Halloween ghost hunt and pumpkin trail at Herstmonceux Castle

As Halloween draws near, the garden team at Herstmonceux Castle Estate are laying out their pumpkin trail in the gardens, while simultaneously keeping an eye out for the drummer boy, little Grace Naylor and the White Lady - ghostly apparitions who may or may not appear as All Hallows Eve approaches.

Visitors to the castle this month can choose to take a pumpkin trail through the grounds and also explore the self-guided autumn trail through the Magic Garden, Shakespeare’s Garden, the Elizabethan Garden and woodlands to the folly.

As they watch the mist rise above the moat, and notice the rustle of the leaves in the woodland, visitors can also listen out for the drummer boy who, it is said, walks the battlements at the medieval castle beating a ghostly tattoo.

Grace Naylor is a story about a youngster with a wicked Governess Margaret Beckett who starved her to death as a child.

Perhaps the most ghostly tale of all belongs to The White Lady who is said to haunt the moat at the famous castle.

The gardens are open until October 31 Visit www.hertsmonceux-castle.com