A tour around the eerie North East castle haunted by a weeping ghost

With the infamous Grey Lady stalking its halls, you'd be a brave soul to take a trip up to Langley Castle in Northumberland. If that kind of eerie thrill is your thing, however, then the hotel should be at the top of your list this Halloween.

The castle was first built in 1350 during the reign of Edward III and its grounds cover a ten-acre woodland estate which can look creepy enough when night falls across the land. Although, the biggest fright you might get at Langley Castle is within its walls.

The site was built by Sir Thomas de Lucy on the site that was formerly the seat of the Barons of Tynedale in the 12th century. The castle was gutted by a fire in the 15th century and remained in a state of ruins for years and years - although historians point out that its state may have helped its survival, the fact it was not inhabited made it a worthless target in wars throughout those years.

The castle is now better known for its history that you won't find in textbooks. A mysterious lady spends her nights sobbing uncontrollably in the castle's windows before jumping out the glass and to her death below.

The figure is known as the Grey Lady and is widely thought to have inspired J. K. Rowling’s character Moaning Myrtle, a weeping ghost that haunts the girls’ bathroom at Hogwarts.

Until recently, the Grey Lady was thought to be Maud de Lucy, who would watch for her husband Sir Thomas to return to war from the top floor windows.

Maud de Lucy is said to have flung herself from the window when she heard her husband would not be returning. However, research recently uncovered shows that the mysterious figure can’t be Maud, as she was Sir Thomas’ daughter. It would more likely be Agnes de Beaumont, but little is known about her cause of death.

Now a hotel, Langley Castle has quickly earnt a reputation as one of the region's best hotels with five-star reviews regularly given by guests and has a number of awards to its name.

Some reviewers online, do even mention the hotel's haunting apparition. One TripAdvisor reviewer wrote: "After the meal, we headed back to our room. This part I really did not expect. At around 1 am I was awoken to see what I believe to be an apparition stood at the bottom of my bed! Believe this or not, please ask the blonde lady with glasses at reception and she will be more than happy to tell my story, as I was so quick to explain after breakfast!”

If you fancy a potentially ghoulish trip to Langley Castle this Halloween, the hotel does have a few select rooms avaialble on Monday, October 31. More here. Langley Castle runs daily battlements tours at 10:15 am for hotel guests and members of the public can attend for just £5.