Wales Is Full of Medieval Ghost Stories—Here Are 6 Haunted Trails to Hike Among the Spirits

Wales can feel like a timeless place, with its ancient history and wild coast. The further west you adventure beyond the English border, the more remote the land becomes—and the more talk you’ll hear of the supernatural.

And Halloween—or what the Celts called “Samhain”—is the perfect season to take an atmospheric hike through its legend-rich lands. “This has always been the time of year when the veil between the worlds felt particularly thin,” says Pridie Tiernan, a storyteller and bushcraft instructor who lives in Wales’s Black Mountains. “And some of the landscape here hasn’t changed in centuries: There are long barrows and burial sites that are a direct window into history.”

Wales’s rich folklore, too, has a haunting aspect. “Even the fairies, the Tylwyth Teg, are quite dark characters,” says Tiernan. “They’re tricksy, and they’ll punish you if you step out of line—they were even said to steal children.”

One of the best ways to immerse yourself in these old stories is by walking across the lands where they took place—and perhaps see if you can spot any mischievous creatures yourself. Here are the six best hikes to take this Halloween, if you dare.

Drink in Wales’s most haunted pub

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The Beacons Way is a 100-mile long-distance trail across the Brecon Beacons National Park—but you can do one spooky section in an afternoon. Start at the Llanthony Priory historical site, whose towering stone ruins are free to visit, and head up Offa’s Dyke, the 8th-century earthwork named for the ancient Welsh king who built it.

“It’s exceptionally quiet up in the Black Mountains,” says Pridie, “and if there’s a cloud inversion in the valley, you can be the only thing above the mist.”

Cross this ethereal landscape to the Skirrid Mountain Inn, a centuries-old pub where medieval prisoners were condemned to death in an upstairs courtroom. Reward your hike with a pint and look for the noose that still hangs from its oak-beam staircase. Numerous spirits, from a former barmaid to a 17th-century judge, are said to haunt its walls.

Encounter the devil at a dramatic waterfall

Ildi Pelikan, co-owner of Wales Trails, loves leading tours to the Mynach Falls in the Vale of Rheidol. “There’s a nature trail through ancient oak trees which leads you to a 300-foot drop where the river plunges through the steep gorge,” she says.

You have to climb 100 steps to reach the Devil’s Bridge; according to folklore, it was built by Satan himself—his price was the first soul that walked over it. “It’s an astonishing sight, especially after heavy rains,” says Ildi, “and there’s a steam train that will take you there from Aberystwyth.”

Visit a beach with a witchy history

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Ynys Môn (or Anglesey, to English speakers) is one of the most remote parts of Wales. Separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait, it’s an island whose 130-mile coastal path includes the sweeping golden sands of Llanddona Beach.

“Legend has it that a group of witches landed there in a boat, and then terrorized the local people,” says Ildi. The story might give you chills, but the water is warm enough for swimming between April and September. In late October, you might still be able to spot dolphins among the waves, and at low tide, you’ll also catch sight of a medieval fish trap.

Hike the dunes above a buried village

Kenfig was a coastal town built around a 12th-century castle. By the 15th century, it had disappeared beneath the shifting sands that surrounded it. Luke Allcock, whose company Dark Wales Tours specializes in ghost tourism, loves to walk the dunes. “You can still see the top of the castle, which is creepy,” he says. The stones, now covered in vegetation, seem to be pushing their way out of the ground.

The area is also said to be haunted by the Maid of Sker; the story goes that she was locked away by her father in a house that you’ll pass as you walk further along the coast. “You can’t miss it,” says Allcock, “because it’s a bright yellow mansion standing all alone.”

Sker House—pronounced, appropriately, “scare”—is said to be one of Wales’s most haunted buildings. You can’t go inside, but keep an eye on the attic windows as you pass, and you might just spot its long-dead resident.

Lose yourself in a dark wood

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The Corsican pines of Pembrey Forest are part of a unique ecosystem, but they cast a dark shadow. This rare sand dune forest in Camarthenshire lays claim to all kinds of strange phenomena; people claim to have seen burned figures, phantom fighter pilots, and a supposed poltergeist who trips up unsuspecting hikers.

Head down to the beach and, when the tide is out, you might spot the skeleton of an exposed shipwreck. The locals still tell tales of 19th-century “hatchet men,” a gang of murderers who used to deliberately wreck ships to plunder their cargo, lighting false beacons along the shore that lured sailors to their death.

Haunt the grounds of a Gothic castle

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Margam Castle was built in the 1830s, and the ghost of a murdered gamekeeper is said to climb the stairs of its Tudor Gothic towers. The 1,000 acres that surround them are equally as atmospheric.

“There are abbey ruins in the grounds which are hundreds of years old,” says Allcock, “and miles of hiking trails all over the estate.” Explore the boating lake, deer park, and dense woodland—just try not to look back over your shoulder.