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Discover the Haunted Castle of Mey in Caithness, where tragedy, haunted spirits and a bond with royalty create a tapestry of mystery
Nestled in the eerie and remote landscape of Caithness, Scotland, stands the hauntingly beautiful Castle of Mey, formerly known as Barrogill Castle.
Dating back to the 16th century, this castle exudes an air of mystery that will send shivers down the spines of those who dare to explore its dark corridors.
From its chilling history to its ghostly inhabitants, Castle of Mey is a place where the line between the living and the dead seems to blur.
Ghosts of Mey Castle
Among the long-forgotten rooms and hidden corners of Mey Castle, a tragic story of love and despair haunts the castle’s foundations.
The legend of the Green Lady, the ghostly apparition that wanders the halls of the castle, is a story of heartbreak and sorrow that transcends time.
In the days of yore, Elizabeth Sinclair, daughter of the 5th Earl of Caithness, fell madly in love with a simple farm laborer. He was a man her father considered completely unworthy of her noble blood. Driven by her unyielding love, Elizabeth defied her father’s wishes and secretly met her forbidden suitor.
Enraged when he discovered his daughter’s defiance, the earl locked Elizabeth in the tower room, hoping to extinguish the flames of her forbidden passion. But love, as they say, knows no bounds, and Elizabeth’s heartbreak only deepened within the cold confines of her prison.
Some say it was desperation that led her to lean too far out of the tower window, longing for a glimpse of her lover working in the distant fields, only to lose her balance and plunge to her tragic end.
Others believe that the weight of her unrequited love became too unbearable, and she chose to end her suffering by throwing herself from the dark heights of the tower.
Whatever the truth, Elizabeth’s restless spirit, now known as the Green Lady, lingers in the Castle of Mey.
Witnesses have reported seeing her ethereal figure wandering mournfully through the shadowed halls of the castle, her translucent form emitting an eerie glow that chills the marrow of the living.
Connection to the Queen Mother
In 1952, Castle Mey found an unlikely savior in the form of royalties. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother was widowed after the death of King George VI and was attracted to the castle’s allure and historic grandeur. Determined to save it from its dilapidated state, she took on the task of restoring the castle and bringing its forgotten walls back to life. (You can see her buying it in the first series of The Crown TV series.)
Little did the Queen Mother know that her presence would stir the restless spirits that lived in the Castle of Mey.
As the Queen Mother lovingly restored the castle, the spirits seemed to awaken and strange events began to unfold.
Whispers in the night, gusts of cold wind where none should exist, and ghostly apparitions lurking in the shadows: these were just some of the chilling experiences reported by those who encountered the castle’s alien inhabitants.
Despite the ghostly presence, the Queen Mother persevered and turned Castle of Mey into her holiday home. Every year in August and October she returned to the castle, undeterred by the supernatural phenomena that surrounded her.
On her death in 2002, the Queen Mother’s legacy continued when she handed the castle over to the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust.
Today, the castle opens its doors to the curious and brave, allowing them to step back in time and encounter not only the castle’s royal history, but also the lingering ghosts that forever haunt its haunted halls.
Discover other haunted royal palaces at Spooky Isles.
Have you experienced the paranormal in Castle of Mey? Tell us in the comments section below!
