Edinburgh’s Master Storytellers, Mercat Tours, are redefining the walking tour, promising to enrich and deepen your connection with Edinburgh’s people and its past far beyond your visit.
Take the Story Home: evoke the memories:
- Listen to the tour playlist
- Light your Remembrance Candle
Step into Edinburgh’s Old Town on a guided walk that explores some of the darker chapters of Scotland’s past. As you follow your guide through cobbled closes and hidden alleyways, you’ll hear about the period when a king’s obsession with the supernatural shaped laws, beliefs and daily life.
The tour reaches the Castle Esplanade, once the site of public executions. Here, and throughout the walk, you’ll learn about the 2,500 people condemned for witchcraft over two centuries. Your guide will share the names and stories of women and men who were accused of communicating with the devil, practising hexes or claiming psychic abilities, often under coercion.
As the route unfolds, the narrative follows the path of those trials — from the first accusations, to the interrogations, and the fate many ultimately suffered. The experience offers an overview of how and why witchcraft panics spread across Scotland and beyond, providing context to the events that defined this period.
Join an unrivalled journey into Edinburgh's past, engaging the senses to create a memorable experience.
Guided walking tour
