Mary King's Close - The True Crimes Tour
It’s not often I would find myself desiring an underground tour of Edinburgh on a rainy, spooky day. But I was so luckily invited by the team at Soundbite PR and Mary King’s Close to attend their newest tour ‘True Crimes’.
I want to preface this by saying I am a HUGE scaredy cat. For someone who loves Halloween it’s ironic how much I hate being scared, so it’s safe to say I was a wee bit nervous entering the underground streets of Edinburghs past. But never fear! If you’d rather eat your own hat than be exposed to jump scares, I’ve got you. Mary King’s Close is all about sticking to the true stories of Edinburghs past, heavily backed by research from the incredible team at this attraction.
The True Crimes tour is a seasonal tour for Halloween and I’d never actually been to Mary King’s Close before, so I was super excited to attend and hear all about Edinburgh’s dark past - and let me tell you, it certainly was grim! From public executions, horrendous living conditions, streets that genuinely saw no light and rooms (not houses) that held 6+ people with a single bucket - it goes without saying that I’m glad Edinburgh has sorted itself out since then.
The tour was hosted by Zelda and she did an incredible job of articulating some fascinating stories about Mary Queen of Scots, Annies Doll, the Burke and Hare Murders (this is why we never trust an Irishman 😉), the plague, grave robbing and the reason why Edinburgh was one of the leading cities when it came to understanding the human body and the progress made with medicine (surgery in particular)
I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it for you! It’s an incredible tour and the history is fascinating to immerse yourself in. Even being in the alleyways themselves and seeing how well they have been preserved is incredible - it really does take you back to the 17th century and puts you in the shoes of those in our past who lived in such horrendous conditions!
If you’re keen to book into this tour (or any of the tours on offer!) make sure you prebook to avoid disappointment as they are ALWAYS booking out! Click here to check out their website and book yourself into a tour today.
I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into the incredible world of Mary King’s Close!