Edinburgh Castle is considered to be the most haunted place in Scotland. There are many ghostly inhabitants that are said to make the castle their home.
Deep down below the castle are dungeons where many prisoners were tortured over the centuries. Once the prisoners were thrown in the dungeons, they would never see the light of day again. They stayed there until death, and according to ghost legends, some may still be there to this day.
One of the most famous ghosts that haunts Edinburgh Castle is known a the Lone Piper. According to legend, many years ago some hidden tunnels were discovered running along the castle. A piper was sent down to investigate, and he played his pipes as he went so that his progress could be tracked. After awhile, his playing mysteriously stopped and he was never heard from or seen again—at least not alive.
To this day, visitors to the castle can still hear him playing his pipe sometimes. After his disappearance, a search party went down to find him, but they only discovered a dead end. It’s as if he disappeared in thin air.
Another famous ghost that haunts Edinburgh Castle is that of Lady Janet Douglas of Glamis. She was accused of being a witch and conspiring to kill King James V. In July of 1537, she was burned at the stake, and her young son was dragged outside and forced to watch. As creepy as it sounds, some people still claim to hear the workmen pounding on the platform of her stake.
Other ghosts are said to be those of guards that were killed as a prisoner made his escape. The Duke Alexander Stewart was imprisoned there because his brother, the King, was jealous of him. Eventually, he managed to escape. He waited until the guards were drunk and then stabbed them. To make absolutely certain they were dead, he dragged them into a fire so that their bodies would toast inside their armor.
This obviously sounds pretty graphic, so it should come as no surprise that these guards are now haunting the dungeons of Edinburgh Castle. Since this castle has such an evil history, it’s no wonder that paranormal investigators have done tests there. In 2001, a team of 250 or so volunteers stayed there for 10 days studying for paranormal activity. The results were pretty impressive. Any type of paranormal activity you can imagine was picked up with their equipment.
Will these spirits ever find peace or not? We can only hope that they can.
