A Night Among Edinburgh's Spirits

Like many other millennials, I LOVEEE Harry Potter movies. I have never read the books though (please Potterheads, don't come for me!) but I have always been curious about the birthplace of this very famous book series - Edinburgh. It was in the cozy corners of this city’s cafés, particularly The Elephant House, where J.K. Rowling began writing the first book that would ignite a global phenomenon. The tombstones at Greyfriars Kirkyard lent their names to some of her unforgettable figures, embedding Edinburgh's influence deep into the heart of the series - and this same graveyard has left its spooky mark in me and babe, let me tell you why.

The Lonely Tree Near St Giles' Cathedral

Picture this: a biting February wind cutting through the ancient stone alleyways of Edinburgh, the city’s dark silhouette sharp against the night sky. Heavily bundled up in our winter jackets and caps (these details will come into play later), my sister and I sat near the lonely tree just next to St Giles' Cathedral, ready for the City of the Dead Tour—an experience that promised not just ghost stories but a deep dive into the city's shadowy history. What better way to spend our very first evening in Edinburgh, am I right?

A lonely tree near St Giles Cathedral

It was around 8.15pm when our guide appeared, wearing a black cape and black lantern in hand, he even made an extra effort with some dark smokey eye makeup too - gotta love the dedication! Once the clock struck 8.30pm, the ghost tour began with the tour guide telling us a gripping tale of the persecution of witches and execution was seen as purification. Each story grew richer as we walked through the city making our way to the main destination for the night, painting Edinburgh not just as a city but as a character steeped in centuries of terror and mystery.

Murder for Medicine: Burke and Hare

As we approached Greyfriars Kirkyard - the highlight of the evening, we learned about the stories of Burke and Hare and their connection to an infamous Dr Knox, where the former pair preyed on the freshly buried, and the lengths townspeople would go to protect their loved ones from a fate that would deny them eternal rest.

The guide brought us back to the 18th century where the city of Edinburgh was growing as a hub for medical research and education. In the pursuit for medical knowledge, the need for bodies to dissect in medical schools exceeded the legal supply from executed criminals, leading to a grisly trade in grave robbing. And boy, Burke and Hare really got into work immediately. Knowing how valuable a human remain is to Dr Knox, these pair took into their own hands to make more money in shorter time. One would think, what a way to scale your business -- but murdering people and selling their corpses afterwards to achieve that? Yikes.

Mackenzie Maybe?

Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery

Once we entered Greyfriars Kirkyard, the tour guide put down his lantern on top of one of the tombstones in the middle of the cemetery. Under the shroud of night, with the tombstones casting long, eerie shadows, our guide spoke of poets, writers, and artists who had drawn inspiration here. The cemetery had seen countless souls pass through its gates—not just those buried, but those who sought creativity among the dead. It's not called world's first city of literature for nothing for sure!

The tour guide continued his history lesson with the infamous tale of the poltergeist Mackenzie at Greyfriars Kirkyard. Known as the Mackenzie Poltergeist, this spirit is said to be the most active and malevolent in all of Scotland. The story goes back to Sir George Mackenzie, a 17th-century lawyer responsible for the brutal persecution of the Covenanters. Our guide painted a vivid picture of how Mackenzie’s dark deeds echoed through history, believed to have cursed his final resting place in Greyfriars.

As we stood among the graves, the guide described the numerous eerie encounters reported by visitors—unexplained bruises, sudden fainting, and even scratches appearing as if from nowhere. Just as I was immersed in the guide’s tale, something happened that made the hairs on my neck stand up just from recounting this. Remember I said my sister and I were both heavily covered in our winter clothing from head to toe? Out of nowhere, a sensation swept across the right side of my head—a cold, gliding touch, as if fingers had brushed by. I froze. Not from the frosty winter night air but I was sure it was a hand touching my head. It couldn’t have been my sister; her hands were deep in her jacket pockets, just like mine. No branches above, no one close enough to reach me, nothing. The winter cap I wore fit snugly, leaving no room for the wind to play tricks. And yet, there it was—a touch that defied explanation.

In my attempt to not spook my sister (yet), I kept the scary moment to myself until the tour ended. We walked out of the cemetery and making our way back to our hotel and only after I thought we were far away enough from it, I told my sister what just happened back there. I'm not usually a scaredy cat, but that was probably something that I could not explain.

Greyfriar Kirkyard at night

This wasn’t just a ghost tour—it was a living history lesson, full of ghostly and macabre details. I highly recommend going to one of these ghost tours if you're limited in time to explore the rich history of this medieval city. If you're interested, you can check out City of the Dead Tours website for more details!