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The stunning Scottish beach home to a creepy castle that inspired Dracula – and it’s still haunted
It even featured in The Crown
A SMALL village in the UK is home to "undiscovered" sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and one of the scariest characters ever created.
Scotland has some of the country's most underrated stretches of shoreline, included in which is Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire.
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The beach is described as a "place of splendour" and "one of Scotland's finest sandscapes" by , who list it as one of the highlights to visit in the county.
They said: "Cruden Bay's undiscovered sandy white beach, crystal clear waters and quaint fishing harbour make it a place of splendour.
"Stumble across one of Aberdeenshire’s finest sandcapes. The panoramic views across the coast and of Slains Castle in the distance, will take your breath away."
Slains Castle is certainly an awe-inspiring sight, as it stands overlooking the North Sea from the cliffs just to the north of the shoreline.
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The fort was so imposing that it served as inspiration for author Bram Stoker when he was writing his novel Dracula, about a vampire living in a creepy castle.
Stoker stayed not far from the bay from 1893-1910 at the nearby Kilmarnock Arms and set two other novels in the area, before starting work on his most famous book.
Fans of The Crown will also recognise Slains Castle from the first series of the show when it stood in for Castle Mey when the Queen Mother visits Scotland.
Dracula isn't the castle's only scary resident either, with the crumbling ruin also rumoured to be haunted by the ghost of Victor Hay, a Scottish Earl, while other spooks have been spotted nearby too.
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said of the castle: "This is certainly an eerie place to be at this time of year where you can hear the waves crashing against the rocks beneath you, and the crows hovering above your head.
"It is believed that the crumbling ruin isn’t completely abandoned, as it is said to be haunted by the ghost of Victor Hay, who was the 21st Earl of Errol and died in the 20th century.
"Sightings of WWII soldiers marching past and a horse and carriage have also been reported."
For anyone who wants to follow in Stoker's footsteps, the is still up and running to this day, with rooms available online from £160 for two, with breakfast included.
The hotel is just 15 minutes away from Slains Castle, where it has welcomed guests for more than 120 years.
Stoker's name can still be seen scrawled in immaculate handwriting in one of the hotel's old guestbooks.
Each room is "styled to remain in keeping with the history and integral design of the building" meaning it offers an authentic experience for guests.
However, there are also more affordable accommodation options in the area, with some B&Bs starting from around £83 per night.
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Meanwhile, the northern lights can be seen from this tiny UK coastal village – there’s even an alarm when they show up.
And this stunning village was voted Scotland’s top staycation spot for 2023.
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