Cornwall is one of the most haunted counties in the UK and there are stories of spooky goings on at dozens of pubs, restaurants, streets, castles and even churches.

While some are sceptical about such stories, there is an equal amount of fascination with the tales from the Jamaica Inn and Bodmin Moor to the former gunpowder factory at Kennall Vale in Ponsaooth and the mining remains at Wheal Coates.

Ghost hunting tours are big business in the region and continue to attract people wanting to be proved right or wrong about their beliefs.

There have been reports of all sorts of experiences from orbs, noises and things moving to sightings of ghostly figures.

So we took to TripAdvisor to see what people have said about some of the most well known of the region's haunted places.

You would expect there to be a lot of talk about the ghost stories, but there was a distinct lack of mention. While some reported some scary and spooky goings-on, there were lots of criticism about not seeing ghosts!

Jamaica Inn

The Jamaica Inn

 

This is arguably the most infamous and haunted place in Cornwall.

The Jamaica Inn, which was written about by Daphne du Maurier, stands high on Bodmin Moor. It has the reputation of being one of the most haunted properties in the UK.

One of its creepiest spirits, the mirror ghost, is staying in room 5, according to Urban Ghosts. It is a young boy trapped behind the glass.

Here is what reviewer said: "When I went to use the toilets, I was able to confirm the presence of a ghostly, demonic entity which presented itself in the for of a stench of death. It was clearly angry so I left quickly."

To read more reviews about the inn click here

Pengersick Castle

A view of Pengersick Castle

 

A ghost hunter said after a tour that they had spoken to the spirits of the owners family.

"We finished up on the roof. It was here that I felt something move under my feet! I thought I must have imagined it. A short while after that I felt it again and another person squealed and said she had felt the movement also, several other people also experienced this.

"I have film of orbs drifting around one of the rooms. We contacted spirits with the ouiji boards and also the rods. We made note of who and what we had found out about each person we contacted. It was amazing at the end of the evening when we were shown a family tree of the owners of Pengersick Castle - we had actually spoken to some of them, it was really awesome!"

Bodmin Jail

The ghost of the last man who was hanged in Bodmin Jail has been caught on camera

 

The creepy tourist venue was the last county jail in Cornwall, built in 1779 and closed in 1922. More than 50 executions took place there, the last in 1909.

Bodmin Jail is one of the most haunted places in the UK and hosts one ghost in particular – that of Selina Wadge, who was found guilty of killing her two-year old disabled son Henry. She is said to roam the prison in haunting remorse for her terrible crime.

The building has featured on Living TV’s Most Haunted, and those who are brave enough can spend the night within its walls.

One reviewer said: "The basement is dark and cold and Bodmin Jail is meant to be one of the most Paranormal places. In the basement are lots of models of people, what they were hung for and when.

" My phone screen went green and then off in that one room, before coming back on again, and it still had battery life left! Upstairs in one room as I was taking a picture, there were loads of orbs flying around my phone, I even have a photo with two faces in the wall and a blue light on one of my photos."

Another said: "The ruins are definitely haunted! Everyone in the group got at least on picture capturing ghosts/orbs. I got many.

"I am a believer, as I have witnessed the unexplainable. As soon as you are in the ruins alone with the gate shut, the whole atmosphere changes. I could sense people moving behind me and heard heavy boots marching behind me."

But another was more critical: "I first visited Bodmin Jail back in 2014 - a grey and drizzly day which added to the drama. Walking towards the building, I already felt a shiver down my spine and was not disappointed when entering the jail - i was petrified as I walked around.

"Now fast forward 4 years. When inside the jail, gone were the dark creepy cells where you could let your imagination run riot, instead were cheaply made mannequins which were nothing more than tacky.

"If you were hoping to see a ghost you would be out of luck.... they would have packed their bags and be long gone."

