Crathes Castle

Set amid rolling woodland and lush gardens in Aberdeenshire, Crathes Castle is one of Scotland’s most enchanting and haunted tower houses. Built in the late 1500s by the Burnett of Leys family, it stands as a masterpiece of Scottish baronial architecture — its turrets, towers, and painted ceilings seemingly lifted from the pages of legend. Yet behind its fairytale beauty lies a darker tale of mystery, loss, and enduring spirit. The Burnetts were granted the lands of Crathes by King Robert the Bruce in the early 14th century, and construction of the castle began generations later, completed around 1596. The family resided here for over 350 years, weathering clan rivalries, Jacobite uprisings, and centuries of Scottish history. But it is the castle’s Green Lady — one of Scotland’s most famous apparitions — that has given Crathes its eerie fame. For centuries, visitors and staff have reported sightings of a beautiful woman dressed in a flowing green gown, often seen carrying a small infant. She appears particularly in the Green Lady’s Room, a richly decorated chamber on the upper floors. Witnesses describe her as peaceful yet melancholy, gliding silently across the floor before vanishing near the fireplace or into the walls themselves. The legend surrounding her identity is tragic. One story claims she was a Burnett family servant who fell pregnant out of wedlock and was cast out, returning later to the castle to die with her child. Another version tells that she was a noblewoman betrayed by her lover, who hid her baby within the castle before meeting a violent end. Whatever her true origin, her presence is said to radiate sorrow — a grief so deep it transcends death. In a chilling twist, during 19th-century renovations, workers discovered the skeletons of a woman and infant hidden behind the hearthstone of the very room where the Green Lady is most often seen. The discovery only deepened belief that the ghost’s story was rooted in tragic truth. But she is not the only spirit said to walk Crathes Castle. Visitors have reported phantom footsteps, doors opening and closing unaided, and whispering voices in empty hallways. In the great hall, cold spots and sudden draughts appear without cause, while staff have reported feeling an invisible hand rest gently on their shoulder — or a light tug on their clothing as they ascend the spiral staircase. Despite these hauntings, the atmosphere of Crathes is more poignant than terrifying. The Green Lady’s presence is often described as protective, even maternal, as though she guards both the castle and its visitors. Now under the care of the National Trust for Scotland, Crathes Castle welcomes thousands each year who come for its stunning gardens, preserved interiors, and ghostly legends. By daylight it is a romantic relic of Scotland’s past; by night, a place where history lingers in whispers — and where a woman in green still mourns the life she lost centuries ago.