Americans are often amazed at the mass-transit systems available in many European cities, but one of the great drawbacks of riding the tube in London and other cities is that you never gain a proper appreciation for the city as a whole. Your memory of your vacation may consist mainly of separate locations where you popped above ground to see a museum.
This is unfortunate, since walking the city blocks in places such as Edinburgh is the only way to really understand the place. Walking tours are readily available, however, and in Edinburgh they take this form of recreation to new heights by showing tourists around a variety of spooky and even creepy sites. The medieval neighborhood known as the Royal Mile is filled with such sites since over its history it has seen not just gruesome murders and witch burnings, but also grave robbers and ghost sightings. Tourists can learn about all this and more during the 90 minute tour known as Secrets of the Royal Mile, which starts each day at 11am.
Some walking tours are also available during the evening. The Vaults Tour, for example, explores cave-like recesses underneath the South Bridge. Abandoned and forgotten for two centuries, the vaults in the evening hosts a "Ghosts and Ghouls Tour" where special effects are employed to bring the dead back to life. These nighttime tours are best suited for ages 16 and up as younger children may find them too frightening.
The next time you look for holiday homes in Scotland, consider an unusual activity such as one of these paranormal walking tours.