15 Famous Haunted Places in Wales

Updated On: April 15, 2024 by   Ciaran Connolly

According to local mythology and witness reports, there are various haunted places in Wales. Ghosts and monsters reportedly inhabit them. Many of these eerie locations draw paranormal enthusiasts and ghost hunters from all around to see if they can spot frightful spooks and scary ghosts.

Many more places besides houses are said to be haunted in this area, including castles, cemeteries, ruins, and much more. Each place is home to a ghost from a time before our own. The allure of the eerie buildings and the spooky tours transports you to a world beyond this one and provides a glimpse into the past and the individuals who helped shape the region into what it is today.

Here is a list of the terrifying haunted places in Wales:

Skirrid Inn, Abergavenny: One of Most Haunted Places in Wales

According to some, the oldest and most haunted pub in Wales is the Skirrid Inn in Abergavenny. This building’s extensive history, which dates back to the Norman Conquest, includes executions and specific instances of witchcraft belief. The Skirrid Inn’s night ghost hunts are terrifying, and the ominous sensations in the main bedroom have frightened many expert ghost hunters. Are you courageous enough to enter and learn its secrets? Slamming doors, thunderous footsteps, and even murmurs await you on your ghost hunts here.

The Skirrid Inn is regarded as one of the most haunted spots in the UK despite its lengthy and horrifying history of cruelty against people. This location has been the subject of so many reports of paranormal activity that it has developed a reputation as being both frightful and highly threatening.

Most visitors claim that there has been a dark vibe about them and that they have been afraid and hesitant to explore certain rooms. The Skirrid Inn is a terrible bar and is not recommended for easily alarmed people.

Cathedral Close, Llandaff

Llandaff’s Cathedral Close has a bit of a reputation as a spooky location, which paranormal writers and ghost seekers highly rate. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there is a legend associated with the street, that used to be called The Road of the Dead, will send chills down your spine. The road runs down the side of the Cathedral. 

The road was given the rather gloomy name back when Llandaff was a settlement unto itself rather than a part of the larger city of Cardiff. The area, which used to end at the river Taff, was the route for transporting dead bodies. After being transported down the Road of the Dead, the bodies would be interred at the now-forgotten and overgrown cemetery close to the river.

You can take a self-guided audio tour to learn more about Llandaff’s mysterious past and reported ghost sightings. This tour takes you in a circle down an eerie and atmospheric wooded path, the site of numerous paranormal encounters, before continuing along the riverbank, where other ghostly encounters and legends are related. 

The journey concludes in the old, deserted, and overgrown forest graveyard, with its powerful atmosphere and eerie legends, before returning to the Cathedral for more tales.

Pembrey Woods, Carmarthenshire

Pembrey Woods features an ethereal atmosphere and an abundance of frightening sightings and strange occurrences. It is a favourite haunt of paranormal believers. It is hardly surprising that Pembrey Woods is a well-known centre for paranormal claims, given the legends of ancient towns, shipwrecks, explosions, and war stories that have been told over the years.

It was a vital area during World War I and II. People claim witnessing soldiers wandering through the woods and mutilated figures. Others claim falling over after feeling like someone was grasping at their ankles. 

The ghost-hunting television programme “Most Haunted” visited the woods in 2008 due to people’s reports. They claimed to have seen several ghosts there, including the ghost of a drowned sailor.

St Catherine’s Island, Tenby

At low tide, people can walk to St Catherine’s Island, a tiny tidal island situated in the harbour of Tenby castle beach. According to legend, there was an unidentified ship in the distance during a terrible storm, and strange lights flashed across its decks, and ghostly forms clung to its masts. Even now, many individuals have mentioned paranormal encounters and dancing lights near this mysterious island.

Tenby has many other eerie stories and old buildings beside the ghost ship, which is just one of the area’s urban legends. Why not reserve a spot on a Tenby Ghost Walk to learn more about history and hauntings? The tour includes legends and tales about witches, fairies, pirates, ghosts, and other mythical creatures.

Llanelly House, Llanelli

As the magnificent mansion has been a part of Llanelli since the early 18th century and is one of Carmarthenshire’s most ancient buildings, some unsettling claims have been made from within its walls.

The 22-year-old housemaid Mira Turner is the subject of the most famous ghost story connected to Llanelly House. The story reports that the teenage maid became pregnant before ingesting laudanum poison and plunging herself down the stairs. Numerous employees, guests, and ghost hunters reported seeing Mira wander the Georgian house’s upper floors.

Thermal ghost-hunting detectors have kept track of activity, and visitors have reported seeing strange shadows and feeling colder, especially near the stairs and in Mira Turner’s former room. Additionally, a Wales Online reporter once went ghost-hunting at the property and discovered something that had never happened before: stones were covering the floor near the chimney.

Margam Castle

At Margam, ghost sightings have been claimed over the years. One frequently reported ghost is said to be Robert Scott. He is a long-time gamekeeper at the castle who is assumed to be one of the spirits. It is believed that a poacher killed Scott, and his ghost is still on the property.

Margam Country Park claims that Robert Scott has frequently been spotted deliberately ascending the Gothic stairway to the castle. He has often manifested himself to psychic investigators, all of whom have stated that his spirit is enraged by the injustice of his murder.

The family sections’ lengthy hallways and dramatic rooms are typically filled with the sound of laughing children. The paranormal activity in this area is so intense that “Ghost Hunters International” flew from Los Angeles, California, to record an episode of their well-known television programme for the SyFy Channel.

