No matter where you are in Edinburgh city centre, it's hard to miss the imposing fortress looming over you, perched on an outcrop of volcanic rock like a brooding giant.
Archeologists have established that there has been a settlement on the castle rock since around 850 AD, and a royal castle since the reign of David I in the 12th century. It was subsequently a military barracks in the 17th century, meaning Edinburgh Castle has witnessed hundreds of deaths, tortures, and executions in its time.
So it should come as no great surprise to learn that Edinburgh Castle is one of the most haunted locations in Scotland and indeed, the world, if there is any truth to the stories we're about to share - and it seems there is.
To this day, visitors and members of staff report witnessing apparitions, feeling unwelcoming presences, seeing shadowy figures, being touched or pushed, and experiencing drastic changes in temperature, giving them goose bumps all over their body.
Here are four historic entities that have been spotted over the years and are said to linger around the walls inside and outside of the castle:
1. The Dung Prisoner
This unfortunate soul doesn’t have a name, so we’ve named him the Dung Prisoner because…well you’ll see.
Edinburgh Castle, like most castles, has dungeons where prisoners were frequently beaten, tortured and sometimes perished. The dungeons here at Edinburgh are haunted by the ghosts of those who either spent time here or died within the dungeon walls. Coloured orbs and strange clouds of mist are regularly photographed by visitors.
One desperate prisoner chose to hide in a dung barrow, thinking that no one would be willing to search for him in there, and hoped to be carried out of the castle down the Royal Mile and escape to freedom.
However, our Dung Prisoner did not anticipate the method the castle staff used to dispose of the dung. Shockingly for him, he died when the barrow was emptied down the rocky slopes of the castle, sending him to his death.
Visitors have claimed that his ghost tries to push them from the battlements and a strong and unpleasant smell of dung follows.
2. The Ghostly Piper Boy
One ghost is said to be a young boy who played the bagpipes. This mystery dates back several centuries when numerous tunnels were found under the castle that led to Holyrood Palace at the bottom of the Royal Mile.
When the tunnels were discovered there was great curiosity to see where the tunnels beneath the castle would lead. However, the entrance was only small enough for the local boy piper to get through. He was sent down to investigate.
As instructed he played his pipes loudly as he walked through the tunnel. Above ground, people were able to keep track of the young boy and trace his progress and map out where the tunnel went at the same time.
This seemed to work for a while, then all of a sudden the pipes stopped somewhere near the site of Tron Kirk, a church which is a recognisable landmark on the Royal Mile.
Search parties undertook rescue attempts, but the boy piper had seemingly vanished. Sadly the boy was never found and although multiple efforts were made to recover him, they didn’t find a trace.
Disturbed by his disappearance, the city council ordered the tunnel to be sealed. However with Edinburgh being a paranormal hot spot, the story obviously doesn’t end there. Ever since his disappearance, many people have reported hearing the faint underground sound of a single bagpipe being played far below Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile.
So if you are in the area late into the night and hear faint sounds of bagpipes, there may be a mystery playing out beneath your feet.
3. The Headless Drummer Boy
This tale goes that in 1650 the phantom of a headless drummer boy was seen wandering around the castle walls, with his eerie music being heard by those below.
Legend has it that whenever the drummer boy’s ghost is spotted, the castle is about to come under attack, and perhaps he is alerting those in charge that a threat is on its way.
He was first seen in 1650, shortly before Oliver Cromwell and his army at