Haunted Castles & Houses of Scotland

Rating: 3 Stars

Review:

Yet another neat little book I picked up when Mom and I were in Scotland in 2009. It is a fun little romp around the country to all the haunted nooks and crannies that this beautiful land has to offer.

The book is divided into several sections within each chapter, starting with 'Ladies of Different Colors' - mainly the 'green', 'white' or 'grey' ladies supposedly seen haunting various locations. The legends behind these ghosts are further divided into how they may have met their ends - suicides, misadventure, murder, etc. I love that there was an entire section, nearly ten pages, devoted to locations said to be haunted by Mary, Queen of Scots. One must have to think she is still so busy in the afterlife, given all the places she's been seen; have to get those tourist dollars!

There are two more sections dealing with the supernatural, one regarding portents and brownies, and then the final section relating to ghostly men that haunt locales also. It is of no surprise to me that Darnley supposedly haunts Kirk O' Field - what a shame that nothing survives, even in ruins.

In addition to the stories, there is also a wealth of information in the form of further reading, maps of where the ghosts are supposedly located, and a list of the castles and houses mentioned in the book. This list is especially useful as it denotes whether the location is open to the public and if so, gives contact information and times of year to visit. Quite useful if you are planning a haunted vacation!

My only complaint is that some of the stories were so incredibly short, it seemed almost a waste to include them, unless they supplemented a more detailed story. There were also some stories that got repetitive due to lack of information and I felt like those did not add much to the collection.

Over all however, I can recommend this one to those who love a good ghost story!