Scream Time is open at Margam Country Park, and the crazed axeman Jack and his coven are already waiting in the woods.
The Halloween trail opened last week for its third year. It runs until Sunday 1 November, with new routes inside the gothic castle, through the graveyard and into the woods.
Organisers say visitors on the first weekend were met by jump scares, live performances and interactive games, with more scare actors than ever.
Part of the trail runs through courtyards and corners of the estate that are normally closed to the public.
From the Haunted Forest to Hell’s Hallway at Margam Castle
The route starts in the Haunted Forest with Jack and his coven, before the Reapers check visitors in at the castle Boneyard.
The Boneyard is the place to grab a Halloween photo and catch your breath. Then it’s on to the demons of Hell’s Hallway.
Rotten Rodney, an evil clown who feeds on screams, is master of ceremonies in the Nightmare Carnival. He shares the bill with a fire-breathing hellraiser, and there are fire pits, food and drink, rides and games.
A demonic live show in the castle’s main hall comes before the descent into darkness, a pitch-black maze with a scare behind every door.
The full trail takes between 45 and 90 minutes, depending on your pace and how long you stop for food. Tickets are at screamtime.co.uk.
Spooky Time family trail before 7pm
Scream Time is for those aged 15 and over and starts at 7pm.
Before that, Spooky Time is a gentler trail for those aged seven and up. The Scarecrow Scare Village has marshmallows to toast and games to play.
‘Raises the bar once again’
Cllr Cen Phillips, Neath Port Talbot Council’s cabinet member for nature, tourism and wellbeing, said this year’s Scream Time “raises the bar once again, with new scenes, new characters, a change to the trail and even more immersive moments”.
Organiser Janine Maycock said: “We love planning Scream Time at Margam Country Park, it is a special place and the perfect location for us. We can’t wait to offer you a terrifying welcome with our biggest Scream Time yet.”
The ghosts and the bats of Margam Castle
The estate has one of the widest mixes of bat species in the UK, including three kinds of pipistrelle, brown long-eared bats and lesser horseshoe bats. Last year organisers worked with an ecologist to keep the trail clear of where they roost.
Cllr Phillips thanked the council’s Countryside and Wildlife Team, who he said “work tirelessly to ensure the events don’t disturb the rich variety of resident species”.
Then there are the castle’s own residents. Margam Castle has long had tales of a white lady and an angry gamekeeper.
Organisers say people have reported seeing children in Victorian clothes inside, and feeling their hair being pulled.
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