Edinburgh audio history tour - text version

Get ready to explore Edinburgh's Royal Mile with Real History Talks in 3 easy steps:

1. Buy the tour
2. Save onto your MP3 player
3. Print out map

 

STOP ONE - Castle and Cannonball House

Stop one begins with an introduction explaining how the tour works.

It also takes in Edinburgh Castle and the fascinating Cannonball House, site of many sieges and battles.

STOP TWO - Wizardy on the West Bow

In stop two, Eric recounts a chilling tale of a brother and sister, accused of witchcraft and wizardry

STOP THREE - Riddle's Close

Stop three tells the story of the unfortunate Ballie John McMorran, who was caught in a siege at a school and eventually shot.

STOP FOUR - Lady Stair's Close

Stop four gives you a sense of life in Edinburgh in the 1700s, including the unfortunate practice of ‘Gardyloo' whereby buckets of waste were thrown from tenement windows onto unsuspecting passers-by.

STOP FIVE - Deacon Brodie

You may have heard of Deacon Brodie? Stop 5 tells the tale of his notorious double life... and death - said to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

STOP SIX - The Tollbooth (and St Giles)

Stop 6 guides you around the site of Edinburgh's ancient gaol, the Tollbooth and tells you a few local secrets.
You also have the choice to keep listening for additional information on the Church of St Giles.

STOP SEVEN - Mercat Cross

In Stop 7, you get an insight into the murkier side of Edinburgh's past. It also gives you a taste of the tragic life of Mary Queen of Scots

STOP EIGHT - Paisley Close

Further down the Royal Mile, Stop 8 explores the downside of living in this area of Edinburgh in the late 1700s. It was then that tragedy occurred in Paisley Close.

STOP NINE - John Knox's House

This stop guides you to the house of the famous John Knox and reveals a shocking twist.
We also explore the terrible period in Scottish history, where Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders were brutally attacked by English armies.

STOP TEN - Burke and Hare

Stop ten guides you to the site of one of the most brutal murders committed by the villainous Burke and Hare.
Burke and Hare are the notorious Edinburgh murderers famed for supplying their victims' corpses to the medical school for dissection - no questions asked!

STOP ELEVEN - Canongate Church

Stop eleven recounts the story of the Canongate graveyard where lie the remains of poet Robert Ferguson and also Nancy McLehose, sweetheart of the famous poet Robert Burns. It also gives you the opportunity to keep listening for additional information on Robert Burns.

STOP TWELVE - Queensbury House

Queensbury House is now the site of part of the Scottish Parliament, but was, in the past, the site of an unfortunate servant boy being roasted on a spit. Yikes!

STOP THIRTEEN - The Scottish Parliament and Holyrood Palace

Stop thirteen guides you to the modern Scottish Parliament, and also to Holyrood Palace and a tale of gruesome murder.

STOP FOURTEEN - Bonus Track

Stop fourteen is a bonus track, giving you an insight into Edinburgh's historic Grassmarket, which you may decide to visit yourself.