- Lady Catherine Of Dalhousie
When you visit Scotland, you may not even need to leave your hotel to witness ghosts. In fact, if you’re staying in the Dalhousie Castle Hotel and Aqueous Spa, you might have an old-timey ghost hanging out in your room. The ghost rumored to haunt the place is Lady Catherine, a 16-year-old noblewoman who was banished in a castle tower in 1695 after getting caught with a stable hand.[1] The poor, lovelorn Catherine died in her tower, and it is said that her spirit never left the castle, even when it was converted to a hotel in 1972.
Lady Catherine’s ghost leads a fairly active afterlife, which has led to multiple sightings over the years. The hotel is a popular wedding site, and the specter has been known to attend the festivities. She walks the castle’s turrets and corridors and even appears in people’s rooms. Sometimes, she waves at the guests from a window. Other times, you might find her sitting on your bed. According to eyewitnesses, her grey dress, sharp features, and small feet could make you believe that she’s perfectly alive . . . that is, until she walks right through a locked door.
Here’s an interesting anecdote: In 2007, American writer Kate Bolick visited the castle to learn about Lady Catherine, who, at this point, had picked up the popular ghost moniker “the Grey Lady.” Although she was unsuccessful, she discovered that Catherine does not like the sound of bagpipes. Whenever the castle steward tries to play his instrument while she’s around, he’s unable to play properly.
- The Ghosts Of Stirling
The Ghosts Of Stirling
Stirling Castle is home to two well-known ghosts. The more striking one of them is known as the Pink Lady. She is a pretty woman who got her nickname from the luxurious, pink dress that she wears. She’s rumored to be none other than Mary, Queen of Scots, who was crowned in the castle. According to another legend, she may be the wife of a soldier who fell when Edward I and his troops besieged Stirling Castle in the early 14th century, doomed to search for her fallen husband for all eternity. The Pink Lady spends her time wandering around the castle and its surrounding area.
The second ghost is known as the Green Lady or the Grey Lady, depending on who is telling the story.[2] A popular story says that she’s the spirit of a servant girl who saved young Queen Mary from a fire, possibly dying herself while doing so. Whenever she appears, a major disaster is sure to follow. Although this may seem ominous, the Lady is actually trying to warn people of the danger, attempting to save them like she saved her queen so many years ago.
Still, don’t think that the ghosts of Stirling Castle are all benevolent. There are rumors of a third, more mysterious specter. It manifests as unseen footsteps in the area known as the governor’s block. It is said that a 19th-century sentry died here in the middle of his patrol, his face twisted in terror. Is the poor guard the ghost making the footsteps? Or did he see whatever horrifying spectral creature was making them and die of fright? That’s the beauty of ghost stories: You can choose to believe whichever version you find the scariest.
The Hostile Spirits Of Blair Street Vaults
Listverse has told you about Edinburgh’s Old Vaults before, but some of the spirits that reside there are even scarier than the old legends of murderous grave robbers Burke and Hare storing their victims there. These underground chambers are locally known as Blair Street Vaults and thought to be the home of several nasty ghosts.[3] These spirits will not necessarily show themselves to you, but their faces sometimes show in photographs, and their presence is felt in a number of other ways.
The most harmless ghost is Jack. He is a joker who likes to tug at people’s pants and throw stones across the chambers, causing nasty echoes. Another one is known as Mr. Boots. He’s the source of the mysterious, heavy footsteps that some say can be heard in the empty vaults. However, they’re both small potatoes compared to the Watcher, a truly frightening entity.
According to Nicola Wright, who has worked as a tour guide in and around the Vaults for over a decade, the Watcher is always lurking in the tunnels. Psychics have reported feelings of dread in its presence. It’s usually content just watching visitors, but sometimes, it starts pushing people and pulling their hair. The Watcher is at its strongest in an area called the White Room, where even veteran vault dweller Nicola refuses to go. She says that the Watcher tries to stop people from entering by shouting at them and pushing them. People who have stepped in the White Room anyway have returned with bruises, scratches, and torn clothes, feeling extremely nauseous.The White Hart Inn
If you’re feeling playful, you might say that there’s no better place for a Scottish spirit than a pub. Maybe that’s why so many Scottish pubs have ghosts of their own. One of the most famous haunted public houses is the White Hart Inn. With its cellars that date back to 1516, it is one of the oldest pubs in Edinburgh. It’s also said to be one of the most haunted. According to legend, the White Hart Inn has seen many different murders and tragedies. Over the centuries, the place has accumulated so much spectral energy that many visitors have reported invisible hands pulling their hair or throwing things at them. The ghosts aren’t fans of modern technology, either, as they occasionally pull cables.
