Haunted graveyards in Edinburgh are pretty common, haunted streets, now that caught my eye. Mary Kings Close a popular tourist attraction tour on Edinburgh Royal Mile is said to be haunted by children trapped during the Plague and as I will reveal, many people have experienced strange encounters.
Not brave enough to go alone, I enlisted the help of my practical, no nonsense friend, Lynn for our tour. Mary’s Kings Close is very easy to reach at the top of the Royal Mile, across from the magnificent St Giles Cathedral. Starting with a confidence boosting G&T in the famous pub Deacon Brodie, we were all set.
Our tour started at 7pm where we were introduced to our very theatrical guide in full Victorian costume. We started downstairs and I immediately felt very cold in the far corner of the first room we entered. I insisted to my friend , we move back towards the door. There was definitely something cold and unworldly in that room. It had begun…
The tour consists of walking through underground caves or small rooms, similar to wine cellars, some rooms have interactive ghosts on canvas which are rather cool and others have room stages. ‘Plague victims’ etc.
The history is fascinating and it is a bit scary, especially when all the lights go out for the storytelling part. My companion screamed at the end which surprised most of the people on the tour and I am not really sure why that happened, to this day.
There is one very interesting room which has a collection of toys left by tourists, I won’t spoil the story for you but it does involve a ghostly encounter with a small child by a Japanese psychic. Many other people have felt their hands being touched or clothes being tugged….I fortunately did not experience any of this but I was glad our tour was nearing the end.
Our guide was very entertaining with clever acting and theatrical quotes.
The highlight of course, is the actual Mary Kings Street which is incredibly steep and completely unique to anything I have seen before. A real piece of history preserved.
As it is so steep being in the bowels of a medieval building there is no wheelchair access. I, myself was struggling with the hill gradient, so be warned. Lots of steps and darkened rooms. It really is a fascinating place and the stories will send a chill up your spine. We both totally loved the tour.
Tours
These should be booked online before you arrive to guarantee a place. The tour lasts one hour. There is a cafe on site. Mary Kings Close has longer hours in the summer but as this is Dec, the hours are 10 – 5 Sunday to Thursday and 10-9pm, Friday and Saturday. Adult £14.95 discount for students and OAP.
If you love haunted places, Stirling castle is a must top tourist attraction in Scotland. Here is a quick 3 min video I made while looking for the ghostly Kilted Highlander. https://youtu.be/3aBeYhAHyc0
Contact: realmarykingsclose.com or 0131 2250672. Information correct at time of print.
For other amazing things to see and do in Edinburgh click, https://youtu.be/kY9Oe9Oefws, here for my 3 min travel
Edinburghcitymom.com 