THE North East is rich in gloomy ghost stories.

From ghostly soldiers to heartbroken dames trapped inside the majestic castles, paranormal enthusiasts are spoilt for choice when in search of apparently chilling apparitions and unexplainable experiences.

With Halloween being just under 2 weeks away, here are some of the North East's most haunted places which you might wish to visit (or avoid!) on your next adventurous trip:

Chillingham Castle

Originally a 12th-century monastery, the medieval fortress in the village of Chillingham has recently gained the (un)enviable reputation of hosting the largest numbers of ghosts by topping TripAdvisor’s ‘most haunted historic castles’ list. Said to be home to the spirit of a Spanish witch that curses whoever steals something from the castle, as well as to a betrayed wife (Lady Mary Berkeley) who allegedly occasionally pops out of her portrait dressed in grey, there is undoubtedly an unsettling atmosphere inside its rooms and dungeons.

The castle’s most famous ghost, however, is apparently the Blue Boy, a child who had been bricked up alive in blue clothes and whose skeleton has been found inside a three-metre-thick wall during some renovations. On numerous occasions, guests have reported seeing blue flashes of light both above their beds and from their bedroom’s walls.

Langley Castle

The castle, built in 1350 by Sir Thomas de Lucy, has been steeped in mystery after various reports of a crying female ghost seen walking the hotel’s corridors.

For decades it was said that the 'Grey Lady' was believed to be Maud de Lucy, who was broken-hearted when her knight husband was killed in battle and, on hearing the news, died after jumping out of a castle window.

One visitor in 2014 even reported on Tripadvisor that he woke up to see “what I believe to be an apparition stood at the bottom of my bed”.

However, a study of the genealogy of the De Lucy family has made hotel staff question the true identity of the mysterious Grey Lady.

Maud de Lucy married twice – firstly to Gilbert de Umfraville, Earl of Angus and Baron of Prudhoe, and then to Henry Percy, First Earl of Northumberland.

Gilbert died in a battle – the Battle of Neville’s Cross in 1381 – but Maud remarried that same year.

She died in 1398 and her second husband died in battle in 1408, therefore debunking any claims that the ghost is Maud.

Upon investigation, Langley Castle staff discovered that Sir Thomas de Lucy had two wives, marrying again following the death of first wife Margaret.

Records show that he married an Agnes de Beaumont, a relative of Edward III, whose birth date is said to have been 1323, but whose death is shrouded in mystery.

This has created the question whether the Grey Lady has been wrongly named Maud, when she is in fact Agnes, stepmother to Maud.

The Old George Inn, Newcastle

If you are into blue blood apparitions, this former coaching inn in Newcastle is rumoured to be haunted by royalty. Indeed, in 1646, King Charles I was kept prisoner by the Scots in the nearby Anderson Place; sometimes, the man would be allowed to temporarily leave his cell and would regularly pay the Old George a quick visit for a drink.

To this day, the pub keeps on display the actual chair upon which the king would sit when in need of some refreshments, and customers believe to have seen Charles get comfortable in it in the form of a greyish fog.

Newcastle's Castle Keep

Arguably one of Newcastle’s most emblematic landmarks, the 12th-century castle keep is the city’s oldest building. One of its alleged ghosts is the so-called ‘Poppy Girl’; a flower girl who was imprisoned in the castle and who eventually passed away there. She has been sighted wandering around the building numerous times.

It is fair to say, however, that not all ghosts residing within the premises are as innocent and harmless. Psychic World correspondent Matthew Hutton said that while interviewing a member of staff at the Newcastle’s Castle Keep, the worker claimed that “he was thrown to the floor by an invisible force and scratched on the leg, causing a wound so deep that it required stitches".

Blanchland

Counting just over 100 inhabitants, this pretty Northumberland village has a poetic name yet a chilling past, retraceable from the church’s graveyard where monks that were slaughtered in a bloody raid rest.

The story goes that as the Blanchland monks prepared to defend themselves from ferocious outlaws willing to ransack their abbey, a heavy fog blanketed the valley and disoriented the delinquents. Seeing this as a godly intervention, the monks started ringing their bells to celebrate the divine miracle. Sadly, the peal drew the raiders’ attention and helped them locate the abbey, where they eventually killed the monks.

From the day of the massacre, it is said that a funereal knell tolls in the distance and that the undefined silhouettes of the murdered friars eerily brim the cemetery.

The Ship Isis, Sunderland

A popular stop-over for local paranormal investigators, this Sunderland pub is said to be haunted by the ghost of serial killer Mary Ann Cotton, as well as by some of her 21 poisoned victims. Among them are two of the murderer’s own children, whom she allegedly buried where the pub’s basement now is.

With disembodied cries and screams filling the bar, and with sudden apparitions of a woman wearing Victorian-era clothing, you may inevitably end up spilling a drink or two.

Marsden Grotto

Sat at the foot of the limestone cliffs in Marsden Bay in South Shields, Marsden Grotto is a strong contender when it comes to assigning the title of Britain’s most haunted pub. With mysterious bare footprints on the bar floor which will simply not wash away and with reports of frightful knocking sounds emerging from the cellar, it is little wonder that the place is believed to be packed with agitated spirits.

Flodden Field

Just over 500 years ago, Flodden Field staged the bloodiest battle in the history of England, with 14,000 combatants losing their life in the space of three hours only. Considering the scale of such carnage, it is not surprising to discover that some unexplainable activity has been recorded in the area. Indeed, ghosts of fallen soldiers from both factions can allegedly sometimes be heard and seen re-enacting the devastating clash.

The Lit & Phil Society, Newcastle

With its shelves alone containing an impressive number of books about ghosts, folklore and the supernatural dating back to the 17th century, the Literary & Philosophical Society is believed to host at least 16 spectres that roam freely around its three floors.

From CCTV footage of emergency exit doors suddenly opening on their own to sounds of people coughing and of book pages turning, it is possibly the only library in which you would be glad to be surrounded and disturbed by familiar, human noises.

Royalty Theatre, Sunderland

Originally built as a church in the 19th century, and then used as a hospital during World War I, the theatre is said to be scene to poltergeist activity and to strange footstep sounds both on stage and in the wings. If you are attending a show and notice a pale-looking person behind you, it may indeed be a spirit: in fact, there have been several reports about a ghost sitting at the back of the theatre’s auditorium.