Edinburgh’s Most Haunted

Edinburgh’s Most Haunted

Edinburgh’s gruesome past has earned the city the title of one of the most haunted places in the UK. The ancient architecture and narrow cobbled streets provide the perfect backdrop to plenty of spooky tales and peculiar goings-on. To get you in the spirit for Halloween and celebrate the most spooktacular season of the year, our boutique hotel in Edinburgh thought we’d share some of Edinburgh’s most haunted places for those who are brave enough to read on…

Niddry Street Vaults

You’ve probably heard of the notorious Burke and Hare, Edinburgh’s body snatchers and serial killers, well the Niddry Street Vaults are reportedly where they killed and then stored most of their victim’s bodies. The amount of paranormal activity here is so great that it is Edinburgh’s most popular ghost attraction, seeing ghost tours visit and even TV show Most Haunted hosted a live investigation here in 2006. Although the Burke and Hare claims have never been officially proved, the amount of hauntings reported here suggest that a great deal of evil once occurred beneath Edinburgh.

The Banshee Labyrinth

The Banshee Labyrinth claims to be the most haunted pub in Scotland because it is reportedly, and coincidentally, home to a Banshee. A Banshee is ‘female spirit in Irish mythology who heralds the death of a family member, usually by shrieking.’  The story goes that a group of workmen in the pub once heard horrific shrieking, and hours later one of the men received news of a family member’s passing. There is also said to be incidents of drinks flying off tables and smashing into walls…

Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard, first designated as a graveyard in 1562 by Mary Queen of Scots, is the final resting place of many notable Edinburgh residents including poets, historians, architects and inventors ( and not forgetting the famous Greyfriars Bobby). You may expect most graveyards to be haunted by the ghosts of those who’ve passed, but in recent years it’s been claimed to be terrorised by a poltergeist. Many visitors have reportedly left with cuts and bruises. This allegedly started in the late 1990s when a homeless man broke into the tomb of Sir George Mackenzie, otherwise known as “Bluidy Mackenzie”, who executed a large number of Covenanters and is now thought to be out for revenge.

Edinburgh Castle

It couldn’t be a spooky list without a haunted castle, so unsurprisingly Edinburgh Castle has received many reports of ghostly occurrences thanks to its 2000-year history of bloody sieges and battles.

Hotel Indigo Edinburgh on York Place, is a 60-guest room luxury boutique hotel in Edinburgh city centre, ideally located near to many top attractions. To check availability, contact the Edinburgh hotel team on reservations@hiedinburgh.co.uk or 0131 556 5577.