Greyfriars Tolbooth & Highland Kirk

Wonderful place to go for a wander. I’ve never been in the kirk, but the grounds are lovely. Centuries of history ready for your greedy eyes. Take a wander around all the gravestones and wonder who all these people were.
It’s usually quiet in the grounds, so I will pop in here of a nice day and soak up the quiet atmosphere, camp out on the grass and have lunch or read a book. Always fun to watch the tourists as they take a stroll around the graveyard.

Stroll through history…
An eerily nice lunch break spot…
Tranquil yet spooky…

To make my 666^th review, I thought I’d review something creepy and haunted.
Greyfriars Tolbooth and the Kirk seem like a good place to start. Shrouded in history, it’s a small, serene site by day, and a bit of a scream when the lights are out.
Most of the ghost walks wind up in here at nightfall, and there are the usual urban myths of people fainting at the sight of ghosts, hearing voices… it’s all in a day’s sightseeing, really.
Locals often go green at the thought of Greyfriars in the dark, but it’s much loved by the Edinburgh people.
It’s peaceful during the day. And don’t worry about when the sun goes down! You’ll be fine… they’re just urban legends. No truth in them at all. Just a wee creepy rumour… right?
BOO!

I wandered in here recently after buying my lunch from a café nearby, after deciding I wasn’t in the mood to swelter indoors. When the sun shines in Edinburgh, advantage needs to be take in outdoor form. So, passing the Greyfriars Bobby statue, I realised I’d never actually even been in the graveyard that is crucially connected to the wee dog’s story, shameful, considering the amount of times I’ve passed the area in my life.
There is a small shop at the entrance that leads to the Kirk, called The Creepy Wee Shop In The Graveyard, which stocks some interesting looking items, mostly souvenirs of a ghostly nature. Coming here when the sun was shining was ideal, because the gardens around the church and the gravestones looked lovely, and it all felt nice and peaceful for my lunch time musing. I thnk graveyards can definitely be beautiful, despite their sad connotations, and the historical value, scenery, and story behind the Kirk and the graveyard make this an attractive place to sit down in, or walk round.

This beautiful Kirk is located in one of Edinburgh’s most haunted graveyards. Come here during the day and you will find a well preserved graveyard, last laying spot to many a famous people of old Edinburgh (including Booby the dog’s master). If you go around the back towards the memorial of Flodden’s wall you will get a peak of the fancy Herriot’s School (at least the back of it).
At night this place is scary. If you have a vivid imagination (I do) and want to get spooked then this is the place for you. Somehow the sounds of the City die away once you enter the graveyard and there’s a really creepy view of the Castle.
Take note of the family graves literally stuck on to the small houses along one side of the graveyard as you walk in.
Be careful of teenagers on a Saturday night, too young to get into the local pubs, creeping about waiting to spook you.
As far as the Kirk goes, it is only open to the public on Thursdays between 1.30 and 3.30. I have been to a concert here and I must say it’s ideal and it’s beautiful inside as well. Rates as a 3 star historic attraction by VisitScotland it’s worth a little peak inside if you are in the area!