Would you DARE to sleep here? Britain's most haunted hotels and inns - where guests hear children crying, spot ghostly figures and even flee in the night

Would you dare to spend the night in a hotel where guests claim to have heard children crying, spotted ghostly figures wandering the corridors or woken to find unexplained marks in their room?

Across the UK, historic hotels and inns have built up chilling reputations, with tales of restless spirits, tragic deaths and unexplained goings-on. And while some guests might run straight to reception to request another room, others are actively seeking out these spine-tingling stays.

From a young girl said to haunt a hotel staircase to a heartbroken aristocrat still searching for her lost baby, some of the stories behind these properties are every bit as eerie as the alleged sightings themselves.

One such place is The White Hart Hotel, a historic coaching inn in St Albans dating back more than 600 years.

Situated opposite St Albans Cathedral, the hotel is said to be haunted by the spirit of Elizabeth Wilson, who was reportedly killed in 1820 after failing to duck as her carriage passed beneath an archway that still stands today.

'She has been seen,' Amanda Allen, who runs ghost tours at the hotel, tells the Daily Mail.

'I have heard all sorts from her hanging around this alley, which is where she's most been seen, to walking up and down Holywell Hill with her head cocked to one side, and it's a quite dark area out here.' 

Elizabeth is not the only spirit said to linger at The White Hart. A fire in 1803 reportedly claimed the life of a young girl, believed to have been around seven or eight years old, whose ghost is now said to haunt the staircase.

'The amount of people who have come down and said, "I can hear a child crying", and then they're saying, "I can hear knocking on my room", and there's no children in the hotel,' Amanda reveals.

The White Hart Hotel in St Albans is a characterful coaching inn with a spooky past

In Northern Ireland, Ballygally Castle is another property with plenty of history to delve into

'I know some people do knock on doors just for a laugh on the way past, but they've even reported kicking. There's people who have said that they can feel a presence.'

From ghostly monks and strange messages written on mirrors to flights flicking off by themselves and unexplained happenings in the cellar, guests have reported all kinds of spooky antics.

'Our guests come and stay here, and some have stories, some probably don't feel anything,' Fabio Curcio, managing director at the White Hart Hotel, says.

'I find more people with stories than people don't see anything or feel anything.'

He admits: 'Personally, when I came here, I was not a believer in ghosts or spirits, but I have definitely changed my mind.'

The hotel even hosted a Haunted History Ghost Tour over the spooky season, including a Halloween Special three-course meal and guided tour on October 31. 

Google searches for 'spooky travel' have surged by 110 per cent in the past month alone, according to research by Wild Frontiers.

And as the new film Ghosts: The Possession of Button House was released last week centred around a haunted mansion, more people could be seeking a holiday with character and a spine-chilling past to delve into.

Ballygally Castle Hotel offers just that, the Northern Irish property is home to the tragic spirit of Lady Isabella Shaw who died in the 17th century.

Plenty of guests have reported ghoulish happenings in The White Hart, including the sound of a child crying despite there not being any children around

At Ballygally Castle, Lady Isabella Shaw's spirit is said to wander the corridors. Pictured: Lady Isabella's room

She is said to have been cruelly locked away in a small turret room by her husband Lord James Shaw after she gave birth to their daughter and fell to her death after trying to escape through a window. 

These days, the turret room can only be accessed by a narrow staircase and isn't available for the public to stay in, but Lady Isabella's spirit wanders the corridors searching for her baby she was separated from and plenty of guests and staff members have felt her presence throughout the castle.

'Lady Isabella comes and goes as she pleases but typically it’s our night porters who have experienced Lady Isabella around the hotel, with doors banging closed, windows blowing open and on occasion lights flickering up the stairs of the tower itself,' Matt McRoberts, the Head of Marketing at Hastings Hotels explains.

Guests have reported 'feeling spirits in their bedroom while they lie in bed' and have even seen books or bibles falling off tables with no explanation, 'opening at a passage'.

Other spooky antics include wardrobe doors banging and seeing a white figure move across the corridor. 

Mr McRoberts adds: 'On occasion some guests have woken in the middle of the night and asked to change rooms.

'Thankfully it’s few and far between so it’s not a constant change of rooms but we always look to accommodate guests to ensure they get a good night’s sleep and enjoy the hotel fully.'

While some holidaymakers are 'perturbed' by the sad spirit, others are drawn in wanting to 'experience the ghostly antics' and occasionally leave disappointed when Lady Isabella doesn't show up, 'vowing to return again in the hope they spot her', according to the manager.  

The Sun Inn, in Dedham Vale, is another property said to be haunted too

The inn is said to be haunted by Elsa, who was burned for witchcraft, and her presence is often felt in the bedrooms

With its cheery yellow exterior and charming character, at first glance The Sun Inn doesn't look like the type of place to have an unruly spirit walk its corridors.

One of the seven en suite bedrooms above The Sun Inn's pub-restaurant is said to be haunted by Elsa, who was the last woman in Essex to be burned for witchcraft.

She used to work at Dedham Vale-based establishment and was falsely accused of being a witch by women in the village who were supposedly jealous of her beauty. 

The French maiden was promised help by a customer but instead walked into a trap to be captured by witch hunters.

There have been plenty of spooky happenings and sightings centred around Elsa, especially the bedrooms where some have claimed to feel her presence.

She has been seen wailing and crying in various parts of the building, as well as walking down corridors.    

Owner Piers Baker shares: 'Housekeeping have reported going back into the room having set the room up and seeing a bum print on the bed! Other guest reported seeing a figure walking in the room in the night.'