Edinburgh: A Brush with Medieval Ghosts

Grey-black stone buildings, narrow shadowy alleys, a low hanging sky, and medieval relics everywhere.

When you first arrive in Edinburgh, it’s easy to feel a strange illusion: this city seems almost destined to belong to ghosts.

Among travelers, Edinburgh has long carried a legendary reputation—one of the most haunted cities in Europe.

If you enjoy medieval history, urban legends, or simply want to experience a spine-chilling atmosphere, it’s worth setting aside a day to join a Ghost Tour in this fascinating city.

A Sunny Visit to Edinburgh Castle

Visiting Edinburgh Castle in the morning turned out to be unexpectedly pleasant. The air was crisp, but the sky was clear.

Winter sunshine in Scotland is precious. When sunlight hits the castle’s stone walls, the dark grey rock takes on a surprisingly warm glow. From the ramparts, the distant harbor and rooftops of the city are clearly visible.

If you were to come here on a rainy day, the atmosphere would likely feel completely different. With sea winds howling around the fortress, the castle would appear like a massive rock suspended above the city.

At that moment, it becomes impossible to ignore the weight of its history.

Wars. Imprisonment. Executions. Religious conflict. Power struggles.

Almost every bloody chapter in Scottish history once unfolded within these walls.

And naturally, ghost stories were born here as well.

One famous legend tells of the Phantom Piper. Hundreds of years ago, people discovered a mysterious underground tunnel beneath the castle. To explore it, they sent a bagpiper inside. As he walked through the passage, he played his pipes so people above ground could track his location by sound.

At first the melody moved steadily through the tunnel. Then suddenly, it stopped.

The piper never returned.

Yet to this day, some visitors claim they occasionally hear faint bagpipe music near the castle.

Another legend is that of the Headless Drummer. After Oliver Cromwell’s siege of Edinburgh Castle in 1650, witnesses claimed to see a headless drummer beating his drum along the castle walls as a warning. Since then, the ghost is said to appear whenever the castle faces danger.

The castle’s underground dungeons are even more chilling than the ghost stories. Over the centuries, they held French soldiers, sailors from the Spanish navy, prisoners from the American War of Independence, and even women accused during the witch hunts.

Inside the vaults today, the environment has been carefully reconstructed: narrow bunk beds stacked in tight rows, simple displays of rations, and even the faint smell of damp stone lingering in the air.

Standing at the entrance to a cell, it’s easy to imagine the scene centuries ago—people locked in darkness, waiting for a fate they could not know.

Every year during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and St. Andrew’s Day celebrations, the castle hosts spectacular light shows.

The Witch Hunts of Medieval Scotland

Between the 16th and 17th centuries, around 3,000–4,000 people in Scotland were accused of witchcraft, and approximately 2,500 were executed. Edinburgh was one of the main centers for these trials.

Many of the so-called “witches” were simply widows, herbal healers, independent women, or people who had disputes with their neighbors.

Once someone fell under suspicion—or worse, accusation—the outcome was often brutally inevitable: death.

Leaving the castle and walking toward the Royal Mile, you pass the area around Castlehill. This was once an execution site. The accused were tied to wooden stakes, strangled, and then their bodies burned. People at the time believed fire could purify evil.

The Labyrinth of Closes

During my days in Edinburgh, I loved wandering through the rising and falling streets of the Old Town. The city has a uniquely fascinating urban structure known as a Close.

Simply put, a Close is a narrow alley branching off from the Royal Mile. Tall stone buildings line both sides, and sometimes only a few people can walk side by side through the passage.

These alleys also connect different elevations in the Old Town. You might step off the main street into a Close, descend a staircase, and suddenly find yourself in another layer of the city—almost like navigating a three-dimensional maze.

Walking through a Close at night can create a subtle sense of tension. Streetlights are dim, and occasionally a person begging on the street may suddenly reach out from the shadows.

After the 14th century, the Black Death repeatedly swept through Europe. When outbreaks became severe, Edinburgh adopted an extreme form of quarantine: infected residents were forced into Closes, and the entrances were sealed, leaving them trapped inside.

Over time, countless ghost stories emerged from these alleyways: footsteps echoing in the middle of the night, faint crying voices, shadows moving along the walls.

Many Ghost Tours take visitors into these narrow passages while recounting stories from the plague years.

The most famous site is Mary King’s Close. Legend says that a young girl named Annie died here during the plague. Later, a psychic claimed to have encountered her spirit. Over the years, visitors developed an unspoken tradition of leaving small toys in her room as gifts.

The Most Terrifying Ghost of Greyfriars Kirkyard

Near the National Museum of Scotland stands a warm and touching statue: Greyfriars Bobby, a loyal dog who guarded his master’s grave for fourteen years.

But beside this heartwarming story lies one of Edinburgh’s most famous haunted cemeteries—Greyfriars Kirkyard.

Buried here is a notorious historical figure known as Bloody Mackenzie, the Lord Advocate of Scotland in the 17th century. He played a key role in suppressing religious dissent, leading to the deaths of many innocent people.

According to legend, strange events often occur near his tomb. Visitors report unexplained scratches appearing on their bodies. Some suddenly faint. Others claim they feel pushed by an unseen force.

For fans of the Harry Potter series, Greyfriars Kirkyard is also something of a pilgrimage site. In the cemetery you can find gravestones bearing the names Tom Riddle (the real name of Voldemort) and even names matching those of Harry Potter’s parents.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence—J.K. Rowling used to walk through this cemetery frequently, and it may have inspired some of the names in her stories.

Don’t Miss the Ghost Bus on a Rainy Night

If you walk south from the Old Town toward the University of Edinburgh, you may notice a black double-decker bus parked along the street.

It looks remarkably similar to the chaotic Knight Bus from Harry Potter. In fact, it’s the city’s famous Ghost Bus Tour vehicle.

At night, the bus carries visitors through Edinburgh’s most haunted locations.

Inside, the bus feels like a traveling theater: dim lighting, smoke effects, eerie soundtracks, and a highly theatrical guide who performs as a spooky character while narrating the city’s strangest legends.

If you happen to take the tour on a rainy evening, the atmosphere becomes even more dramatic. The bus may stop at a viewpoint overlooking the castle, where its walls glow faintly in the distance.

At that moment, the guide might suddenly lower their voice and ask:

“Did anyone see the shadow on the castle walls?”

​The tricks may seem a bit childish to kids—but for adults, the experience feels like a long-forgotten ritual of fun. For once, you can laugh and scream like a child again.