For whatever reason, Edinburgh's ghosts linger in memory as if luring me back to the very city they haunt.
Mostly, I expect, it's because of an unforgettable walk we took one night when last there. The Witchery Murder and Mystery tour begins high above the splendour of the beautiful Royal Mile amid a cluster of narrow lanes and alleyways on Castle Hill, not far from Edinburgh Castle.
First, Barbara and I had a great dinner at a renowned restaurant -- The Witchery -- a splendid five-star place. Once that pleasure was over and night fell, the walk began virtually outside the restaurant door. Tours depart almost every night from the same starting point, and take an hour to wind through the old, once seamy streets of Edinburgh.
It's a well run walk, led by a highly competent, if slightly unusual guide. Adam Lyal is not just eccentric, he's downright odd. In fact, Lyal is a ghost.
This is immediately obvious not only because of his appearance -- stark white face and head, high-collared black cloak -- but also a fact of history. You see, Lyal was hanged on March 27, 1811, for various misdemeanours committed during his career as a highwayman. He had probably robbed and done in many people before the night the hangman sprung the trap door for him.
Despite his long-ago demise, Lyal speaks in clear, plaintive manner, almost as if he were a victim. This might be somewhat understandable given Edinburgh's history, which Lyal reveals to be rather sinister.
Along the way, some other victims of history -- or their ghosts -- suddenly appear from the shadows to tell their shocking tales.
Take, for example, Agnes Fynnie, poor woman. She'll meet you at Fishers Close, a place as gloomy as her life. Fynnie lived there in the 1600s. She was poor and looks it. Her face -- whiter than white -- is adorned by a sad "chin cloth," something she wore to protect herself from whatever might befoul the air.
But Fynnie's worst problem was this: She was said to have turned someone mad and blinded another man through sorcery. That was enough for her to be labelled a witch. In 1645, they burnt her at the stake.
Like I said, Edinburgh had a dark side, so prepare yourself.
At The Cowgate -- the gloomiest of all places -- you may encounter the Mad Monk. While he wears the monkish brown habit of piety, I wonder how much -- if any -- charity is behind his hard face. As you listen to his story remember he isn't a victim, more likely a highwayman.
Whether or not you believe in ghosts, the fact is simply this: Behind the visage of all the Witchery spirits is history -- real history. And that's the lasting value of Edinburgh's now famous Witchery tour.
Spirited accommodations
Recently I told an Edinburgh man about where we stayed on our last visit -- The Royal Terrace, a fine hotel above the famous Royal Mile -- and was startled when he remarked that not one but two ghosts may inhabit the place. For information on places to stay in Edinburgh, visit edinburgh.org/accom.
More information
Four tour information, contact witcherytours.com. For information on travel in Scotland, go to the Visit Britain website atvisitbritain.com. We travelled to Edinburgh and elsewhere in Scotland and England on a BritRail Pass. See ACPRail.com.
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