There’s something downright spooky about York. 
From the distorted houses lining cobbled streets that haven’t changed much since the 16th century to the dozens of costume actors dotted around town. You can’t help but be enticed by the dungeons, towers and gory tales our humble city has to offer.
Alongside tales of grisly murders and unfair trials you can find the ghosts of Catherine Howard and Thomas Percy wandering the streets and historic buildings; Roman soldiers have been spotted storming the Minster and even M&S is said to be haunted by the ghosts of York’s past. There are daily walks all over town, starting at the Minster, the Shambles, outside Fenwicks and Evil Eye, in which seasoned experts guide you through dark streets and spooky back-alleys, sharing the stories of York’s colourful characters and horrible happenings as they go.
I endeavoured to check out one of the city’s lesser-known attractions; a 700-year old house on Stonegate known as ‘Haunted’ (opposite Betty’s Tea Rooms and the House of Trembling Madness) which doubles as an occult boutique when it isn’t scaring visitors. The house is said to be full of spirits from guests to residents, even the ghost of an unfortunate feline who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wasn’t lucky enough to experience a ghostly presence upon my tour; however a quick read of the visitor’s comments is enough to convince anyone that you’ll never be alone. If you find yourself passionate about delving into the occult itself then Haunted holds regular séances, as well as running a successful Wicca shop that sells crystal balls, wands and spiritual trinkets. The price for a student ticket to Haunted will set you back £5 – making it one of the cheaper attractions available within the city – and the tours run from 10-5 daily (10-7 at weekends).
If you can’t quite bear to part with £5,and find yourself longing for a night-time thrill that won’t leave your head hurting in the morning, then check out one of the three popular Ghost walks – ‘Ghost Hunt York’, ‘Ghost Walk York’ and ‘The Original Ghost Walk of York’ (something tells me there’s no love lost between these three events). These are a mere £3 (or £3.50 for Ghost Walk York) and will provide an evening of terror with the added bonus of you having enough for a pint at the end of the night. All-out Halloween fanatics can treat their loved one to a romantic meal at the Golden Fleece; believed by many to be York’s most haunted hotel, this pub offers several frights for any enthusiastic ghost hunter at a reasonable price for a student budget.
Utilise your spare car park and bus tickets for a discount at the popular York Dungeons; it’s much less terrifying than the walks and haunts – more of a theme park for the ‘kinda naughty’ – however you’ll still find yourself embarrassing yourself by leaping out of your seat, while the hardened seven year old next to you fails to bat an eyelid.
I’ve spent the last week acclimatising myself with the spook-friendly activities around York in the hope of meeting some of its less earthly residents, and I hope that you’ll be tempted to spend your Halloween doing the same. As for me? I’ll be watching Casper.