My friend had invited me over to Edinburgh with her for the weekend to catch up with some of her pals and to do a bit of ghost spotting. How could I refuse?
During the car journey over to the city we talked about spirits and legends and paranormal experiences.

We went out for a meal once we arrived with a view to getting a few drinks in before we descended into one of the tours of the city vaults. We were recommended to have a drink in the most haunted pub in Edinburgh- Nicol Edwards, which has a padlocked door in the room that leads directly into the vaults. This is considered to act as a sort of gateway for paranormal activity with reports and sightings of spirits usually found in the depths below.

Suitably decorated the pub has a basement area lit quite theatrically with eerie pictures upon the walls. The staff are very friendly but you can’t shake the cold even if you are sitting in the “snug” or in my case standing directly in front of a portable heater.

At this point a once cheery Connie decided that she wasn’t up to the ghost tour. In fact she wasn’t happy to stay in the pub any longer and we left to find a “safer” watering hole.
It wasn’t until we agreed upon a bright, noisy karaoke style bar did she seem settled. So off I went to get my ticket for the tour- the last of the evening and one children are not permitted to enter.

The tour group was fair in size with two guides- one to lead and the other to bring up the rear. We wandered through some of the old closes stopping to hear tales of murder and tragedy all delivered by a most enthusiastic historian. I was lucky to be part of an interested group so at some points his dramatic pauses were met with anticipated silence- most of us visibly jumping when he launched into the voice of a character.
After a walk around the streets we descended into the vaults. This was where I was sure to get freaked out being somewhat claustrophobic and a slight panic merchant, however I was surprised at how big and cavernous they were. We moved from room to room aided by a candle and the numerous flashes of tourist’s cameras. It felt like a lesson in history more than anything else but still remained highly entertaining.

Once we were back on street level we were led to the final part of the tour; the Canongate Cemetery. We took the short walk down the Royal Mile past the Tolbooth area, it was a pleasant night but a wind began to pick up as we made our way across the cemetery.

We were told the grisly tale of some of the residents buried beneath our feet and a particularly horrible tale of cannibalism. At this point it began to rain I was to the back of the group with a couple who had a large golf umbrella, which shortly towards the end of the story took off blowing down the cemetery hill. I watched it glide away wondering why no-one was chasing it when I was alerted to the man shouting for help as his girlfriend slowly passed out onto the ground. The guides were quick to call out for an ambulance which only served to throw our group into mild panic as most made attempts to leave the cemetery. The guides assured us if we wanted to stay a while they would finish their story but everyone was free to leave. I decided that this was a good point to get my camera out and see if I could spot something unusual but as I looked down my fully charged camera cut out of power.
That’s when I made a calm yet slight jog of an exit from the cemetery, while the paramedics made their way past through the gates.

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