“This was real. It was happening. The supernatural had come calling.” – A ghost tour of Margam Castle

Do you believe in ghosts? It doesn’t matter if you don’t. It’s not a requirement for the enjoyment a ghost tour, especially when it’s of somewhere as imposing, gothic and atmospheric as Margam Castle.

To be clear, this event was not a ghost hunt, it was a tour. An opportunity for myself and my girlfriend to have a good look around inside one of Wales’ most impressive and important buildings, all while hearing all about its rich history and numerous hauntings, courtesy of our guides from Dark Wales Tours.

Matt, Luke (great that they’ve moved onto such an exciting new career after Bros) and Laura began the tour at dusk, amid the remains of Margam Abbey, which dates back to the 1100s. There were around twenty five of us in all, and as bats flitted around above our heads, our hosts told us of the order of Cistercian monks who had once inhabited the estate, and how they are still sometimes seen by visitors, as apparitions, in their distinctive white robes.

Then, as the sky turned black, it was on to the main event: Margam Castle itself, which was built between 1830 and 1840. We learnt of the family who had owned it, and how they had all one by one died, leaving the building to be acquired first by a local landowner and then by West Glamorgan Council. Disaster struck in 1977 when the castle was gutted by fire, and an ambitious restoration project is ongoing. As a result of this work, the incredible staircase situated in the grand hallway was, when we visited, besieged by scaffolding, so I’ve included a photo taken previously so you can see its magnificence for yourself.

There was of course tragedy and murder in the story of Margam. Why else would there be ghosties lurking? It’s even been the subject of a horror movie; 2020’s The Haunting of Margam Castle (I’ve included the link for my review below). As we moved from room to spooky room, we were told, in eerie darkness, about some of the incidents that have befallen previous tours, such as people being pushed or scratched by unseen hands, and strange lights that have followed visitors around. Most impressive of all was the story of a security guard who had been chased from the building by a malevolent spirit that took the form of a child ( a creepy little girl, of course).

Matt was an excellent storyteller, and had his audience enthralled. Indeed, we were all listening, in complete blackness, to how how the room we were standing in was one of the most spiritually active in the entire castle, when a shrill noise – halfway between a whistle and a shriek, cut through the air. We all jumped. This initial shock was followed by nervous laughter. Matt surmised that the noise was perhaps a bird or a bat, and with his torch had a brief look around for a rational explanation. When the fuss had died down the torches went off again and Matt resumed his talk. After a few moments the piercing noise cut through the room again, only this time it was louder. And again, we all jumped. This was real. It was happening. The supernatural had come calling.

Let me tell you, the feeling of being in the room when something supernatural happens is incredible. What surged through my body was a cocktail of fear, adrenalin, exhilaration and – yes – joy. As the temperature appeared to plummet, my insides danced, my skin prickled and every hair stood on end. I was alive to every noise in the room, every movement, every shadow. The atmosphere was charged, with everyone on edge, waiting for whatever was going to come next.

And then someone looked out of the window and noticed that there was a firework display taking place beyond the castle’s grounds. What we had heard were rockets being set off. Oh, how we laughed. It was obvious that many of the people there were relieved. But me, I was gutted! I thought I’d finally experienced something genuinely supernatural. I thought I’d been in the presence of the living dead. Still, looking back on it, it was damn funny.

In the end, there were no ghosties, but we’d been spoilt nonetheless with one of the most atmospheric settings in Wales and loads of amazing stories. Margam Castle is alive with tales of the dancing dead; creepy little girls, ghostly groundsmen and even demonic entities. Myself and my girlfriend had a great time, with the undisputed star of the show being the venue itself.

Dark Wales Tours organise events at numerous creepy locations and I would definitely recommend experiencing at least one of them for yourself. The whole thing was very well organised and our hosts were great. My other half and I are already planning on joining them for an exploration of Cardigan Castle sometime in the near future. Hopefully we’ll see you there.

Find out more at http://www.darkwalestours.co.uk.

Check out my review of The Haunting of Margam Castle here: https://richarderock.com/2020/11/23/review-the-haunting-of-margam-castle/