Haunted Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh is like a paradise for writers and horror lovers. It’s like ghosts vacation there. Many famous writers made this city their home. Edinburgh has a hidden underworld where the castle is strongly connected- a series of secret tunnels leading from Edinburgh Castle down the Royal Mile.

When the tunnels were first discovered several hundred years ago, a piper was sent to explore. As he navigated the tunnels, he played his bagpipes so that his progress could be tracked by those above. About half way down the Royal Mile, the piping suddenly stopped. When a rescue party was sent, there was no trace of the piper. He had simply vanished. Several search parties went into the tunnel system but no trace of the piper was ever found.

The piper’s ghost still haunts Edinburgh today, walking endlessly along the underground tunnel beneath the Royal Mile. His music can sometimes be heard from within the castle and on the streets above the tunnel.

When I visited Edinburgh a couple of years ago, some friends and I heard about a cemetery haunted by a dog. It was almost Halloween so we decided, in typical horror movie style, to visit the cemetery at night. It was lit by the street lights. The farther we got from the street, the darker the cemetery got until…we couldn’t see a thing. This was one of those, it was so dark we couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces. We got so lost. The only “light” we had was the one from Edinburgh Castle. It wasn’t bright enough and it was in the wrong direction. We eventually found our way out.  Didn’t see any ghosts. Got a good story out of it anyway. 

Edinburgh Castle is like a ghost city. I wasn’t able to visit it, but I plan on going back to Edinburgh someday. Reincarnated as a tourist attraction, Edinburgh Castle now offers haunted tours of its dungeons, which once hosted the likes of Duke Alexander Stewart of Albany (who escaped, stabbing his guards to death and then burning their bodies), Lady Janet Douglas of Glamis (accused of witchcraft and was burned at the stake while her young son watched).

A headless drummer has been seen and heard in the castle halls beginning around 1650. A ghost dog has even been seen prancing through the graveyard.

In 2001, an English doctor enlisted roughly 240 volunteers to spend 10 days in and around the castle. The volunteers were all screened to insure that none of them knew anything about the castle. They explored the castle’s chambers and secret passages for signs of ghostly happening. Many of the volunteers’ experienced burning sensations and phantom gropes. They witnessed shadowy figures and a specter in a leather apron seen in the same spot he was seen by unrelated individuals before the study. 

There have been hundreds of claims by visitors and staff members including apparitions, being touched and pulled, the feeling of being watched, shadowy figures, mists, green lights, sudden temperature drops, and people suddenly becoming over-run by emotions.

The most common experience is the sighting of apparitions. These have been seen by many people on several occasions who all share the exact same experiences.

Haunted Room: Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh
Ghost-Story: Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland