As Halloween approaches it would only be right to recommend some of the best walks to get your goose bumps up and your spine-tingling. Many of us enjoy taking part in ghost tours whether it’s to spice up our walk or to learn about the rich history that many of our Cotswold walks are steeped in. We think you’ll like these:

Sudeley Castle is great for walkers all year round but Halloween brings tales of the ghost of Janet, its former housekeeper who is still known to walk the castle. There are many walks around Sudeley Castle and you can also do guided walks in the castle if you’d like with special ghost walks on around this time of year.

Just outside of the Cotswold town of Cheltenham lies Prestbury, England’s most haunted village. Prestbury is reportedly home to more than a dozen ghosts, the most infamous is the Black Abbot who is regularly spotted in the church and churchyard. There’s also the charging horseman and the Headless Horseman who, according to local legend, was a royal dispatch rider who was beheaded after interrogation of the Roundheads of Prestbury. There are guided walks you can jump on that are designed to show you the spooky sights or you can make your own way around the village independently, but be sure to watch your back, especially on Halloween night. If you’ve got children/teenagers who are interested in celebrating Halloween but you don’t fancy the trick-or-treat thing then embarking on one of Prestbury’s spooky Halloween ghost walks could be a great idea.

Woodchester Mansion, known as one of the seven wonders of the Cotswolds, lies in a secluded Cotswold valley and is not for the faint-hearted! Visitors report a phantom horseman who rides along the mansion’s driveway, a floating head in one of the bedrooms, and guests being grabbed by the ghost of an elderly woman. Come for a walk around the mansion if you dare or alternatively stroll the Boathouse Walk which passes the mansion and runs through parkland, woodland, ponds, and the picturesque boathouse. Either way, you’ll be intrigued by the mansion and why one day in 1873 the workers simply lay down their tools and walked out before it had been fully built, leaving the huge house to the bats who still live there now, What did they know that we don’t?

Oxford Castle has a history spanning 1000 years with plenty of gruesome stories of execution, murder, and war, it’s no wonder there are so many ghostly sightings in and around the castle and its grounds. You are able to walk around the general castle area and the shop without paying, but to see anything more you will need to pay the entrance fee.

The Tudor World Museum in Stratford-upon-Avon lies in the Fallstaff, one of England’s most haunted buildings. Pay the museum a visit and follow that with a wander around the old market town which is renowned for unexplained happenings and a whole multitude of ghost walks are based in this area. Stratford itself is a beautiful medieval town, home to William Shakespeare, and has the river Avon flowing through which makes for gorgeous walks and boating activities on the river. Aside from the ghost walks there are plenty of other beautiful trails to explore including the Stratford Greenway, Welcombe Hills Country Park, and Charlecote Park, all worth investigating.

Whatever type of walk you’re after this Halloween the Cotswold won’t fail to provide. The abundance of ancient buildings and rich, interesting history make for some very eery stories and unexplained supernatural phenomena. Embark on one of the many ghosts walks in the Cotswold and you won’t be getting much sleep afterward, we assure you.

Do you dare?