In 2013, a tourist couple supposedly managed to photograph one of the White Hart Inn’s ghosts.[4] Although the bar manager doesn’t believe in the hauntings himself, even he admitted that the picture was very hard to explain. He also admits that many members of the staff have had odd encounters, and their cleaner has actually threatened to quit if he encounters any more unexplained phenomena.
In 2014, Scottish Ghost Adventures set up some equipment in the oldest part of White Hart Inn. They managed to capture mysterious voices saying “Help me” and “Connor.”
- The Ghosts Of Glencoe
The massacre of Glencoe in 1692 was a brutal attack where soldiers loyal to the English crown visited the MacDonald clan and initially befriended their hosts. But suddenly, they received an order from the crown: Kill the entire clan. The formerly pleasant soldiers ambushed the sleeping MacDonalds during a blizzard, killing 38 of them. Many more died of exposure as they desperately fled for the hills.
Some say the ghosts of the wronged MacDonalds never went away.[5]
People who live in the stunningly beautiful Glencoe (aka Glen Coe) area generally agree that the spirits of the victims are still lingering, unable to move on because of their unexpected and violent demise. Winter is said to be the best time to glimpse spectral MacDonalds, particularly near the massacre’s anniversary, February 13. Some have reported ghostly figures crouching in the hills, still desperately trying to hide from the soldiers. Others say that they’ve heard the screams and wailing of the MacDonalds being killed all over again. Others still claim that they’ve actually seen the massacre reenacted in ghostly form.
Still, the Clan MacDonald ghosts are just the tip of the supernatural iceberg in Glencoe. The place is also said to be haunted by the MacDonalds’ caoineag, an invisible, banshee-like entity that warns of danger with its bloodcurdling cries. Legend has it that the caoineag’s screams warned the MacDonalds of the impeding doom, which is how so many of them were able to escape the soldiers’ swords. According to some, she can be heard wailing near a waterfall on the night before the anniversary of the massacre.
- The Handless Woman Of Rait Castle
Rait Castle is a large 13th-century hall house that was equipped with castle towers during the 16th and 17th centuries. Although only its ruins remain, its many strange architectural features make it an interesting structure. Its history is equally fascinating, as is the story behind its ghost. Yes, of course there’s a ghost. It’s a Scottish castle, remember?
The Cummings, the most long-term occupants of Rait Castle, had been feuding with the Mackintoshes over its ownership for centuries. In 1441, the Cummings decided it was time to stop fighting. So Old Cumming invited Clan Mackintosh to the castle for a huge feast as an offer of peace.[8] Even better, Old Cumming’s daughter had struck up a relationship with a young Mackintosh man. It looked like there might finally be a chance for peace between the two enemy clans.
Of course, the invitation was actually a clever plot to wine and dine the Mackintoshes and murder them while they were unable to fight back. Unfortunately for the Cummings, Old Cumming’s daughter was worried about the safety of her lover and warned the Mackintoshes about the plot. This is why they came to the dinner with dirk daggers hidden in their clothing. When the Cummings started their ambush during a toast for the dead, the Mackintoshes pulled their hidden dirks and quickly stabbed their hosts instead.
Old Cumming escaped the bloodshed and ran to the upper chamber to confront his daughter, who he now realized had warned the Mackintoshes. The furious clan chief attacked the young lady with a sword and cut off both her hands before she could escape by jumping out of the window.
After the slaughter, it turned out that no one really wanted to own a castle where so much blood had been shed. Rait Castle was left to ruin. Its only occupant is said to be the ghost of a young, handless woman in a bloody dress.