Seen a ghost?

A couple of years ago, a tourist from Minnesota visiting Ballindalloch Castle came across Clare Macpherson-Grant Russell, the Lady Laird, in one of the corridors, and stopped her to ask if she'd seen the beautiful lady in the pink crinoline dress who lingered in one of the rooms. "You should know about her," he said. "She's a relative of yours from 1750. Her child died aged five, and when you moved to the castle at the same age she mistook you for her long-lost infant."

He went on: "Three times in your life you've nearly died and all three times she's been at your side. She's your guardian angel and will look after you and your family for ever."

The Lady Laird was very nearly convinced, though she says, "I did wonder if he went round every castle saying that."

The lady in pink is just one of many ghosts to call Ballindalloch Castle home. If you want to know more about these spooky residents, including General James Grant, who roams the halls offering guests a dram, or the unnamed lady who wanders down the drive to post a letter to her love at midnight, pick up a copy of Stately Spirits. It's part of a series of books on buildings that belong to the Historic Houses Association that includes Stately Service, Stately Living and Stately Gardening.

Stately Ghosts gives a sensible historic overview, and then indulges in a tongue-in-cheek dose of anecdotes covering myths, legends and goosebump-inducing events.

Star buildings include Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire and Powderham Castle in Devon. North of the Border the in-house spooks at Ballindalloch Castle in Moray, Glamis Castle in Angus and Traquair House in Peebleshire, are revealed. All the buildings are pictured beautifully.

Macpherson-Grant Russell says: "When we opened to the public for the first time, about 15 years ago we had coach loads of people visiting to search for ghosts, just because we had one of the few castles they hadn't searched yet."

Another ghostly site, the medieval Glamis Castle in Angus, boasts its own creepy tale from the crypt. One past resident, Lady Janet Douglas, was burnt as a witch on Edinburgh's Castle Hill - a political move by King James V - and the book explains the story in detail. It also covers the reports from visitors who have sensed her ghostly form in the castle's chapel, kneeling before the altar and sitting quietly in the back row.

"The story of Janet Douglas is absolutely true and many visitors claim to sense a presence of some sort when they enter the room - even if they haven't already heard the story," says Gill Crawford, the business manager at Glamis.

"Our guides are often very surprised at the sensory perception of some visitors and this does add to the intrigue."

Macpherson-Grant Russell says, "Some people do seem to have these extraordinary talents. And, the thing is, people always report the same happenings and describe the same three ghosts, which is rather convincing."

The book does a good job of persuading us that ghosts exist, but, most of all it makes you rather happy that you're living in a suburban new-build, rather than some musty old castle, crowded with spooks.

However, since Wednesday is Halloween, Stately Ghosts will point you in the right direction for your annual shiver quota. Thankfully, for those of a nervous and suggestible disposition, even some of the owners take the stories with a pinch of salt. Of the ghostly woman that wanders up and down Ballindalloch's drive at midnight, the Lady Laird says: "When they were building the new castle bridge, quite a few of the builders saw this ghost. I'm not certain about those sightings, because there was a pub just opposite the bridge - maybe they were just rather merry." sm

Stately Ghosts is published by VisitBritain Publishing, priced £9.99.