Halloween ghost walks to give your kids goosebumps

If you’re planning on letting your kids get spooked out this Halloween, why not take them on a ghost tour? All the ones below are suitable for children.

Edwardian eeriness

Preston Manor, an Edwardian house on the outskirts of Brighton, is holding a one-off Haunted House Day on Sunday October 30. Dress up in your most ghoulish garb and prepare to walk round darkened corridors and rooms. What will you see in the shadows? This is billed as being relatively scary so it's for over eights only.

Check out your local National Trust property or English Heritage site - many of them are running specific events in the run up to Halloween. Catherine Cooper has an excellent round up of lots more spooktacular events. 

1066 and all that - plus a few headless monks

A ruined abbey is the setting for this Spookey Abbey tour in historic Hastings. If your children have learnt about 1066 from TV's Horrible Histories, they'll be ghoulishly fascinated by the stories of soldiers haunting the battlements and should keep their eyes peeled for mysterious monks. It's on every day until Sunday, October 30.

Victorian horrors and hilarity

Every night without fail, at the stroke of 7.30pm, a gentleman dressed in Victorian frock coat and top hat carrying a Gladstone bag appears at the bottom of The Shambles in York, one of Britain's most famous medieaval streets. This is the Ghost Hunt of York. Ringing a death knell bell he guides adults and children alike through the winding streets. Although there are some gruesome bits, the guide makes sure the children don't jump out of their skins too much and there's lots of audience participation. 

Become a real Ghostbuster!

If your child wants to be a real life Ghostbuster, join this fun daylight tour as they follow a guide named Bob, dressed in a bright orange boiler suit, round the streets of Worcester on the hunt for ghosts and ghouls. This is a really fun tour with lots of energy and laughs. The site says it's aimed at 5-10 year olds. 

All aboard the Night Bus

If you're ever in London, you may have seen a black double decker bus, emblazoned with skeletons, driving around. Leaving from Trafalgar Square, your tickets are collected by a creepy conductor. This is a Ghost Bus Tour  and takes you on a thrilling ride round the capital. The site says it's not suitable for very young children and parental discretion is advised. If it all gets too much, you can always hop off at the next stop.

Get creeped out in Cardiff

If tales of dragons and myths are their thing, why not try out a walking tour of Creepy Cardiff ? Meeting by the iconic National Museum of Wales they'll no doubt recognise from Doctor Who, this tour has been running for a decade and whilst not specifically aimed at children, the emphasis is on story telling rather than the grisly and gruesome. If your child is younger than eight it may be too scary.

With all these tours, it's advisable to book in advance - especially very near to Halloween. Most of them are walking out in the open air so wear sensible shoes and warm clothes. You don't want their spines to get too chilled do you? Each one has said they're suitable for children - but some children may get more scared than others. Woooooooooo!