Bath is undeniably beautiful, old and steeped in history, so its many lovely buildings and streets have inevitably been the backdrop for countless dramas and stories for generations. And many of those tales have featured – not to put too fine a point on it – lives coming to unpleasant and / or unexpected ends. Murders, suicides, torture, those who perished duelling, those burnt as witches, hanged as criminals: tales of the desperate deceased have soaked into Bath’s misleadingly lovely stonework for centuries.

Bath Ghost Tours bring to life these old tales in an experience much richer and more enjoyable than you might imagine. They’ve been running for the last eight years and are an engaging hybrid of audience participation, theatre, tough tales compellingly told and a paranormal experiment. In spite of their subject matter, Bath Ghost Tours promise these events are suitable for all the family (they even say well-behaved dogs can come too; it is a walk, after all).

You can join in, from March to late December, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings; the tours run on Mondays and Tuesdays too, between May and October, as well as on October 31 (of course) as a one-off.

The tours last roughly 105 minutes and start at 8pm outside Bath Abbey, £16 for adults and £11 for children and students. If you’d like a private tour, that’s also possible, depending on how many of you there are. For more about this, and everything else, just visit their site.

And assuming you’re still in the mood for a good old-fashioned fright, we should also point you in the direction of Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein. It’s true we’ve mentioned them before, but there’s more reason now than ever, as mid-September saw the launch of a new “extreme Basement Escape Room” called The Shallows, which, compared with its predecessors there, promises to ratchet up the tension several notches. 

A dark, disorientating basement, a grim, rumoured conspiracy linked to unethical human research, a powerful, malign force with goals unknown, and you and your group, armed only with your wits and your unauthorised access, don’t have long to work it all out, save yourselves and – who knows – maybe save humanity itself.

Since its opening, this multi award-winning attraction dedicated to Mary Shelley and her globally-celebrated gothic classic, Frankenstein, has proved hugely popular, and this new immersive experience aims to build on the success of the continuing Victor’s Lair attic Escape Room. (“Welcome to Victor’s miserable attic quarters. The clock is ticking for you to unlock the mysteries of life itself and, critically, your way out to freedom before his return.”)

You can book The Shallows in groups of up to four. The experience lasts an hour, is described as a “tense, psychological group challenge”, and organisers say “the escape rooms are dark, disorientating areas with some confined spaces and may not be suitable for those who suffer with claustrophobia or have a nervous disposition. Special effects, audio and flashing lighting are used throughout and therefore may not be advisable for those with photosensitive epilepsy”.

It might or might not be relevant, in light of sharing all this information about Ghost Tours and immersive experiences, dark basements and cramped attics, that our rooms are well-lit, luxurious, not at all cramped and 100% unhaunted.

And for the avoidance of doubt, in case of need, The Q Bar will serve you a delicious, recuperative snifter whenever you need one…