WALES CARVES UP THRILLS AND CHILLS FOR TRAVELERS THIS HALLOWEEN

From Haunted Castles and Museums to Ghostly Pubs and Tours,

Wales is an Epicenter for all Things Supernatural

New York, NY, October 12, 2015 – Known for its majestic castles, award-winning cuisine and endless adventure activities, Wales also has a delightfully daring side sure to entice travelers seeking eerie escapes this October. Though it flies below the radar, Wales is, in fact, one of the best off-the-beaten-path destinations for spook-tacular exploits, with numerous haunted castles, museums and pubs plus ghost tours galore. 

Haunted Tours:

• Take a ghost walk at Bodelwyddan Castle in North Wales with its in-house paranormal investigations team. Tour the castle and learn about the history of the house, its inhabitants, and listen to ghost stories and personal accounts of paranormal experiences. For brave souls, overnight investigations are also offered. The castle has been subject to many unexplained sightings including a lady in a Victorian dress, a soldier, shadowy figures and a lady wearing a blue dress.  During recent investigations, strange noises were heard and light anomalies (orbs) were photographed. Want to see for yourself? Overnight paranormal investigations, ghost walks and special Halloween events are offered in this historic castle, which has been used as a recuperation hospital for World War I, then as a girls' private school, and is now home to the National Portrait Gallery. The castle has been featured on TV's “Ghost Hunters International” and “Most Haunted” in the UK. 

• The seaside town of Tenby in West Wales also offers a terrific walking ghost tour. An informative guide will greet visitors outside the Lifeboat Tavern, where the ghost tour kicks off, making stops at various haunted locations throughout the town. The tour is packed with information about local history and homegrown superstitions. Along the way, daring visitors will hear tales of ghosts, death rituals, fairy magic, witches, pirate spirits, murders and demons, and more.

• The Creepy Cardiff Ghost Tour  is offering a special Halloween walk winding from the National Museum of Wales to Cathays Park Cardiff, the city's architectural jewel, and the burial place of the Warrior Queen Boadicea. She is known for battling the Romans, and now reportedly roams the village as misty ghost. The tour offers a picturesque walk through the country's capital, while harrowing tales of hauntings, dragons and reincarnations are recounted.

• Cardiff History and Hauntings offers a ghost walk of Llandaff, an ancient city within the modern capital city with narrow streets, pubs, and crumbling ruins that create the atmosphere of a sleepy forgotten village. Dominated by an ancient Cathedral, and one of Britain's oldest Christian sites, Cardiff is located near the banks of the river Taff.  However, behind the peace and quiet of Llandaff lies a turbulent past of war, plunder, disaster, and tragedy.  Little wonder then that this tiny hamlet is teeming with stories, legends, and hauntings, ancient and modern. Rated a “top 10 thing to do under £10” by Essential Travel online magazine, it's a creepy good time.

• St Fagans: National History Museum, which has established itself as one of Europe's foremost open air museums, is Wales' most popular heritage attraction. The Museum shows how the people of Wales lived, worked and spent their leisure time over the last five hundred years.  St. Fagans offers evening ghost tours during Halloween. For years staff and visitors by day have reported fleeting glimpses of the inexplicable: sounds, sightings and sensations. The ghost tour features a walk through the building, with all its lights out, for stories of these experiences, set against tales of its very changeable fortunes over the centuries.

• Llancaiach Fawr is a living history museum in South Wales where guests step back in time to 1645 to be greeted and shown around by the servants of the owner, Colonel Prichard. In a recent poll, Llancaiach Fawr was named as one of the “Top Ten Most Haunted Buildings in Britain.” It runs candlelit ghost tours throughout the winter, from October to March.

• Castell Coch (“Red Castle”) is a 19th century fairytale-like abode in the outskirts of Cardiff, and home to ghostly legends. One of the apparitions is said to be a desolate mother who haunts the castle because her young son fell into a bottomless pool of water on the grounds and disappeared forever. Another story concerns the ghost of a soldier who hid treasure somewhere in the castle during the civil war and has returned to make sure it remains safely hidden. Dare to visit Castell Coch for a fun, otherworldly night of tales and terror? Tours are offered October 29-31, 2015.

• Nanteos Mansion, thought to have once contained part of the Holy Grail, is now a hotel and restaurant located just outside of Aberystwyth. The old mansion is reported to be haunted by a number of ghosts. Stories came to light when a TV crew was filming on the grounds and experienced unexplained, severe disruption to a video camera. A cloaked figure of a gentleman wreaked so much havoc that the crew became scared and refused to work after dark. Other ghostly sightings include a phantom horseman, and the appearance of two spectral women, one of whom is said to appear before a death.

Haunted Pubs:

• The Queen's Head pub in Monmouth, Wales was a frequent resting place for Oliver Cromwell and, once, the place where an attempt was made to assassinate him. There have been many reported sightings of ghosts on the premises. 

• The Skirrid Inn, supposedly the most haunted pub in Wales, has seen executions and witchcraft in its time. Used during the past as both a courtroom & an execution place with its' own oak hanging beam, it's said that the victims of the rope still appear. In fact, visitors to the Abergavenny edifice can even see rope marks on the pub's beams – plus hear hushed voices, slammed doors and creepy footsteps.

About Visit Wales:

Visit Wales is the New York-based government tourism office for Wales, one of four countries that make up the United Kingdom. A land with 641 castles, 870 miles of walkable coastline, three national parks and award-winning cuisine, Wales offers travelers a variety of activities and different landscapes to explore. The country's Celtic history and ancient language make it a distinctive British destination. For more information on Wales travel, visit www.visitwales.com/americas.

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Contact: Spring O'Brien

Jennifer Reisfeld: (212) 402-1624/ jennifer@spring-obrien.com

Ashlee White: (212) 402-1620 / ashleew@spring-obrien.com