2025: Our Top 10 Adventures

 

As we enter the new year, it is only fair we round up our favourite adventures of 2025.

As there are 2 of us, we've obviously both got differing opinions, so you've got two sets of top 10 for the price of one! We'll start with Jamie's as he was the primary driver for 75% of these adventures and as the blog writer Lauren thinks its fair.

1. Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey never ceases to amaze me. The way the architecture stands out with gradients of colour from the life its lived just astounds me. So far, no other site has compared to it. 

2. Byland Abbey 

This one is important to me as it was our last site from our original Yorkshire adventure, but also the point that Lauren turned to me in the car and said we should write about history properly. As in make a real go of it, we'd kicked about the idea at Hailes Abbey when we decided we wanted to see more of these sites, but we were never serious about becoming historical bloggers until here. We started Phantom Adventures to just have a record of our dates and where we went, but this amazing site kickstarted something else within us and twisted our trajectory. I'm grateful to this site and also I'm a ghost hunter, so I loved our first 'proper' sighting. 

3. Witley Court

If the other two weren't already in the top spots purely for sentimental value or the wow factor, this site would be top dog for me. Not only is it remarkable to look at, but it has all the things I find interesting. This place is massive, it's got a creepy basement space, a huge garden, acres of land to explore and we didn't even see it all. I can't figure out why that place wasn't heaving when we visited as I feel like it should have been and to think we might have missed this site were it not for a last minute Google maps and the help of Ren's family members. Also it kinda resembles Naboo and I'm a massive Star Wars fan. 

4. Corfe castle

This site got me as from the moment we got off the train it was like we were already at the castle. From the station it felt like there was a direct path through the village right up the hill to the ruins. Everything felt dated and as though it led right up to that moment and location. It just felt like it was written and it was a perfect start to my birthday trip. 

5. Old Wardour Castle 

I found this one really intimidating. When we got to the car park we thought it looked compact but when we stood in front of it it was massive. There were so many staircases up through the building that there is no way we covered every room, and even though the bats in the grotto startled me, I wouldn't change a thing. 

6. Tintagel Castle

When I think of Cornwall, this is the adventure I think of. At first we were a bit disappointed as there wasn't much of the ruins left to see, but once we climbed up there the views were stunning and we all had a great time. It just felt really detached up there and the Gallos statue felt really meaningful. This was the first place we actually sat down and took everything in, it all seemed a bit like a dream and when we got back down to town it was a case of thinking 'wow did we really do that?' 

7. Rievaulx Abbey

This adventure was a great way to kick off our original Yorkshire adventure. I didn't expect us to see something so epic right off the bat. I was fascinated with the section of the architecture that had two different masonry eras connecting. That just wowed me as the seam was perfect but you could just about tell that one part was older than the other and didn't belong. Also its a running joke in our relationship to pronounce it wrong. It having featured in a Transformers movie was also a win.

8. Moreton Corbet Castle

When we got there the first thing I noticed was how intact the window panes were. We see a lot of ruins and it's not often we see more than just brickwork. Although I am a ghost hunter, I didn't feel anything or even try to think about it for once. I took this site in fully and when the sun shone in it took the site up a notch for me. Ren and Yogi ended up going off on their own at this one as I was just taking it in piece by piece. This was the outer walls of an almost intact house but there was nothing inside those 4 walls, no rooms, no stairs just the external walls. It felt like I'd stumbled across something I was never meant to find and so I want to hold onto it more. 

9. Upnor Castle

SIR MEOW MEOW. He was the highlight to this adventure. The king of the castle, what better adventure to have than one with a cat in it ruling his very own castle? This was a mum & dad date, no baby chow. It's special to me as it was just spontaneous. And the cat, the cat is important. 

10. Reculver Towers 

I went here many, many years ago but only saw the ruins. This one is special to me as through the luck of my partner I finally managed to explore inside like I wanted to do when I was young. She made it happen. We'd never discussed it prior, just a lucky accident. I also got to do some urban exploring with the nearby shower blocks, it's something I used to do before we got together and to be able to add that to what we do now and just combine aspects of my life and share them with Lauren and Yogi made me up. 

Lauren's on the other hand differs a little bit.

1. Whitby Abbey

My favourite adventure of the year was the first trip to Whitby Abbey, although the second time was pretty good too! I have always wanted to go to this site and for it to finally happen and for my 27th birthday as well, it meant a lot to me. It's as atmospheric in real life as it is in photos. This structure inspired Dracula, and I love a good book and I enjoyed Stoker's work, so this really was a dream come true for me.

2. Byland Abbey

Another Yorkshire abbey, but this one was special to me as it was the last site of our trip before the long drive home and it was on a bit of a whim. This was our first collective ghost experience, but not only that, we had the entire site to ourselves. This was a first, and to be honest it was this site that launched the Phantom Adventures blog as you see it today. It inspired us to delve into the history of the sites we visited and the stories and folklore surrounding them. I cant begin to explain the feeling I had that day when we visited, somewhere between unease and excitement, but all I can say is I recall those memories so fondly and even though it was freezing and raining, it is still one of my favourite sites. If Whitby Abbey wasn't in the top spot, Byland would be for sure.

