Halloween thrills

From wraiths to witches, woods to wolves, here are 10 spooky things to give you and the family the willies this Halloween

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1 Wild Things

Join Esmerelda Raventree, the good witch of Rye Meads and help her save the reserve. On your quest you will find your perfect wand and if you’re feeling especially brave, you can dip your net into the bog and see what creepy crawlies you can find. This family event at Rye Meads Nature Reserve in Hoddesdon runs from October 24 to November 1. rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/ reserves-a-z/rye-meads

2 Killer phrase

‘It was a dark and stormy night...’ Did you know these immortal words were written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton of Knebworth House? The opening line of the novelist, playwright and politician’s 1830 novel Paul Clifford became synonymous with Victorian melodrama. The novelist was a pioneer of science fiction, also writing about horror and the occult. His spirit is said to roam some rooms at the Gothic stately home, much like a character from one of his stories.

3 The monk of Minsden

By a small wood near the hamlet of Chapelfoot lies the isolated ruins of Minsden Chapel. It’s not just the location that causes chills. The apparition of a monk climbing stairs which no longer exist has supposedly frightened many, and is said to occur at Halloween. There have also been reports of a glowing cross on dark nights and music playing without a discernible source. You might see the ghost of Hitchin historian Reginald Hine who took great interest in the ruined chapel and vowed ‘to protect and haunt its hallowed walls’.