The tragedy appears to have left an indelible stain on the psychic fabric of Leith Hall and his ghost has been both sensed and seen at several locations. Those who have seen the Monster close-up say that it is either "slug" or "eel" like with a head resembling that of a sheep or seal. Its length has been estimated at anywhere between 25 and 75 feet, and its skin texture is "warty" and "slimy." Even today a journey through these murky chasms is not for the faint of heart, and the tales of ghosts and sinister happenings, of which there are plenty, can elicit cold shivers, even on the brightest summers day.

So perhaps it should be no surprise that Cawdor Castle has a long history of paranormal occurrences. In 1968, guests who were sleeping in the master bedroom reported that they found its atmosphere somewhat unsettling. There discomfort was not helped by the fact that in the early hours of one morning, the wife awoke to find a man in highland dress, his head swathed in bloody bandages, standing at the foot of the bed. She later commented that he bore an uncanny resemblance to the portrait of John Leith that hangs elsewhere in the house. But perhaps the most poignant of its earth bound spirits is that of a little girl, whose lank hair hangs over a pale face that is covered in weeping sores. She was discovered by a Japanese medium, brought here by a television company and who was told nothing of the Close’s history prior to her visit. Numerous scientific expeditions have failed to provide conclusive proof, one way or the other, for its existence and the numerous photographers who come here in the hope of catching "Nessie" on film have long grown used to her annoying habit of appearing when they are sans camera. It could also be one of the great eels that are known to grow exceptionally large in Loch Ness.When the woman learned of her lover’s death, she was so distraught that she threw herself into the River Tweed, where she subsequently drowned. An Australian visitor saw her in the dressing room, off the Gordon Bedroom –where castle guides often complain of feeling that they are being watched - in July 2002.

Its soaring baronial walls are crowned by five majestic towers; each, so tradition claims, a monument to the five families – Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon and Leith – who, over the centuries, helped create this spellbinding stronghold of rambling corridors and splendid rooms. The Great Hall, which is the only room never to have been remodelled, still retains many of its original fixtures, and is imbued with a uniquely historic atmosphere chilling yet tranquil. It is a candlelit place of dancing shadows, where reports of indistinct shapes seen flitting around its darker recesses, or the oft heard sound of disembodied voices engaged in indecipherable conversation, are sufficient to send uncanny shivers down the spine.

SCOTTISH CASTLE GHOSTS

Upon their return the following day, they found the room in a state of disrepair and some reported seeing a “shadow man” in the mirror which hung in the room. Its is within and around the unyielding bulk of David’s Tower (named for Bishop David Stewart who began its construction in the 15th century) that much of Spynie Palace’s paranormal activity is centred. Neglected by her husband, Dame Lilias retired to their house in Fife where she became ill and died on 8th May 1601. She was barely cold in her grave before Alexander Seton had married Grizel and brought her to live at Fyvie Castle.