The walk meets at the Mercat Cross on the High Street on the Royal Mile. There is a huge billboard there -- you will spot it easily enough. I went on the walk departing at 8.30pm. A costumed guide lead the walk. There was a large group of around 30 people, mostly couples.
On the way to the vaults, the guide stopped the group and told stories of the darker side of old Edinburgh. We stopped in closes to find out more about life in them in the earlier days and about more that happened.
That was just a warm up. The real fun started when we reached the South Bridge vaults. These were built in when the South Bridge was built. The bridge is packed with buildings on each side, so it is actually hard to tell that there is a bridge there. They were used as workshops and storage vaults. The guide pointed out that regardless of the weather outside, the temparature is always constant and the air is always still. On reflection, she was right -- it was cool in the vaults, colder outside. Just the right temparature for storing bodies, she pointed out. She took us into the haunted chamber. The chamber is haunted by a ghost known as Mr. Boots, well known for being territorial in his time both before AND after death. She told us of a time when she was leading a tour group around and Mr. Boots ordered a tourist out. On the night I was there, Mr. Boots must have been haunting another vault, as nothing happened to anoyone in the group, to both my disappointment and relief.
We went into another vault, where it was said to be hanuted by a friendly ghost of a Cobbler. A friendly ghost makes a refreshing change in Edinburgh's haunted tales. However, the cobbler must have been off duty as he didn't put in an appearance. The chamber is also haunted by a women who attacks female tourists only, who never recovered from being betrayed by her lover. On this night the female tourists remained unattacked.
As we prepared to leave, the group heard a scraping sound from further down the passageway, followed by a deep moaning noise. I giggled, thinking it was a plot to scare us.
After the walk, we went to a pub on the Royal Mile, where you could have a dram of whisky, a glass of white wine or lemonade or Cola. The guide told us more stories. She insisted that there was no one following behind up in the vaults, so I am not sure what it was we heard after all. It was actually a lovely relaxing evening. I would recommend this to gain a sense of Edinburgh's folklore, which to me is a real part of the city and its culture.