A horrifying Half Term and Halloween

As school summer holidays draw to a close, it’s time to start planning fun for Halloween and October Half Term.

Family breaks website play-and-stay.co.uk has compiled its top five recommendations from some of the UK’s most popular destinations for those wanting to have a horror filled half term or Halloween break at an unbeatable price.

1. Alton Towers Scarefest – October 17th – November 1st

The perennial favourite Staffordshire theme park has a host of activities for young and old this Halloween including:

Trick or Treat Doors – Meet Millicent, Molly and Meg at their spellbinding cottage. These peculiar witches return each Halloween to shower children with tricks... and treats!

Scarefest Characters - Spooky friends Patch, Franklin, Skelvin and Phil will be roaming the park. Pose for photographs with your favourite character, the perfect Scarefest souvenir!

Duel: Live! - Hidden in Gloomy Wood stands an eerie manor house. Once home to a wealthy Victorian family, the creepy residence is now inhabited by a host of extra spooky spirits!

Terror of the Towers - the infamous Master gives chase to those invading his mansion

2 .Thorpe Park Fright Nights – October 12th – November 1st

Thorpe Park has pulled out all the stops this Halloween with four spine-chilling horror mazes alongside its scary white-knuckle experiences

SAW - The Ride, Stealth, Colossus and Nemesis.

Se7en – navigating the deadly sins within this tormenting live action horror maze, visitors will be desperate to repent!

The Asylum – a maze of dead ends and hidden corners hiding an enclosed community of staff and locked-up patients lurking in the shadows.

Hellgate – walking the corridors you’ll encounter a world of empty souls forgotten by time, preparing to unleash evil on unsuspecting victims.

The Curse – shut down by investigators investigating a crime, the site has been shut down for 50 years and is crammed with dark and terrifying secrets.

3. Warwick Castle - October 25th, 29th and 31st

A walk through the scariest parts of the Haunted Castle with the Haunted Hollows and The Castle Dungeon including a tasty, warm broth served in the Coach House for just £15 per person.

Due to its scary content The Castle Dungeon may not be suitable for children under the age of 10 and all children must be supervised by an adult.

4. The Dungeons – London, York, Edinburgh, Warwick - 17th - 31st October

The Scare Witch Trials - All hell has been let loose. . .

With Scare Witches hidden in the shadows ready to dart out at unsuspecting visitors, you pick your way through the clawing bony branches of the Dungeon’s creaking woodlands before reaching the Witchfinder General in the Dungeons’ 17th century courtroom.

Be prepared to stand trial as he searches out the witches among you and quake in your boots as those in the dock before you are sentenced for their crimes. What will you be found guilty of? Turning yourself into a frog on Fridays? Being too familiar with peculiar potions? Or cackling continuously over a cauldron?

And what will your fate be? Will it be the stake for you, banishment to the duck pond for a good old-fashioned witch dunking, or simply a long drop attached a short noose?

Halloween activity runs at the London, Edinburgh, Warwick and York Dungeons from Saturday 17th – Saturday 31st October and is included in the entrance price.

5. Gulliver’s Kingdom in Matlock Bath

Included within your park entry is a day filled with Halloween fun and frolics, all rounded off by a spectacular firework display.

Once the darkness falls, the ghostly ghouls take over on the main stage. On Saturday the evening is rounded off with their firework finale.

Normal admission rates apply, park open from 10.30am until 8pm.

For more information and bookings, visit play-and-stay.co.uk.