They’ve earned year-round notoriety for being some of the spookiest places in the United Kingdom.
So come Saturday, these scary spots will be positively ripe for Halloween...
Overtoun Bridge, Dumbarton, Scotland
A scenic structure just off a 19th century manor house, the bridge has earned a sinister reputation as the “dog suicide bridge”, with hundreds of canine deaths being reported there since at least the 1950s.
Overtoun Bridge, leading to Overtoun House in Dumbarton, Scotland
According to some reports, the number of hounds who have leapt from the bridge – apparently always from the same spot – has risen to the horrifying figure of 600.
No one has been able to explain just why so many dogs have plunged to their deaths from the bridge, though ghost stories, reports of paranormal activity and the glands of mink have all been blamed for the tragedies…
Black eyed child of Cannock Chase
In recent months there has been a resurgence of sightings of an eerie entity known as the “black-eyed child” in the Staffordshire Beauty spot of Cannock Chase, some 30 years after her presence was first reported.
Paranormal investigator Lee Brickley has been scouring the landscape for the girl “who has coal-black pits for eye sockets.”
Sightings of the 'black-eyed child' have been reported on Cannock Chase (file picture)
Linking the sightings to the Raymond Morris child killings in the 1960s, Brickley warned Huffington Post UK the spectre could be demonic and could even be attempting to lure people towards dangerous situations.
Slender Man
Muscling in on the Staffordshire territory of the black-eyed child are reports of the fictional internet character Slender Man.
Blamed for a spate of brutal attacks in the United States, the 8ft tall horror character has been cited in a court case for two girls who attacked a friend at a slumber party, stabbing her 19 times and leaving her in the woods to die.
Slender Man was created in 2009 as part of an online competition calling for scary images
One of the eyewitness accounts recorded by Brickley described: “A stereotypical Victorian gentleman. Long black overcoat with a Homburg hat… it had blood red eyes that shone in the night sky. It also had a mouth full of teeth that seemed to look like razors.”
Grey lady of Dudley Castle
A legendary ghost said to haunt the grounds of a ruined castle in the West Midlands was this year reportedly caught on camera.
The Grey Lady - believed to be the spirit of Dorothy Beaumont, a resident of the castle who gave birth to a stillborn daughter there and later died herself of complications – was supposedly photographed by a Birmingham couple during a day trip to the ruins.
Dean and Amy Harper took this picture at Dudley Castle... when they zoomed in they noticed something spooky
Built in 1071, Dudley Castle is believed to be one of the most haunted castles in Britain and is said to be patrolled by several other ghosts, as well as the distraught Grey Lady.
Ye Old Man And Scythe Pub
Already boasting a reputation as one of Britain’s most haunted pubs, Ye Olde Man & Scythe pub in Bolton has been the subject of increased scrutiny after a tourist captured a strange light flickering in the first floor window of the 763-year-old pub.
It came months after CCTV footage inside the premises captured a ghostly figure appearing to materialize at the bar.
The CCTV cut out at 6.18am - just after the appearance of this shadowy figure
The building, which dates from 1251, is the fourth-oldest pub in Britain and is reputedly haunted by the Seventh Earl of Derby, James Stanley.
Manager Tony Dooley checked the footage after noticing a smashed glass when he came in for the morning shift. Immediately after the spectre appeared on film the tape inexplicably cut out.
Dooley said: “To be honest, I was a bit concerned. I’m a bit of a sceptic when it comes to ghosts but you become more of a believer when you see things like that.”