The Most Haunted Landmarks in Scotland

With Halloween this weekend, and we are determined to get you into the spooky spirit. Scotland is famous for many things, such as our culture, history and kilts. However, Scotland also has a haunting past, with scary stories of Scottish myths and legends reaching as far back as 500 BC.

These mysterious tales have left behind a trail of haunted locations across Scotland and many visitors to take their chances. If you're feeling brave, we'd like to highlight the top most haunted places in Scotland.

Mary King's Close

Perhaps the most notorious haunted landmark in Scotland, Mary King's Close, has given people chills since the 17th century. The cobbled street lies in the centre of Edinburgh and was named after Mary King, a respected member of society in the 1630s. She's said to have traded in fabrics, perhaps sewing for a living, while also raising her four children. Her Father, Alexander King, also a prominent businessman, named the Close after her.

When the plague hit Scotland in 1645, the residents of Mary King's Close were poorly impacted by the disease. Infected residents could not leave their homes, and eventually, the street got sealed off to the public and remained that way for 100 years.

Rumours of the Close being haunted began during the recovery of the plague. Residents sparked a myth that the Close had been walled up during the plague outbreak and that many people who were ill were closed within its walls, left to perish in isolation. Many speculate their spirits still haunt the street, waiting to be freed.

Since the street was sealed off for 100 years, Mary Kings Close is exceptionally well preserved. This attracts visitors from all over the world, and a Japanese psychic was one of the first to claim a ghost visited her on the location.

Annie, a small girl, is one of the most famous ghosts that people claim to feel a presence of when they walk through the Close. People have claimed Annie tells them she has lost her favourite toy, and visitors leave piles of toys in the Close for her as a result.

Over decades people have claimed to have seen all sorts of paranormal activity, with ghosts showing up in photographs. With its preserved history and high numbers of reported encounters, Mary Kings Close is considered one of the scariest Streets in the world.

Edinburgh Castle


Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland's most visited castles. However, it is also the most haunted. Scots have occupied the castle's land since the Bronze Age, with the castle being built in the 12th century.

For hundreds of years, the castle has been fought over by Kings and Queens, and as a result, it has seen a lot of bloodshed. Twenty-six invasions have been recorded, meaning countless murders have taken place on the property.

The Edinburgh Castle dungeon is known to be one of the most haunted places in the castle due to its torturous and murderous activity. Prisoners were often tortured, executed or left to perish down in the dungeon, and people believe their spirits still linger trying to escape.

Other ghost stories include a young piper boy who got lost in the underground tunnels of Edinburgh Castle. The young boy never returned, and the people at the time believed he had died underground.

To this day, people report sightings of a young ghost playing the bagpipes, still looking for his way out.

Culloden Moor

Culloden Moor is a field that lies in Inverness and is where over 1000 Jacobites lost their lives fighting the English. Many believe the ghosts of the fallen soldiers still haunt the Moor, crying out in defeat and recreating the battle.

The Moor stretches over a vast scape of land, and many paranormal enthusiasts believe it is simply too large to investigate appropriately and realise just how haunted the Moor is.

It's thought that the soldiers' burial sight is the most likely place to experience paranormal activity due to the brutal way they were buried and not properly laid to rest.

Many have reported sightings in this area of soldiers wearing old-fashioned tartan and kilts, heard screams and crying, and nature acting strangely.