The enigma on whether ghosts are real has been an age old heated debate in many households around the world and throughout history. And some of you reading this I imagine will be sighing in despair even looking at the title of this article.

My grandad who is very much a man ruled by logic, would be the first to roll his eyes upon hearing the fearful suggestion of a door slamming shut being the handiwork of an aggrieved poltergeist. Or a painting in a shop directly across from an Elizabethan church flying off the wall directly at my mum at great force - he reckons that was due to an uneven shelf, apparently. My mum AND the shopkeeper who has worked there over a decade heartily disagreed.

Yet my aunt and uncle very much believe in the supernatural, having done ghost walks and tours themselves they have tales of their own personal experiences with the occult. And thus the judgement scales continue to weigh unevenly between personal experience vs scientific evidence.

But even those opposed to the notion of ghosts being real, can still appreciate the intrigue of exploring older buildings filled with local history and events, many of which are lost only too easily over time as the years go by. It doesn’t always have to be about the ghosts, the history can be pretty awesome too!

When it comes down to actually deciding which ghost related activity may be best suited for me, there are several key signifiers I wish to consider keenly with something like this. The main one above anything else is the location. Hailing from the midlands myself, living away from the hubbub of the city this usually involves having to travel further distances to be able to enjoy an activity. Have a look at the table below for paranormal activities in the West Midlands.

Sabrina Boat -Ghost Tour:

Shrewsbury, Shropshire
45 minute cruise 7pm & 8pm meeting time
Ghost cruise only available in October
Adult £13 Child £7.50 Under 3s (free) Family £35
Cruise down the River Severn while listening to historic tales of the local area
Kids + family friendly – advises to be wary of booking if kids scare easily

Ghost Prison Tour

Shrewsbury
6.30pm & 8.30pm. Offer overnight stay experience 8pm- breakfast 7am
Every Wednesday
£25pp tour £69pp night behind bars
Tour – guided by torchlight, hear tales and stories of previous inhabitants and ghostly encounters ranging over 200 years
Overnight – tour led by ex prison officer around prison, 12 hours overnight stay in cells, breakfast included next morning
12+ for tour 18 + overnight stay

Paranormal Eye - Paranormal Investigation Event:

Staffordshire, Four Crosses Inn
Slight variation per event – late evening till early hours of morning (optional sleepover)
Advertises certain Dates throughout the year on site
£30-£55 per person varies event to event depending on midweek or weekend. No extra cost for overnight stay
Paranormal investigation, group vigils, Spiritual Medium on hand,
Optional use of ghost detecting equipment, complimentary drinks and snacks
18+ event only for paranormal investigation

Haunted Heritage Paranormal Investigation

Staffordshire, Tamworth Castle
Certain dates throughout the year on website
£56pp
Ghost hunting equipment, EMF metres, K2 metres etc, experiments including glass divination, table tipping and Ouija, complimentary refreshments
18+ event only for paranormal investigation

Into The Shadows Paranormal Investigation

West Midlands Dudley Castle
Slight variation per event 8pm – 1am
Advertise Certain Dates throughout the year on site
£50 pp
Hear terrifying history of Castle. Guests lead investigation and decide experiments carried out with assistance from experts
18+ event only for paranormal investigation

Haunted Heritage Paranormal Investigation Event

Warwickshire Guys Cliffe House
8pm-1am
Advertises Certain Dates throughout year on site
£47pp
Ghost Hunting Equipment, EMF metres K2 metre. Experiments/divination. Seances (all optional), complimentary refreshments
18+ only for paranormal investigation

Haunted Houses Ghost Hunt

West Midlands – The Coffin Works
Slight variation per event – 9pm – 2am
Advertises certain dates throughout the year
£49pp
Guidance from skilled paranormal investigators, cutting edge investigation equipment, help to lead investigation or just observe, complimentary refreshments
16+ event

Haunted Adventures Ghost Walk

Cannock Chase The Black Eyed Child of Cannock Chase Ghost Walk
Slight variation per event 7.30Pm-8.30PM
Usual schedule two dates a month
16 + £10pp 7-15 yr old £8pp Family ticket (2 adult + 2 kids) £35pp
Guided walk through Cannock Chase while listening to tales of hauntings in local area. End of walk there is a mini paranormal investigation
Suitable for ages 7+

Haunted Happenings Ghost Hunt

Herefordshire George Jarvis school
Slight variation per event 9pm – 3am
Advertises certain dates throughout the year on site
£49pp – can vary
Ghost hunting vigils in small groups. Use of ghost hunting equipment, experiments including glass divination, table tipping and Ouija, free time to investigate, tea and coffee included
18+ only for paranormal investigation

Paranormal Eye UK Ghost Hunt

Herefordshire Old Shire Hall
Variations per event – late evening till early hours of morning for ghost hunts
Advertises certain dates throughout the year on site
Varies event to event
Investigating with the Paranormal Eye UK Team throughout the evening. Exclusive access after dark, Group Vigils, Séances, Spiritual Medium during the investigation. Working in Small Groups, Using an array of different equipment and techniques. Complimentary drinks and snacks.
18+ only for paranormal investigation

