Ghoulish goings-on

 

This year’s Tweed Valley Forest Festival comes to a spooky conclusion as three of the Borders’ most historic houses celebrate Halloween in style.

Traquair House’s year-long commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the 1715 Jacobite Uprising continues when this year’s Halloween ghost tours include some Jacobite ghosts who return to tell tales of how they put their lives on the line to fight for the cause.  The Jacobite ghost tours (Fri 30 and Sat 31 Oct, plus Fri 6 and Sat 7 Nov) ensure an atmospheric visit to Traquair and a perfect way to get you into the spirit of Halloween.

Families will also enjoy the annual Halloween Fun Day on Sun 1 November – with visitors encouraged to dress up in their finest Halloween gear as they enjoy a range of great entertainment. The fun day will also feature traditional Halloween games including apple dookin’ and treacle doughnut catching, a scary scavenger hunt, the famous spooky passage, ghoulish face painting and a wizard and witches workshop.

Elsewhere, families can discover some of the ghastly ghouls at Bowhill House during its Haunted Halloween walks on Friday and Saturday (walks start at 6pm, 7.15pm and 8.30pm), while Abbotsford House will run special Grey Lady’s candlelit tours on Saturday – a chance to step back in time and discover grisly legends, spooky stories and tales of ghostly goings-on at Sir Walter Scott’s famed former home. There will be one family tour at 6pm, followed by two adults-only tours at 8pm and 10pm.

Pop along if you dare!