The UK's Best Spooktacular Walks

Spooky season is here, and to celebrate, we have analysed the annual Google search interest for haunted locations and the number of cemeteries located within 5km to reveal the best spooktacular walks in the UK.

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The UK’s most spooky walks

Conwy Castle claims the top spot as the UK’s spookiest walk, scoring 9.30 out of 10.

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Located in North Wales, the historic castle is surrounded by 15 cemeteries within 5km, creating a spooky setting perfect for a Halloween adventure. The scenic Two Marine Walk is 5km long and takes visitors past the castle, which has a long history of ghostly folklore. Legends tell of a monk and former prisoners who haunt the area, helping to add to the spooky atmosphere on the walk.

Following in second place is Hampton Court Palace, which earned a spooky score of 9.20 out of 10.

Located in East Molesey, the Thames Path walk is around 12km and takes visitors past the historic royal palace, which is close to 13 cemeteries and attracts 2.94 million annual Google searches. The palace is said to be haunted by Catherine Howard and Jane Seymour, two of Henry VIII’s wives, making the Thames Path a perfect option for a Halloween adventure. 

Rounding out the top three is Dover Castle, with a spooky score of 8.40. 

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The Dover Castle to Deal Castle Walk starts at Dover Castle, which is surrounded by 14 cemeteries within 5km, making it a spooky destination for a Halloween walk. The walk takes around 3 hours to complete and ends at Deal Castle, which was built in 1539. The castle’s eerie reputation is further enhanced by local ghost stories, including stories of a phantom drummer boy and a woman in a red dress who are said to haunt the grounds. 

Stay safe on spooky walks

With darker evenings approaching and Halloween just around the corner, many people will be planning to get outside and enjoy some ‘spooktacular’ walks. While a spooky stroll is a great way to connect with nature and soak up the Halloween atmosphere, it is essential to take extra precautions to stay safe.

Always wear reflective clothing to remain visible to others and dress in warm, insulated jackets to ensure you are prepared for cold weather. Investing in the right walking footwear can also help with grip on damp and uneven terrain. 

Bringing a torch or head torch will help with visibility, but you should also still stick to well-marked paths to avoid getting lost.

Make sure your phone is fully charged before setting off and download an offline map app beforehand so you can navigate even if you lose signal. You might also want to share your live location with a trusted contact for added peace of mind.

Finally, while walking through a spooky setting can be exciting, remember that many of these locations are steeped in history. Whether it’s ancient woodlands or historic battlefields, make sure to be respectful and leave no trace.

Methodology

Locations were first selected from published lists of places with reported hauntings by VisitBritain, VisitScotland, Visit Wales, National Trust, English Heritage and Cadw.

Google Ads Keyword Planner was used to collect estimated UK searches for each location between September 2025 and August 2026. 

Google Places Aggregate API was used to count listings categorised as “cemetery” within a circular area extending 5,000 metres from each location’s recorded latitude and longitude.

Each factor was converted into a normalised score from 0 to 10, which scores each location according to its relative position among the 26 locations analysed. The two factor scores were equally weighted and combined into one final score.