10 Most Haunted Places In Wales

  • By Sam Ashford
  • First Published: October 7, 2024
  • Last Updated: September 14, 2025

Castle Coch

Wales – known for its rugged coastlines, wet weather, Celtic culture and… ghosts.

Wales is shrouded with local legend and lore, so this shouldn’t be surprising.

For paranormal enthusiasts, these ghost stories are a dream come true. And sceptics may even lean into the idea that creepy ghostly figures actually exist!

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Either way, the tales of Sker House, Cathedral Close and Cardiff Castle sets the stage for a terrifying adventure through the deepest, darkest realms of the Welsh underworld.

Are you ready to uncover the secrets buried beneath Wales’ rich, turbulent and downright creepy history?

We thought you might be.

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10 Haunted Places In Wales

These haunted Welsh locations are what your worst nightmares are made of:

1. Castell Coch

  • Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Castell Coch is akin to ghostly tales. Constructed in the 11th century, the grounds are said to be haunted by various supernatural beings.

According to legend, Lady Gwendolyn, adorned in a white dress, roams the castle grounds, searching for her lost son. It’s said the boy drowned in one of the castle’s wells, but Gwendolyn never learned of his fate before she died.

2. Craig y Nos Castle

  • Location: Swansea, southwest Wales

Craig y Nos Castle was once home to the world’s most famous Spanish opera singer, Adelina Patti. It’s also one of the most haunted buildings in Wales.

Common ghoulish reports of this 19th-century estate include:

  • Room 36 is by far the most haunted. Ghost hunters have reported hearing children’s laughter and an invisible door appears in the middle of the night with a mysterious lady walking back and forth. Could this be Patti’s restless spirit?
  • The pantry, meat hanging rooms and kitchen on the lower levels are haunted by a hostile spirit who touches and prods unwelcome guests.
  • Patti’s body was embalmed in the cellar where investigators have had positive readings on their ghost-hunting equipment.

Opt for one of Craig y Nos Castle’s infamous ghost tours if you don’t believe us.

3. Sker House

  • Location: Porthcawl, South Wales

This haunted location housed Cistercian monks of Neath Abbey back in the day. In 1543, following the dissolution of the monastery, Richard Williams acquired the property. It was later sold to Christopher Tuberville, who expanded the original grange by adding two stories.

Legend has it that Tuberville rented the house to Isaac Williams (no relation to Richard), who was incredibly protective of his daughters. When Elizabeth fell in love with a poor man from the village, Williams locked her in a bedroom and (quite literally) threw away the key.

The young girl died of a broken heart and prowls the hallways of Sker House. Other eerie phenomena include large shadowy figures, the sounds of crying and screaming and an evil presence felt throughout.

4. Skirrid Mountain Inn

  • Location: Llanvihangel Crucorney, north Wales

The Skirrid Inn is one of Wale’s oldest, most haunted pubs that served as a courtroom in its day. Numerous men and women were convicted of petty crimes here.

Legend has it that around 182 unfortunate souls were hanged from the pub’s stairwell, with inn visitors reporting seeing a dangling corpse at nightfall.

5. Roch Castle

  • Location: Pembrokeshire, southeast Wales

Roch Castle has been cursed ever since its construction in the 12th century. As folklore goes, Adam de Rupe (the castle’s original owner) had it built after a witch forewarned him he would die from a snakebite within a year.

She also said he would live a long, healthy life should he survive the year.

Rupe chose a reclusive life in the castle’s highest tower, limiting his contact with the outside world to prevent his deadly fate. However, tragedy struck when a servant went to gather firewood for winter and failed to inspect it properly before Rupe set it ablaze.

Unknown to him, a snake was hiding between the logs and bit him – bringing the witch’s prediction to fruition. Rupe died shortly after and paranormal activity has been rife in the castle’s upper levels ever since.

