The Edinburgh Vaults

On the second day of my visit to Edinburgh I decided to do something new. I have heard about South Bridge Vaults from quite a few people and all of them said it's an absolute must. It became one of those places that I knew I will have to see sooner or later. My sister and brother in law with whom I was staying decided to join me. We booked a ghost walk with Mercat Tours.

I am interested in the occult and paranormal so hearing about ghost sightings seemed like a fun thing to do. After some introduction and brief tour of the closes and buildings we dived into the darkness of the underground city.

First thing you notice when descending down below is a musty smell characteristic of the cellars and basements. Our tour guide Fred explained a lot about the history and use of the place in addition to the ghost tales. She weaved the sightings of phantoms into a story of the culture and inhabitants of the place which made it interesting and fun.

I didn't experience anything unusual when strolling through the vaults. Perhaps ghosts were tired of entertaining or spooking visitors that day. Perhaps they could tell I am not scared and ignored me. I would love to have an opportunity to go there by myself sometime. Being alone in there would have been something for sure and just maybe the ghosts would invite me for a bottle of claret to tell me about crimes and debaucheries of the past. I like to think that they would.

Ghosts or no ghosts, being down there in darkness and candle light felt like a travel through time. We were shown different signs of human inhabitants who worked, lived and hidden in those vaults despite absolutely horrid living conditions. We were told stories of crime, of love and everyday living in the days gone past. It was a poignant reminder of the colourful and often dark Scottish history.