Five terrifying ghost tours in Scotland

The City of the Dead ghost tour which takes in the Black Mausoleum at historic Greyfriars Kirkyard has gained notoriety as one of the most genuinely terrifying.

The Mausoleum is the grave of Sir George Mackenzie, a former Lord Advocate whose persecution of the Covenanters in the 17th century earned him the nickname Bluidy Mackenzie. In 1998, something happened which is said to have disturbed Mackenzie from his eternal slumber and unleashed him on the unwary souls who venture into the Kirkyard.

There have been more than 500 recorded incidents of the poltergeist attacking people since it was disturbed, while others have blamed it for suspicious fires in nearby buildings.

Speaking earlier this year, tour director and novelist Jan-Andrew Henderson said: “Even in daylight, nothing engenders fear the way the poltergeist does. It’s the best documented supernatural case of all time.

“It’s physical. I guess that’s what makes it different from all the other hauntings you hear about. It’s an actual physical thing – you never see it, you feel it. We stopped recording the number of attacks. There’s just too many.”

Those with a penchant for gore may be interested in touring the sites of some of the Granite City's most gruesome murders.
Blood & Granite I: the Murder History Tour explores the city's dark criminal past.
At the Gallows Hill you can hear of the horrors of late medieval punishment in Aberdeen, stories of city's last (and worst) Hangman are aplenty and you can also learn about Catherine Humphrey, once dubbed "the poisoner of Albion Street".
The tours, not suitable for under 12s, lasts around two hours.

If you can't pick just one location for ghost spotting, The National Trust for Scotland has created a tour of spooky sightings at historic castles and buildings across the country.
Included in the tour is Fyvie Castle - home to the ghost of Lilias Drummond, ‘The Green Lady’.
Legend tells that Lilias was starved to death by her husband, Alexander Seton, for failing to provide a son and heir. On the night of his second marriage, her ghostly laments were heard outside the marital bedchamber – in the morning, and still visible today, her name was found freshly scratched into the castle walls. Listen to tales of phantom soldiers, poltergeists and the curse of the weeping stones, then visit the secret burial chamber of the Grey Lady, whose remains were discovered encased in the castle walls and whose spirit roams the passageways.
Trust marketing manager, Carly Lamberty, said: “We try to pitch a range of events at different audiences. The combination of quality events in authentic, atmospheric settings, often with real ghost stories to add to the mix, seems to be touching a nerve.”

Mercat Tours offers you a trip through the vaults of South Bridge you won’t forget.
These former dwellings are full of literally breathtaking mysteries.
During extensive scientific research within the scope of the Edinburgh Ghost Project 2001 abnormally high levels of paranormal activities were reportedly witnessed.
You will have the opportunity to use handheld electro-magnetic field recorders to explore the ghostly hotspots yourself.
The tour starts at Mercat Cross, High Street and ends at Interpretation Room, Blair Street.

This one hour walking tour, from Dark Dundee, starts off at the haunted Howff graveyard.
From here you can journey into the world of the dead and the dying.
Disease, death, execution, Vikings and body-snatching are all on the menu.
The tour ends the City Square, where organisers promise "you’ll never believe what’s been right in front of you, and underneath you, the whole time."