come to an end on October 31.

Each night will see scheduled tours run every 15 minutes between 6.30pm and 9pm.

Visitors are fair game for ghostly figures

The tour starts outside the castle.

A volunteer is asked to knock on the door and we are welcomed in by a ghostly figure, who seems threatening.

But this narrator soon becomes something of a figure of comfort amongst the madness.

Early on we are shouted at by some menacing weapon carrying Jacobites who have us marked as traitors.

Jacobites by name and they weren’t happy that we were visiting the castle. Image: Paul Reid.

After entering, visitors are fair game for the enthusiastic and scarily realistic actors to make havoc amongst thick fake fog.

They scream and jump out at you in the corridors that link up the castle’s spacious rooms.

And sneak up behind you while you listen to the engaging stories being told by the narrator.

The most famous of which is probably about the Grey Lady, who was supposedly accused of being a witch and burned at the stake in 1537.

Our tour guide’s words are regularly interrupted by the terrified screams around me.

It’s thrilling and extremely funny to see grown adults jump out of their skin.

Are you brave enough to venture into Glamis Castle? Image: Paul Reid.

I quickly learn that these ‘adult’ tours are not for the faint hearted.

In a dining hall we are even treated to a little history lesson.

The lights go up and to my relief we say hello to a perfectly innocent Glamis Castle volunteer.

However, the lights suddenly descend again and shadowy monks appear out of the darkness, blessing us by splashing water in our faces.

Cue more screaming and amusement. In that order.

Cannibals, the devil and lots of other supernatural forces

This year’s tour takes guests to previously unseen parts of the castle and tells some stories that weren’t included in previous years.

We also venture up the spiralling staircase and down into the depths of the dungeon.

A different spooky story is told in each room by our guide and sometimes by audio recording.

Each fascinating legend tells us about something truly awful that is said to have happened within the castle walls or to have involved the castle in some way.

Flesh eating cannibals were amongst the Ghosts of Glamis. Image: Paul Reid.

A host of spooky characters recreate the most gory details of the stories.

Cannibals, vampires, clowns, a jester and even the devil make an appearance.

The latter featuring in a story about how Earl Beardie gambled away his soul in a game of cards with the sabbath.

His cursing is said to still be heard from a secret chamber behind a thick wall.

I don’t want to spoil the fun, so will let the narrator and actors take up the stories.

But the acting is even intimidating at times, with full-on scuffles between characters who encroach on our personal space with aplomb.

Glamis Castle was all lit up for the event. Image: Paul Reid.

Some stand so still that you believe they can’t be real until they move and shatter that illusion.

And sound effects give the impression that one has even been burnt alive at one point.

It’s deliciously dark and gothic at times.

In fact I realise how much the actors are also enjoying the tour when I see one of them trying not to giggle.

They had just stolen a man’s hat and unceremoniously scared the living daylights out of another visitor.

And are lapping up the experience too.

How spooky is Glamis Castle?

Everything falls quiet when we exit the castle into the quiet night, with visibility down to a matter of metres.

I can no longer hear my own heartbeat as I step back into the car.

The cynic in me replaced by an enthusiasm for the supernatural and all things Halloween.

The long driveway back to the Glamis village makes it an atmospheric place to be.

But I’m also relieved that I didn’t have to wander around one of Scotland’s most haunted castles on my own.

Are you brave enough to try the Ghosts of Glamis experience?

Tickets are £20 per adult (14+)
Car parking is included in the price of the tickets.
Both the Pavillon Gift Shop and the Castle Kitchen Restaurant are open during the tours for shopping and refreshments.