5 Haunted Places in Caithness, Mackays Hotel Included

If you’re a fan of all things paranormal, you must keep reading to learn about these haunted places in Caithness, Scotland. And as you can see by the title, one of them is Mackays Hotel!

The northern winds of Scotland bring the echoes of Picts, Celtic warlords and Vikings who once marked the landscape. So, no wonder that this land full of rich history and mysterious past still holds some of it alive. Today, you may be lucky enough to witness it yourself, if you dare to visit one of these haunted places.

5 Haunted Places in Caithness, Scotland

1. The haunted room at Mackays Hotel

Some guests have reported having seen a ghost in room number 9. Apparently, the ghost’s name is Bill and he was a World War Two fighter pilot that was stationed in Wick. He stayed at the hotel when it was taken over by the Royal Airforce. One of the guests, Paddy, who was a pilot himself, always asked for room number 9 so he could talk to the ghost pilot. He said that Bill would visit and speak with him at night. It sounds like Paddy became fond of the friendly ghost and enjoyed their late-night talks!

2. The Green Lady of Castle Mey

The Castle of Mey was the Highland home of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. It is also rumoured to be haunted by a Green Lady, a spirit of the 5th Earl of Caithness’ daughter. Apparently, the girl fell in love with a local lad. However, her father deemed him an undesirable suitor and forbid his daughter to see him again. Lady Fanny was consigned to the top floors of the castle and died either by heartbreak, accident or suicide.

Either way, the Green Lady is said to roam inside the castle walls still waiting for the young lad. Visitors said they felt her chilling presence and witnessed doors shutting as well as lights switching off. What a thrilling story!

There a different versions to this story. Some say the lad she fell in love with was a servant or a farmer, while others suggest he was a stable hand. Furthermore, one version offers that he remained at the grounds and was working the fields. Another version says he was sent away to Scotland or England to never return. Moreover, not all stories agree on how Elizabeth Sinclair died. Most sources say she was kept on the top floors or a tower in the castle. Some say she was looking out the window waiting for her lover to come back. She then lost her balance and fell out or jumped from the window.

3. The ghost of Ackergill Tower

The 15th-century Ackergill Castle was owned by the Keith family who was in a feud with the Gunn family. The feud led to many revenge murders on both sides of the families. It eventually resulted in the abduction of Helen Gunn by the Keith family for the girl’s beauty. She either fell or jumped from the Ackergill Tower trying to escape. Now she haunts the halls of the tower. Visitors have seen her either as a green lady or as a lady in a long red ball gown with tall black hair. Yet another lady in green haunting a Scottish castle. Fascinating!

4. Olrig – one the most haunted places in Caithness

The name Olrig comes from the Old Norse and means ‘son of Erik’. Back then, Caithness was called Katanes and it, as well as Orkney and Shetland, were all part of Norway. Olrig holds three cemeteries bounded by old stone walls – ancient, old and modern. On your way out, you will see an ancient stone collection container inside the gate. Olrig is said to be one of the most haunted places in Caithness. Why? Because some believe that every time you enter and leave the cemetery, bad luck will follow you.

Other local myths and legends include a Mummy on the loose, The Valkyries in the hill, The Green Lady at Olrig House, the bagpipes of the Piper skirling at all hours on Windy Ha; the lost Kirk; and of course the Tunnel! A place full of stories and mysteries!

5. Plague ghosts haunting in Thurso

There is a rural myth in Caithness that goes back to the 1950s. A new housing estate was meant to be built for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority workers. So, the infamous County Councillor, Abrach Mackay, sold the sand the contractors needed for the cement and concrete for the hundreds of houses. However, the sand came from Dunnet Beach, a part of the beach known to locals as Coombs Kirk. According to the legend, there was a plague burial mound at Coombs Kirk dating to the mid-fourteenth century. Therefore, bones and relics of the medieval plague cemetery were used for the foundations and walls of the new Dounreay workers’ estate houses. Otherwise known to Caithnessians as “ay Atomics”. Throughout the years, many strange and unexplained sights or sounds have been reported around Castelgreen Road and Pennyland Drive. Would you dare to step into one of those houses?

Stay at one of the haunted places in Caithness, Scotland

Scotland is known for its rich history full of monarchs, clan battles, hundreds of years of rural living and varying wars. Caithness, being the most northern mainland county, is the perfect place to experience it all. Royal castles, as well as burial grounds and mysterious standing stones, offer some of the best haunted places to visit. If that sounds like something you would be interested in experiencing, why not stay at a hotel with a friendly ghost? Book a room, maybe even number 9 if you dare, at Mackays Hotel and start your ghost hunting today!