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Free booking and cancellationFree payment tour, no set price, booking and cancellation are free
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Accepts electronic paymentThis tour allows payment by electronic means or credit card
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A bit of history, a bit of trivia and a wee dash of stand-up. Born and bred in Edinburgh, I worked as a staff reporter, feature writer and cinema editor on The Scotsman for 17 years and subsequently wrote regularly for the Guardian and London Times. I have written and edited several books, including The Times on Cinema and On Location - The Film Fan's Guide to Britain and Ireland.
Do you believe in ghosts? Some do, some don't.
Do you believe in witches and witchcraft? Maybe yes, maybe no.
But it is a fact that thousands of people were executed for witchcraft in Scotland, the vast majority of them women.
We are going to walk back in history to a time when everyone believed in ghosts and witches and believed in the Devil as a physical entity.
We will visit former workplace and I will tell you about the resident ghost and the spirits that can be found in the basement.
We will visit Edinburgh's creepy old prison and the neighbouring burial grounds, where you will hear about grave robbers and vampirism.
We will look out over the city at night and hear of a couple in league with the Devil.
And you will hear how a visit to an Edinburgh cemetery inspired what is perhaps the most famous ghost story of all.
We will finish at Holyrood Palace and the new Scottish Parliament building, with a tale of dark deeds involving cannibalism, a ghost, politicians and even one of my own ancestors.
Maybe.
Meet at the Mercat Cross monument, between St Giles Cathedral and Caffe Nero. It is directly opposite the City Chambers and has a unicorn on top. I will have a large umbrella.
Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).
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