We've picked some of the most haunted premises including the UK's most haunted Prison in Shepton Mallet and hotels that have had more sightings and strange occurrences than most, dating back in many cases over 500 years with a really rich and diverse history, their walls and current owners will tell many a tale of strange goings on. Good luck with your explorations in conjunction with Haunted Houses who will help you coordinate this truly ground breaking and inspirational ghost hunting trail - you will not be disappointed as long as you believe! You can experience the whole trail or pick and choose with to work with your own budget. Haunted Houses our tour operator partner will be coordinating bookings and we are really proud to be working with them! To find out more about the Paranormal Activity from those who manage and own these businesses. Watch the video interview here - where the owner Rusette Auton talks about the strange goings on at Bath Theatrical Hire. Charlie Lawson the GM at Shepton Mallet prison also gives you inside knowledge on paranormal activity at the prison here. There are also video interviews with the GM at the Rock Inn Waterrow, West Somerset here and others videos from the GM at Wookey Hole Caves and Attractions here and finally the Old Vicarage Hotel in Somerset here. You'll see that with each paranormal venue there are associated hotels, which you can stay at and there is information on local train stations and coach stop offs - other service connections can be found here More information below and some of the Paranormal venues below. The Old Vicarage Hotel, Bridgwater This atmospheric hotel breathes turbulent history with Bridgwater being a flashpoint in the English Civil War and also close to the Battle of Sedgemoor a few decades later. The famous engineer Isambard Kingdom-Brunel stayed here and developed his plans for Bridgwater railway station. The iconic St Mary’s Church is adjacent, with its spire being a prominent view for miles around. There are many sightings in the hotel and gardens, particularly of this 17th century intense period and prior, with monks that were murdered during the 16th century Reformation being a feature. It is one of the most haunted locations in Somerset with many occurrences to staff and customers. Bath Theatrical Costume Hire This unique facility in the town of Frome is the largest costume hire business in the U.K. This adds to the sense of mystery and theatre at this unusual location with 25,000 costumes contained in this large warehouse. A real life phantom experience awaits amongst the atmosphere of the ghostly feel of period costumes from 18th and 19th centuries, along with military and theatrical themes. The back wall of the premises dates back several centuries and has protected heritage status, being the site of an old printworks. The Rock Inn, Waterrow The very look of this 500-year-old half-timbered coaching inn as you descend a valley near Wiveliscombe in West Somerset is inspiring for those interested in the paranormal. Many sightings and experiences have occurred within, where the building was crafted into the steep rockface behind where some of the original workmen died. Sightings include a female proprietor from the early 1900s who contracted Spanish Flu and subsequently hung herself as a result of depression. Most recently, intense occurrences have been experienced in the bar area. Wookey Hole This well-known visitor destination includes a 200-year-old paper mill which is an atmospheric example of the industrial era when working practices were very different from today. Young children were employed and there were many recorded fatalities. Previous visits by paranormal enthusiasts have reported experiences in the paper mill and in the mirror maze within the family-fun part of the attraction. Shepton Mallet Prison This institution housed its first inmates in 1625 and was finally decommissioned recently in 2013. It is very easy within these tall and stark stone walls and cells to imagine the unremitting routines and deprivation suffered over centuries and the life stories behind them. Not only do possible angst, remorse and guilt of inmates echo around paranormal followers, but also the fact that many executions were undertaken on site. Between 1889-1926, seven men convicted for the crime of murder were executed within the prison. Their bodily remains were buried within the grounds of the prison. During World War Two, the United States armed forces took control of the prison. 16 US servicemen were also hanged and a further 2 executed by firing squad during these years. There are multiple stories and paranormal experiences associated with the 400-year history of Shepton Mallet Prison. Dunster Castle Popular Ghost Tours returns to Dunster Castle After a three-year absence, the National Trust team at Dunster Castle is once again offering visitors the chance to uncover the creepy tales, unused corridors, and dark corners of the castle with two nights of candlelit, late night guided tours. Many of the historic houses that the National Trust look after having their fair share of dark and grisly tales and the hilltop at Dunster, home to a castle for more than 1,000 years, is no exception with many reports of ghostly sightings and sensations. Among the castle’s gimmest of tales, is the story of the oubliette that adjoins the old gateway. Many medieval castles would have had a means of holding their prisoners in an underground cell beneath a gatehouse, and this dark, damp space is reputed to be a pit dungeon where prisoners would have been lowered in through a trap door, forgotten about and left to die. Sir Walter Luttrell, former owner of Dunster Castle, told the story of a skeleton being found here in the 19th century, creating the legend of an excavation which unearthed a 7-foot-tall skeleton manacled to the wall by his wrists and ankles. Dogs seem particularly troubled by this sinister site and refuse to climb the steps near to where the body was found. David Moore, House, and Collections Manager at Dunster Castle, agreed that working at the castle can sometimes be eerie: ‘When we are closing up the castle at night, especially at this time of year, it is difficult not to see strange shadows in windows and hear footsteps or keys rattling.’ Each ghost tour will be led by an expert guide who will relay a wealth of haunted tales from the castle’s long and fascinating history including recent reports of men’s voices and loud marching footsteps in areas of the castle known to be empty. Hattie Pinches, Visitor Experience Officer at Dunster Castle, added ‘We’re so excited to be hosting Ghost Tours at the castle after a three-year break. They’ve always been overwhelmingly popular, though they certainly aren’t for the faint-hearted, and it’ll be such a pleasure to welcome visitors again for two nights of jumps and chills!’ Dunster Castle’s ghost tours will take place on Monday 31 October and Tuesday 1 November and last approximately 50 minutes with the first tour at 6pm and the last at 10.20pm. Tickets are £22.50 per person and must be booked in advance at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunster-castle or by calling 0344 249 1895.