A Grand Day Out - spooky special: The best days out for a truly scary Halloween 2010

By MARK HUGHES-MORGAN

Tis the season to be scary: Grab your pumpkin. Halloween is here again


It's almost that time of year when things go bump in the night. Or, at least, on a day out somewhere in the UK. From castle ghosts in Cornwall and zombies in Brighton to scientific spookiness in Yorkshire, Mark Hughes-Morgan picks five great family trips for Halloween.

Park Hall Farm, near Oswestry, Shropshire

For some old-school ghost-hunting, the National Trust's 16th-century, moated Baddesley Clinton Hall, near Solihull, is promising - a local minister was murdered after being discovered trying to strangle the lady of the house. There are also three priest holes and plenty of half-term Halloween activities from £2 (01564 783294, www.nationaltrust.org.uk).

But for another cheesier 'spooktacular', the Park Hall Countryside Experience has fancy dress action, from mummy-wrapping (loo roll is involved) to pumpkin-carving (every day at 2pm).

Details: Adults cost £6.95, children £6.45; 01691 671123, www.parkhallfarm.co.uk - activities October 23-31.

Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham, South Yorkshire

Pumpkins and witches are old hat. Consider instead Hybrid X, at the Magna Science Adventure Centre, near Rotherham. A 21st-century experience that takes you through the laboratory complex of the 'Dominions Genetic Modification And Research Facility'.

A cast of more than 30 actors will attempt to scare the living daylights out of you as you negotiate 1,000ft of dark, twisting corridor space. There are appropriate levels of scariness for different age groups.

Details: Runs until Sunday October 31, £6. On Saturday October 30 there is an extra-scary level for grown-ups (8pm to 2am, including disco and bar). Hybrid X lasts about 20 minutes. Magna Science Adventure Centre is open 10am to 5pm. Adults £9.95, children £7.95 (01709 720002, www.hybrid-x.co.uk, www.visitmagna.co.uk).

Lancaster Castle, Lancashire

Famous for torture, hangings and witches, where could be finer for a family day out this Halloween than the medieval Lancaster Castle, once home to John Of Gaunt?

Already at ease with its macabre past - there are Dark History Tours of the Castle in November and December - Lancaster enjoys this time of year, with 'spooky tours and chilling surprises'.

There are spooky tours on October 30, but book early as the adult tours are already sold out. In half-term, the Judges' Lodgings museum, two minutes' walk away, hosts a programme of workshops, from Hansel and Gretel to the art of making an Egyptian mummy.

There are also chilling ghost stories (October 27), strictly for braver adults and teenagers.

Details: Lancaster Castle, 01524 64998, www.lancastercastle.com. (Children's Halloween tour: £5). The Judges' Lodgings museum (adults £3, children free) open in the afternoons until October 31; (01524 32808, www.lancashire.gov.uk).

The Zombie Parade, Brighton, West Sussex

The annual Brighton Zombie Parade, on Saturday October 30, brings out hundreds of bizarrely attired promenaders to flaunt their gore around the town. Starts at 3pm from Brighton Station and following the parade, the undead can head on to the Zombie after-party.

Details: www.beachofthedead.com
Pendennis Castle, Falmouth, Cornwall
One of the mightiest fortresses built by Henry VIII, Pendennis has an abundance of warlike associations, which blend nicely into Halloween and the supernatural.
As well as a Tudor gun deck, there is a guardhouse kitted out in World War I style, and a World War II observation post.

Naturally, it claims its fair share of ghosts, from soldiers in red tunics to horses - previous custodians have legendarily been woken by the sound of ghostly hooves. Other scary sightings include the ghost of 'screaming' Anna, a scullery maid, who met a grisly end on the stairs.

Lay all this fevered nonsense to rest with a Haunted Castle tour or a night-time Haunted Tour (adults only).

And for those with steely constitutions, you can stay in the on-site Custodian's Cottage and enjoy stunning views of Gyllyngvase Bay and the Lizard Peninsula after everyone - except you-know-who - has gone home (sleeps two).

Details: Family tour, October 25-31, regularly 10am to 4pm. Family tickets cost £15. Haunted Tours Oct 28-31, 7.30pm and 9.30pm, £15, pre-booking recommended. More information on 01326 316 594, www.english-heritage.org.uk.


source: dailymail