Click here to read more about the jail on TripAdvisor

Wellington Hotel, Boscastle

The Wellington Hotel, Boscastle

 

The hotel is famous nationally for ghost sightings. An angry customer, who believes in paranormal activity, got terrified after they were given room number 9 and felt an eerie presence behind them.

The customer wrote on TripAdvisor: "I decided to lie in bed and watch tv for a bit as it was still quite early. What happened next I have to say frightened the life out of me. I was lying on the bed when suddenly I felt a really strange sensation and said to myself "oh my god it's here" as those words ran through my mind I suddenly felt what can only be described as someone walking up the bed behind me and then a rush of cold air and then total paralysis of my body... I couldn't move I was frozen. I kept thinking if I can just reach the phone I can call my friend but i couldn't. This feeling lasted about 30 secs and then as quickly as it came... it left me and I felt normal again."

Another said: "The room felt like it was up in the attic on the inside but from the outside it wasn't very high up. Ghostly occurrences were very high and we got a bit spooked so we went for a walk along the harbour, a beautiful place to stay."

To see more reviews visit TripAdvisor by clicking here

 Chapel-an-Gansblydhen, Bodmin

Bodmin's Chapel An Gansblydhen

 

The Wetherspoons pub and hotel is a converted Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and one guest has a rather interesting experience!

A reviewer on TripAdvisor said: "Just before leaving, my partner visited the gents toilet and returned to tell me he had had a strange experience.

"He had sensed someone walk in behind him, turned around and there was no one there, but as he turned back, in the glass fronted advertising poster on the wall in front of him, he very briefly saw the reflection of the side view of face of a thin faced man with shoulder length lank dark hair moving from right to left across the bottom corner of the glass.

"It lasted less than half a second and immidiately afterwards he felt goosebumps and tingley all over. He was so excited about it, said he never felt fear or threatened.

"This just added to our experience. Maybe one of the old patrons of the church was going about his business and my partner was in the right place at the right time and was privileged to witness it."

To read more about the pub click here

Godolphin House, Helston

Godolphin House has its ghosts

 

The White Lady apparition is said to walk along the path leading from the house to the Chapel. Thought to be the figure of Lady Margaret Godolphin, wife of the first Earl, who died in child birth.

one reviewer was unhappy about the lack of ghosts: "We cannot thank the National Trust enough for preserving this amazing building and it was a privilege to have stayed here. The only disappointing thing was we didn’t see the ghost!"

To read more reviews about Godolphin House on TripAdvisor click here

Roche Rock

The construction looks haunted

 

The site is linked to the story of Jan Tregeagle, who thrust his head through the East window in order to gain sanctuary from the hell hounds on his trail.

One reviewer said they has a bit of weird experience with a cat!

"Once off the road we were met by the most odd cat - who never left us alone and who wanted to lead us all the time. My son's girlfriend stroked it and it bit her! So strange scary cat leading the way we headed to the chapel. 


"The whole place with the huge rocks and ruins of the chapel was truly creepy. We climbed the metal ladders up and up again to the second level. Fortunately the cat had to stay at the bottom. I felt petrified by the height and tried to imagine it full of religious pilgrims - but could not. 

"This place has a odd feel to it - especially at dusk and with only ourselves being there. We were met by the cat on our descent and I was glad to get away. My 11 year old son then spent the return journey worrying about the cat being alone.

To find out more about Roche Rock click here

 

White Hart, Menheniot

The White Hart is said to be haunted

 

This story is from a few years ago, but is rather spooky.

"We were shown a room which to us felt wrong and we asked to change, the second room also did not feel right so we landed up on a family room.

"This seemed better. Unfortunately this room started also to make its presence felt. We were each independently woken in the night on a variety of occasions by a shape at the end of the bed, there was the sounds of footsteps in the bathroom with no one there and a shadow by the wardrobe.

"We had a lovely holiday and would stay there again, although I would try to get a room that was not haunted next time!"

To read more about the inn on TripAdvisor visit the website here

Article originally published in March.