Searching For Spirits Paranormal Activity Investigation

Shropshire, Oswestry, Whittington Castle
Variations per event 20:45PM-01:30AM
Advises certain dates throughout year on site
£45pp – variations each event
Assist the expert team with Paranormal investigation, Hot and cold drinks and biscuits provided
18+ only for event

Haunted Happenings

Worcestershire The Nunnery Malvern
Slight variation per event 8.30pm-2.30am
Advertises certain dates throughout the year
£59pp -variations each event
Ghost hunting equipment – EMF metres, K2 metres. Experiments including glass divination, table tipping and Ouija. Free time to investigate, free tea and coffee
18+ for paranormal investigation

Severn Valley Railways Ghost Train Experience

Kidderminster Severn Valley Railway
Ghost Train Meeting time: 75 mins
Departure Times: 5.20pm 6.10pm 7pm 7.50pm
Scream Train: 8.40pm
October 28^th, 30^th and 31^st
Varies depending on the day. Table for 4 £91-£96. Table for 2 (restricted view) £40-45 Compartment of 6 £137-£144
Train from Kidderminster station to Arley. Includes jump scares, flickering lights and each child gets a goodie bag
Ghost Train experience kids + family friendly
Scream Train 18+ only

I’m willing to bet most of you local readers (shoutout to the folks in Shropshire) not living in a city may have a similar inclination on this matter, and likely your first point of researching a location would have you aiming your search criteria for something like ‘---- experiences in the nearest city’.

When typing in a search on the web for the best ghost related activities on the websites of most big-name experience providers, the searches herald almost exclusively to activities in London for many experience providers. Which is pretty useless if you live anywhere outside the South of England or London generally.

But its ok… *deep breath and… move on*.

Now, the one good thing about ghosts related endeavours, is that hauntings can technically happen well…anywhere, when you think about it. And ghosts don’t exclusively haunt the home counties.

Wonderdays has a filter that allows you to search by area which is a timesaver if you are after the nearest – a quick check on the ‘Midlands’ activities on the website does bring up a ‘ghost tour experience at a Haunted Prison’ – based in Shrewsbury! I can now happily say I have a tick next to ‘accessible location’ on my checklist which is perfect. Shrewsbury is a 25-30 minute drive up the motorway for me, and no problem if you don’t drive because Shrewsbury Train station is literally the other side of the road. No panicked searches on Google maps required here.

A spotlight my two favourites on the list in a little more detail:

A deeper dive into the depths of google reveals the Shrewsbury Prison has previously offered residence to the Most Haunted team back in 2016, and former host of Ghost Adventures Nick Groff. It has acquired quite the legendary reputation with its spooky goings-on, including the Grey Lady of the C-Wing and the infamous Shadow Man.

You might even encounter them at some point on the tour! (The one bonus being a ghost means you don’t have to pay to join tours I suppose!). I must admit I find myself rather keen to discover for myself exactly why it sports the title of “6^thDark Tourism Destination in the World”.

Tours commence on days and times that fit perfectly around my work hours. Cost-wise at £25 per person this feels very reasonable in price, another tick on the list. If you are brave enough, you can spend a night behind bars (without the criminal record to accompany).

Another unique style of ghost tour is led by the Sabrina Ghost Cruise team. I have to be honest; I’ve never heard of a ghost cruise before. If I found myself more inclined to kick back and relax cruising down the River Severn, this would be the better tour to go for.

This activity may be more accessible for those interested in local tales of the occult that may struggle being on foot for a long time, or for families with younger children. The website does specify that this event only runs in October, so those frightfully keen best get their booking in quick for this activity!

Now for those more daring, I found several reputable companies specialising in paranormal investigations, for those that may be more interested in the paranormal ‘investigation’ element (18+ events). Led by an expert team, you are given the opportunity to use the most cutting-edge technology. Some groups offer EMF meters, K2 meters, and others offer spirit boxes and temperature guns, scientific equipment to record and measure supernatural activity. Those that have ever fancied being on Ghost Adventures, this is your time.

Some of these groups also advertise expert-led experiments including glass divination, table tipping and the infamous Ouija board. For those that wouldn’t be comfortable using an Ouija board like myself, don’t worry, the expert teams are professionals and understanding of peoples limitations.

I was a little concerned of this initially but feel assured after reading reviews from previous guests that say staff are professional, well versed in local history and legend, and most importantly, won’t push guests to do anything they don’t feel comfortable with. Even the hardcore sceptics have admitted enjoyed this, (if only to roll their eyes throughout the whole thing in disbelief!).

For the list of 13 West-Midlands Haunted Hangouts, I have also included the direct website link of these paranormal investigation groups with Midlands-Based locations that offer more information for those keen.

Paranormal Eye Events

Haunted Rooms

Searching for Spirits