3. Witley Court

This one was recommended to us by a member of my family who happens to live nearby. We'd called into to visit them on our way through and as he knows we love castles he suggested we swing in if we had time. We had plenty on the last leg of our Northern UK tour and so checked it out. It was vast, regency era history and I just loved exploring the different aspects to the grounds and hall. Having the skeletal remains of such a grand house with the gardens still in tact was spooky and thrilling all at the same time. It's like a china cup, so beautiful but you're scared you'll break it. I'd love to go back, thanks Adam!

4. Kenilworth Castle

One we came across when googling sites nearby Witley Court in order to make a full days trip, Kenilworth was not a disappointment. Rich in Tudor history, this site just had so many layers and we didn't even get to investigate them all. It was so interesting to wander where Elizabeth I once roamed and to delve into her love life. This site is one to watch out for in the future. 

5. Goodrich Castle

As a long standing fan of BBC's adaptation of Merlin, this site has been on my radar forever as it's vaguely local to a friend I visit frequently in this part of the country. Once we went it was like all my stars had formed a constellation. This was the site that made me realise how much I had grown and achieved this year and that if I met child-Me I could tell her of all the places we finally went, all the bands we finally saw, and all the people we've met. This is the site which sparked how proud I am of how I've come and made me realise I'm quite lucky as I've followed a dream I never realised I had, and all my childhood wishes are coming true in a strange way. Goodrich made me trust in Fate again and I'll cherish it. Also this is Morgause's castle, what isn't there to love?

6. Farleigh Hungerford Castle 

These gruesome ruins were a complete accident, but I revel in it being our first crypt with actual coffins inside. Macabre I know, but I am a very dark soul really. I loved the layers here, from lead coffins to maidens being trapped and poisoned in the tower. Husbands being murdered and burnt in the oven to a peaceful church with loving memorials. This was just such a contrasting place which made it so interesting to me, some of the tales behind it all were fascinating. 

7. Tintern Abbey

Originally I had intended my 7th spot to be Old Wardour, but that was before we accidentally ended up in Wales to see Tintern Abbey. I have always wanted to go to Wales and we ended up here by complete accident. We'd gone to see Kingswood Abbey Gatehouse the day before and by chance got talking to the custodians who let us in to have a look around, they said to visit the 'mother abbey' at Tintern not too far away and so we decided to do just that the next day only to find we'd crossed into Wales! This was fate dipping her toe in yet again to me, Goodrich had reminded me the day before that 2025 was granting childhood wishes with my Merlin sites, but accidental Wales did it for me for sure. Tintern was majestic, it very much reminded me of my first time at Whitby Abbey. Gothic, impressive, and overall a spear to the senses. I could imagine Dragon's flying overhead, beautiful.

8. St Mary's Church, Eastwell

I really liked this site as it was the first significant site locally we'd been to that I genuinely had never heard of. Being the burial site of illegitimate royalty and a ghostly mark on the community, the surprise visit was the perfect way to round off a day of adventuring even if the vibe isnt the most welcoming. 

9. Oare Gunpowder Works

Haunted, historical, and hard on the legs, what more can I say? This site makes my top 10 as although I got assaulted by a ghost and we explored during a thunderstorm, it was still an educational and interesting visit. I had no idea there was a gunpowder works in Kent, not to mention that there was such a site, almost abandoned, for legal exploration. This is a dog walking spot and there's just history there free to explore. It was the perfect rainy day out for me and if fate didn't play a hand that day then I don't know what did!

10. Dover Marine Station

This is one of my favourites because I am a softie for old/disused train stations. All that history remaining, no longer serving a purpose. It's an echo of a past life to me, a ghost in plain sight. I think there is something about these sites that are so hauntingly beautiful and despite our visit here lasting about 40 minutes, it was special to me on a level that I cant put into words to make anyone understand. This site just ignited a love for research of the past that sometimes I forget I have. I research and write about all the sites we visit, it's me who puts in the hours for the admin, but sometimes it just takes that one site to remind you why you're doing this, and this repurposed train station with most of its history still intact was it for me.

As we go into 2026 you'll notice us having changed a little- blog wise. It's something we've found that we love doing and so we want to put a little more effort in, but we visited so many sites in 2025 that we just couldn't fit it all in. So like all great bloggers, we've put a plan in place. During this new year we'll be of course posting about our historical sites as normal, but the timeline will be all over the place with the sites from our last two holidays in 2025 still being explored as well as at least one local adventure per month to break up the posts from further afield. We'll have a few more seasonal posts and when exploring famous faces we'll attempt to introduce you to them on either their birth or death day. Excitingly we also hope to have a few more things to show you like Lauren's Literary Corner of the Internet where she gets to explore books from people we've explored and also Folklore Fridays where we delve into an interesting spark of folklore we've come across. We also hope to expand to a Youtube Channel at some point so watch out for that, as well as exploring some good old historical food at the weekends. So much in store this year for us all, Happy New Year everyone and thanks for all the support you've shown us so far. We're just two kids from Kent trying to find ourselves and you've made it so easy, so thanks and we hope you have a great year ahead!

Love From Lauren, Jamie, & Yogi Chow xx