Gallows to Graveyard Tour of Old Edinburgh

Book Tour Request a Quote

Planned Start Date

Duration

Start Location

Start Time

End Location

End Time

Number of People

Traveller Names

Meal Requirements

Your Email

I agree to the Go Scotland Tours terms & conditions

Go Back Next

Additional Comments

Go Back Book Tour Request Quote

Thank you for requesting a quote. We will be in touch shortly.

Tour added to bag. Click here to view bag.

Please select a size from above to proceed.

Tour ID:

1199
Tour theme:

Ghost Tours,
Duration:

1/2 Day - 1 hour 30min
Starts from:

Edinburgh

Need Help?

Need a private tour?

Tour Description

Few places have mixed horror and entertainment as effectively as the gallows. On this private tour you'll hear tales of all who met their end with a noose around their neck - and one who sprang back to life.

Stand in the spot where the gallows once stood, a stage in the midst of a baying crowd. Imagine the rope slipped over a bagged head, cinched tight. The air falls quiet. A lever creaks, the trapdoor clatters, the rope snaps taut, the body swings.

Follow the bodies from gallows to graveyard

This private tour transports you to the gruesome spectacle of Edinburgh's many hangings. Hear of vagabonds, murderers, and witches - of Maggie Dixon coming back to life, and Deacon Brodie trying to cheat death. Your expert storyteller will fire your imagination, and you'll follow the route the bodies took from gallows to the crowded Canongate kirkyard.

You'll meet a costumed character - it could be a body snatcher, or a gossipy woman - on your way through the closes and wynds to the graveyard. They'll point you to the grave of David Rizzio, alleged lover of Mary Queen of Scots. And to the unmarked patches of earth - places where murderous spirits used to lie - before they were dug up, their restless souls set loose on the city.

BOOK THIS TOUR IF YOU'D LIKE TO...
- Delve into the gore of Edinburgh's worst punishments
- Explore the historic Canongate graveyard and its secrets
- Hear of crime, punishment and bloody history of the Old Town

Gallows to Graveyard

Prices & Dates

This is a private tour and prices and details are available upon request.

What's Included

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Start: Mercat Cross, High Street

Finish: Canongate Graveyard

Departure & Map

Leaving From Edinburgh

Mercat Cross, High Street

Open in Google Maps

Terms & Conditions

Terms and Conditions

We are confident you will be delighted with your tour. However, there are some terms which we’d like to draw to your attention...

1. What You Can Expect of Us

A warm welcome from our staff
A guide dressed smartly and appropriate to your type of tour
Staff whose Mercat Tours name badges are clearly visible
A tour which starts promptly and lasts the time advertised
A tour which takes you to a variety of locations in and around the High Street
Stories which are based on the authentic history of Edinburgh
Stories which are told, as far as possible, in the locations where they occurred
Stories which are told in an engaging and entertaining way
A guide who makes an effort to involve the group actively
A guide who answers your questions or who directs you to where you can find answers to your questions
A guide who is attentive of your health and safety
A guide who is unwilling to accept behaviour from any individual that disrupts and spoils the experience of the many
A company which refuses admission to anyone deemed under the influence of alcohol or drugs

2. What We Expect of You

That you turn up at the Mercat Cross fifteen minutes before the start of the tour
That you enter into the spirit of the tour, listening and responding to the stories the guide tells you
That you reserve questions for the end of stories
That you are mindful of the health and safety warnings issued by your guide
That you do not behave in any way that disrupts the tour and impairs the enjoyment of others

3. Your Tickets

Your ticket is valid only for the tour on which you have booked. It is not transferable. If you miss your tour we will attempt to place you on a later one but customers who have pre-paid for those tours have priority.
Your ticket is non-refundable. Monies are only re-imbursed when a tour is cancelled by Mercat Tours.

4. Payment

All pricing is in pounds sterling (GBP). If you have paid from overseas your payment card is charged in pounds sterling at your card issuing bank’s current exchange rate to your local currency. Our tickets include UK Value Added Tax.
Your personal details and payment card information are held securely and encrypted by our payment card service provider.

Operated by: Mercat Tours