The most haunted city in the UK

Throughout the first week or so in Edinburgh I couldn't help but notice ghost tour advert's (British abbreviation for advertisements) all over the city. Naturally, I was intrigued. Some free, others through charge, I really didn't know what to pick. Many of the charging tours were recognized by the Scottish tourist board, so despite the 10 pounds, it seemed a lot more legit.

The first one I went on was through a company called Mercat Tours. Beginning in the middle of the Royal Mile at St. Giles Cathedral and the Mercat Cross, the company holds a ton of different tours everyday including "Hidden and Haunted" "Gallows to Graveyard" "Ghostly Underground" and "Paranormal Underground". The tour that my group decided to take, according to the best reviews, was entitled "Ghosts and Ghouls." 

Beginning in the cold, dark, and deserted street at around 20.00 (figure it out, 24 hour clocks only here). The tour guide Liz dramatically told many stories of Edinburgh's "hidden" history. As written on the website: By day Edinburgh is a bustling metropolis, but at night the old buildings and narrow closes take on a more sinister air. A long history of murder, torture, hangings and plague has left a haunting legacy on the city's Old Town and ghostly apparitions now walk its streets. We walked through the streets, through many closes, and into the city's underground vaults that have supposedly "absorbed the memories of those who once lived and worked there." Although I didn't see any kind of weird activity in the vaults, the stories (and noises) were definitely pretty creepy. There was probably 25 or so total people on the tour and I wouldn't probably go down there at night with any less than that.

About a week later, a group of my friends and I went on the Mary King's Close tour. Although a little less on the spooky side, it was SUCH a better interpretation of the life in Old Town so many years ago. The actual tour was really extensive, and the tour guide both entertaining and authentic. You would think during the tour that a lot of it was recreated as some sort of Disney attraction - while yes, it is technically a recreation of the close the majority of the structure as a whole is completely original (with added support for safety reasons). Here's a little background I snagged from the Royal Mile website:

This 17th century close is one of the many underground streets that were built over during the modernisation of the old town. The lower floors acted as the foundation for The Royal Exchange, built in 1753 (now The City Chambers) and over 250 years later the floors below remain largely unchanged. The name of Mary King's Close is thought to have originated from the property owner and advocate to Mary Queen of Scots, Alexander King whose daughter was also called Mary. In 1645 life of the close was shattered forever. The plague struck this little community and there is a myth that the local council decided to contain the plague by incarcerating the victims, bricking up the close for several years and leaving them to die inside to die. It is likely that this is why the close was nicknamed 'street of sorrows.'

A definite must-see (as recommended by nearly every Scottish person I've encountered) in visiting Edinburgh