6. Llanthony Secunda Manor

  • Location: Caldicot, southeast Wales

Llanthony Secunda Manor is one of the UK’s most haunted houses. Originally a modest 12th-century structure, it began as a monastery before undergoing extensions to become what it is today.

Over the centuries, Secunda Manor has had many owners. It’s rumoured King Henry VIII once owned this grand building but historians are sceptical if this is true.

Supernatural activities began soon after the renovations with sounds of chanting monks, glimpses of shadowy figures and a reported poltergeist tormenting and pushing visitors about…

7. Cathedral Close

  • Location: Llandaff, South Wales

Cathedral Close holds a reputation as one of the most haunted places in Wales, nicknamed “The Road Of The Dead”.

In the past, it was a pathway for carrying dead bodies to the now derelict and overgrown graveyard near the river. Many ghost hunters flock to the area to witness spectral sightings of young children playing in the street.

It’s believed these otherworldly beings are the result of the mass murder of children during the 1800s.

8. Margam Castle

  • Location: Port Talbot, South Wales

This Tudor-style mansion was originally built for Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot in the 19th century and has been inhabited for over 4,000 years. Margam Castle and the surrounding Margam Country Park have many ghostly beings lurking in its shadows…

From Robert Scott, the old groundsman, wandering up the main staircase to giggling Victorian children scurrying around the upstairs colliders, mischievously moving objects about – Margam certainly has had its fair share of ghostly encounters over the years.

9. Ruthin Gaol

  • Location: Ruthin, Denbighshire, north Wales

Ruthin Gaol in northern Wales has housed the worst criminals in the country. Many of the prisoners were subjected to appalling punishments by the prison guards.

If you’re brave, opt for one of the jail’s terrifying ghost hunts. Witness firsthand the sounds of slamming doors, disembodied voices muttering in the darkness and feeling a ‘presence’ standing next to you…

10. Cardiff Castle

  • Location: Cardiff, South Wales

There’s a lot of history in Cardiff Castle, and a lot of ghost sightings too. Serving as a fortress during wartimes, the walls of Cardiff Castle have seen it all.

A common spine-tingling phenomenon is in the stockroom, where objects move by a “faceless ghost garbed in a flowing white skirt”.

Also, the main dining room’s doors mysteriously open and slam shut at precisely 03:15 a.m., regardless of whether they are locked.

FAQs

Is Powis Castle haunted?

As far as strange happenings go, we can assume Powis Castle is haunted. An elderly woman staying at the castle once claimed she saw a ghostly figure dressed in a gold-laced suit enter her room.

What’s scary about Llancaiach Fawr Manor?

A few scary sightings at Llancaiach Fawr Manor include two phantom children on the grand staircase and reports of “Maggie,” a woman in a white blouse, is said to haunt the kitchen.

Paranormal investigator Phil Wyman once described the manor as “one of the spookiest and most atmospheric places I’ve ever been to.”

What is the ghost story of Miskin Manor Hotel?

The ghostly legend surrounding Miskin Manor Hotel revolves around the appearance of a young woman appearing in the bar every night between midnight and 1 a.m.

What ghost walks can I do in haunted Wales?

One great ghost walk to do in Wales is in Pembrey Woods in Carmarthenshire.

Final Thoughts

Wales has shaken us with blood-curdling tales of a bygone era. Its tragic history, filled with spectral souls unable to pass to the other side, is what our worst nightmares are made of.

Stuck in a realm where they don’t belong, these paranormal entities torment the living. From the white lady of Castell Coch searching for her lost son to the poltergeist haunting Llanthony Secunda Manor – we’ve uncovered them all.

Which spine-tingling tale was your favourite and do you dare explore the depths of Wales’ creepy history?

If you’ve enjoyed these spooky ghost stories, check out SpiritShack’s website for more.

Reference

Sam Ashford
Sam Ashford - Author

Hey, I'm Sam Ashford! I'm a ghost-hunting expert, writer and founder of SpiritShack. My mission is to help people like yourself learn about spirituality and how to hunt ghosts!