Tyn Dwr Hall, Llangollen

Built in the 1800s for ironmaster John Dickin Tyn Dwr Hall is a Grade 2 listed mansion that has served as a youth hostel and a place for education. After being purchased by a local builder in 2015, the old mansion has since been stored and transformed into a luxurious boutique wedding venue.

According to the Paranormal Database, the building and its surroundings are allegedly haunted by a few ghosts, including a groundskeeper and a woman in a rustling garment. The Haunted Rooms website has also included it as one of Wales’ most haunted hotels.

Other people have reported seeing a weird green mist and hearing children giggling. It is the ideal location for ghost-hunter brides and grooms to offer the wedding guests a frightening thrill.

Roch Castle, Haverfordwest

Roch castle perches high above the surrounding terrain on a volcanic, rocky crag offering 360-degree views of Pembrokeshire. It is a heritage building with six luxury en-suite bedrooms and was exquisitely renovated. It features a peculiar, ghostly past.

In the 1630s, Lucy Walter lived at the Haverfordwest hotel, erected in the late 12th century. She was the mother of the Duke of Monmouth and Charles II’s consort. The castle is claimed to be haunted by Lucy, who was spotted floating through locked rooms while dressed in a white dress. Guests have reported hearing loud running footsteps late at night.

Stradey Woods, Carmarthenshire

A teenage runner who was run over in the 1930s on the route from Trimsaran to Strade, is the subject of the most famous legend from the creepy Stradey Woods. Many individuals have reported seeing the young man still in his vintage 1930s running attire. Even the neighbourhood police have admitted that they have received several calls about a young running guy. Why not pay a visit to these peaceful forests this Halloween and see if you can notice any spooky activities?

Kidwelly Castle, Carmarthenshire

As the Princess of Deheubarth, Gwenllian Ferch Gruffydd is renowned for leading the Welsh in combat against the Normans close to Kidwelly castle. Gwenllian, however, was eventually captured by the Normans and killed in 1136 despite sparking a fightback that fended off the enemy for years.

Because of her spirit and how unfairly she was killed, history has marked Gwenllian as a ferocious warrior and a free spirit. It is said that Gwenllian’s decapitated body still wanders the castle grounds looking for justice. A grey-hooded figure has allegedly been witnessed roaming through the castle and the bloody battlefield where she was killed.

Devils Bridge, Ceredigion

The Devil allegedly travelled to Ceredigion in the eleventh century after hearing about its stunning surroundings. He made a deal with a local woman there whose cow got trapped across the river when he was there. The Devil offered to construct a bridge against the first living thing’s soul to pass it, to win her soul.

The woman flung a loaf of bread across the bridge as it was being constructed, and her dog chased after it. The Devil never returned to Wales because he was too humiliated by the way the older woman outwitted him.

Visit this enigmatic location today, go past the bridge, and round the nature trail while keeping a sharp lookout for Lucifer to see whether he (or the devil dog) has dared to make a comeback.

Pentre Ifan burial chamber

This megalithic dolmen, a specifically constructed stone tomb, is a fascinating site. The Pentre Ifan burial chamber was built with the same Preseli Bluestones used to build Stonehenge’s “big brother.”

It is widely assumed to be a communal burial site, but no remnants of bones have ever been discovered here. Even more strangely, stories of spirits from Celtic folklore have been told about Pentre Ifan. According to legend, they are said to dance on the stones of Pentre Ifan in the twilight hours of summer.

Conwy Castle, Conwy

Built between 1283 and 1287, this World Heritage Site is one of Europe’s best examples of a 13th and 14th-century military structure. The structure was used as an abbey for monks, a royal residence, and a prison, and it is claimed to be among the most haunted spots in Wales. Visitors claimed to have experienced unexplained panic and fear in some of the castle’s eight towers. 

A monk dressed in a robe is another common sighting in corridors. Various figures have also been seen staring out the windows at visitors, and dark figures watching the town below from the rooftops. Many people reported seeing shadowy figures dressed in mediaeval attire, including one in full battle armour. People have occasionally commented on the smell of candles in the old chapel, although none is lit!

North Wales Hospital, Denbigh

Even if you are unaware that individuals have seen ghost encounters, the neglected and abandoned North Wales Hospital, better known as the Denbigh Asylum, seems like a creepy and eerie site. Originally intended to house 200 mentally ill patients, it was eventually residence to 1500 patients and was constructed between 1844 and 1848. Dementia patients were admitted to this institution and received therapy using abhorrent and unbelievable techniques.

Many ghost enthusiasts worldwide visit this haunted location frequently because of its shattered windows, decaying walls, fallen-through staircases, and overgrown gardens. Some claim to have captured voices, pounding and slammed doors. The television show “Most Haunted” visited the location in 2008. It was reported that matrons and lab assistants could be seen strolling the premises. Many fires have recently destroyed the building, which is not accessible to the general public.

Plas Mawr, Elizabethan Town House, Conwy

The Plas Mawr was featured on the television show ‘Most Haunted,’ and many visitors claimed to have seen and felt ghosts in the structure. It was built around the late 1500s. Lady Wynn, the earlier resident and wife of the original owner Robert Wynn, who died unexpectedly while pregnant, is a regular sighting.

Another sighting is of a man, supposedly a doctor, who came to see a patient in the building and died during his visit. Plas Mawr has also reported paranormal activity, such as echoing footsteps, the smell of tobacco, doors opening on their own, and a ghostly black cat running down the corridor.

Are you someone who loves to seek out the supernatural and paranormal? Why not head to any of the most haunted houses in North Wales and find out if you get a similar feeling while you are there?