Sorry, not sorry. Know the feeling that you’re never quite alone? Dead scary surprises, like roaming headless horsemen or hanging skeletons, lurk in the shadows of these after dark tours. Keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you. Bring a torch, and your bravest of friends. Here are five of the best Halloween trails to explore in 2025.
Hero image: Blenheim Palace
Quarry Bank, Cheshire
23 October – 1 November 2025
They say history whispers from every wall of this 18th-century mill, but come Halloween, those whispers turn all the more chilling. As twilight falls, Quarry Bank transforms into a spectral world of light and fog where nothing is quite as it seems. Visitors wander through a laser-lit garden where giant skeletons loom over twisted trees and demon eyes glow in the mist. A headless horseman roams the grounds while fire performers light up the night in a daring ritual of flickering flames. Book it.
Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
23 October – 2 November 2025
Blenheim’s ghostly tour returns with new immersive frights and improved sounds and light effects. Skeletons prowl, witches cackle, wolves howl and giant spiders guard their webs. At a cursed tomb, the dead come alive and wait for the unwary while deep in the woods, a pagan ritual site hums with ancient powers. Choose a daylight, twilight or moonlight slot depending on your nerve. Book it.
Kew Gardens, South West London
17 October – 2 November 2025
Following a spectacular Halloween debut last year, the world-famous botanical gardens will again transform after dark for spooky season. As visitors wind through an abandoned fairground, a mausoleum and even the underworld itself, they’ll stumble upon eerie illuminated trees, fire performers, ghoulish installations and lurking actors in disguise. Choose your scare level: daylight for the faint-hearted, twilight for thrill-seekers and moonlight for the truly fearless. Book it.
Warwick Castle, Warwickshire
25 October – 2 November 2025
Britain’s scariest castle takes Halloween seriously, staging more than 15 live shows across its grounds. New for 2025 is Hunted: GAME ON!, a sinister scare maze alongside a silent disco beneath the castle’s moonlit towers. Back by popular demand, Castle After Dark, transforms the courtyard into a frightful festival, while the Haunted Hollows Trail leads visitors through centuries of ghostly tales. The infamous Castle Dungeon - complete with plague-era horrors you can see, hear and even smell – is perhaps the ultimate test of courage. Book it.
Kenwood House, North London
17 October – 2 November 2025
For the first time ever, as dusk descends over Hampstead Heath this autumn, Kenwood House will unveil its debut Halloween light trail. A spider tunnel tangled with creepy crawlies, a slime web to navigate and a warped laser garden are among other surprises designed to keep visitors on edge. Street food stalls will keep nerves steady. Book it.
