Scotland has an abundance of old atmospheric pubs where the history stretches back centuries.
Some have welcomed famous writers, musicians and travellers. Others have accumulated rather more unsettling stories about customers who apparently never left.
From unexplained footsteps in an Edinburgh cellar to a mysterious spectre in Glasgow, generations of landlords, staff and drinkers have reported strange encounters in bars and inns across the country.
As Halloween approaches, these six Scottish pubs have some of the best ghost local stories.
The Drovers Inn, Inverarnan
The Drovers Inn has been welcoming travellers at the northern end of Loch Lomond for more than 300 years.
The historic coaching inn is atmospheric enough before you get to the ghost stories. Its old stone walls, dark wood, open fires and extensive collection of taxidermy have made it one of Scotland’s most distinctive pubs.
It also regularly appears on lists of Britain’s most haunted inns.
One of its best-known legends concerns a drover named Angus, who is said to have been murdered and whose ghost has supposedly been seen walking through the building in Highland dress.
Another tale tells of a family who died after becoming trapped in a snowstorm and who are now said to appear to guests during particularly cold nights.
The Drovers itself embraces the stories, describing the pub as one of Scotland’s most haunted and declaring that “the ghosts are in the walls”.
The Scotia Bar, Glasgow
There are plenty of stories in the walls of The Scotia.
The Stockwell Street pub claims to date from 1792 and has been part of Glasgow’s music and drinking culture for generations. Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty are among the performers associated with the bar.
It also has several alleged supernatural regulars.
Perhaps the best known is the Green Lady – described as a woman in a green dress who has reportedly been spotted moving through the pub.
Other tales concern former members of staff and a young boy who is supposedly seen around the doorway.
The pub was investigated by paranormal enthusiasts in 2007, while stories of activity in its cellar have persisted for years.
The White Hart Inn, Edinburgh
Few places provide a better setting for a ghost story than Edinburgh’s Grassmarket.
The White Hart Inn is one of its oldest survivors. Its cellar dates back to 1516, while most of the present building dates from the 18th century. CAMRA describes it as Edinburgh’s oldest surviving public house – and notes that it is alleged to be haunted.
Staff and customers have reported an extraordinary catalogue of unexplained incidents over the years.
There have been stories of footsteps after closing time, people feeling as though they have been touched or grabbed and objects apparently moving without explanation.
In 2013, an Australian couple even photographed what they believed was an apparition inside the pub.
Whether ghost or trick of the light, it added another chapter to the White Hart’s centuries of stories.
Bankfoot Inn, Perthshire
The traditional Perthshire inn dates from the 18th century and today operates as a hotel, restaurant and bar.
Its own website contains an entire section devoted to unexplained happenings reported by guests.
Stories include an old woman, a little girl, whispering voices in the laundry, taps apparently turning themselves on and objects moving without explanation.
Then there is the most ominously named resident of all – “The Thing”.
It is described in paranormal accounts as a shadowy older man who has allegedly appeared at the foot of guests’ beds.
The inn has even hosted paranormal investigators, although it sensibly points out that most guests stay without encountering anything unusual.
The Stag, Forfar
A busy bar and restaurant in the centre of Forfar might not immediately look like one of Scotland’s spookiest drinking spots.
The Stag has, however, acquired its own supernatural legend.
The building has served Forfar for more than a century and retains features from its days as a hotel.
Its supposed resident ghost is an elderly fisherman who is said to sit in a particular corner of the restaurant.
The most intriguing incident came in 2018, when CCTV reportedly captured a cup and milk jug falling from a kitchen shelf. The wall behind the shelf backed on to the part of the restaurant associated with the apparition.
Other objects have reportedly been found on the floor after being left on shelves.