I thoroughly enjoyed my tour with The Cadies & Witchery Tours. I was looking for an intimate experience where I felt comfortable asking questions and this was it!!! From the moment I walked into their storefront to inquire about the tour options... I met with Robin and felt right at home. She mentioned that this was a newer tour that Robert researched and put together in 2020. It was rich in history, unique stories, and we had the ability to ask questions along the way (while exploring Greyfriars Kirkyard). If you are looking for a tour that gives you a genuine feel for the souls that have been laid to rest in Greyfriars, this is it. read more

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We had fun on this tour and for us that is what matters. The tour guides were fun, they dressed up as characters, got into it and were fun. One person did the tour as one character and the other came in as a character and surprised us coming in as different characters every so often. This was about the tour guides being fun and the story told around different streets. If you are wanting serious ghostly locations and happenings this maybe is not for you. It may also good for older children. We had good fun and for £10 per person was good value. read more

The Cadies & Witchery Tours - Tours Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I agree with Elizabeth H.'s review. I usually like ghost tours but this was pretty bad. During most tours I get to see cool architecture, learn interesting history and get a few goose bumps. This tour had none of those things. It was more of a slap stick routine with 2 would-be actors. "Dracula" took us on a short loop through the back streets near the Edinburgh Castle. He stopped at random places and told short stories that lacked depth and interest. Several times throughout the walk another young man ran around us screaming and throwing up his arms. It was neither scary nor funny - just kinda pathetic. - Word of caution- they tell several inappropriate jokes even when they know there are children in the group. read more

The Cadies & Witchery Tours - Tours Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Elizabeth H is pretty accurate. Most of the stories are the same as on the buses and other tours. They do show you around the town and it is good for the first day in Edinburgh. I learned a little bit about the city and history but too much time was wasted goofing off with the sidekick tour guide. Overall this tour is just ok. read more

I can see why people either love it or hate it.... It's probably more rare for someone to give this tour an "A-OK" rating. Did I enjoy it, yeah, I did. There were some good laughs. Did I think it was soooo funny and great? Well, not really. Was it way over priced and not worth it? No, I think it was a fair price. So overall, yeah, it's "A-OK" for me. If you don't like practical jokes, don't come. If you want a detailed historical serious kinda story telling, don't come. You won't like it. If you are a bit goofy, had a few to drink, and just want to hear little bit of story but don't really care too much about the historical details or facts, then yeah, you'll probably like it. read more

Adam (deceased!) was great and kept my wife and I laughing the entire tour while walking around the heart of Edinburgh. Perfect bit of humor and history to make this a very enjoyable experience for this couple from Detroit, USA. Great Halloween activity! read more

The Cadies & Witchery Tours - Tours Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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I agree so hard with Wendy. Thank you for giving it the perfect adjective: obnoxious. This isn't a scary tour. You get a lamely costumed "actor" running around with plastic masks and thin robes, acting like an imbecile. It's not an informative tour. You get poorly told summaries of watered down stories, butchered from other more interesting websites and books. It's not a sightseeing tour. You see dumpsters, walk down an alley for a lame scare, go nowhere in particular, and stop at no actual "sights." If you want to be scared, go on a different tour. If you want to hear ghost stories, go elsewhere. If you want to see some haunted or interesting sights at night, definitely GO ELSEWHERE. This "tour" is made up of two annoying and immature fellows who are not at all entertaining or interesting. The experience accomplishes nothing in particular, except for wasting an hour and taking your money. AVOID. read more

In 2005 I went on a Witchery Tour. In 2006 I moved to Scotland. From California. Coincidence? I think not. The Witchery Tours are led by a range of actors, historians and various other characters who lead you through Edinburgh's back streets and tell you interesting/comedy/dirty stories that revolve around Edinburgh's seedy past. The tours are kitchy without being (in my opinion) obnoxious and tend to be best when they're attended by a group who have had a drink or eight and try their hand at heckling the guide who is inevitably much more clever than the heckler. A definite must-visit. read more

For an intelligent but light-hearted tour of Edinburgh, at night, down steep, dark alleyways lined with tales of yesteryear, look no further. This tour operator is the real deal. Located on Victoria Street, slightly off the absolutely beaten tourist track but 2 mins from the Royal Mile, The Cadies and Witchery Tours is a friendly organisation, happy to accommodate groups or singles on one of their various tours. They run a couple of tours in the summer, and one all through the winter (Murder and Mystery), every night. You can book at the shop (and if you do, give yourself a bit of time to explore the beautiful Victoria St, Victoria Terrace and Grassmarket), or book online and it's quick and painless. It's very funny. Quite a few times I got an actual fright when someone or something jumped out at us along the way, and you don't expect it as you're so intrigued by the story that the host (Adam Lyal, a deceased gent who was executed for robbery in 1811 and has come back to tour Edinburgh at night in his long black cape... brilliant) is regaling you with. Edinburgh at night is beautiful, and this is a lovely way to explore some of the more hidden closes and discover connecting alleyways that lead back to the mile, lovely views of Edinburgh along the way too. It's £8.50 for adults and £6 for kids, and you get a lot of entertainment for that plus a free wee book that I'll read to remind myself of some of the finer details of the tales which I missed as I was jumping out of my skin.. I cannot recommend our guide highly enough, and I have done a good number of Edinburgh tours at this stage. Top class, would give it 10 stars if there were 10 to give! read more

When my B/F And I came to visit Edinburgh, one of the things on our agenda was to go on a tour. We were near this place which feature Scottish whiskey when we read about the Cadies and Witchery Tours. We were instantly intrigued. We went on the Ghosts and Gore tour at 1930 and it was amazing. Our host was this man who called himself Alexander Clapperton (decreased). He was hilarious. He is from somewhere in England and enjoys entertaining people with history mixed in with some wholesome humor. Throughout the entire tour, our tour group was put to tears from laughing so hard. Even though it was raining, we had a great time. Tips to know: 1) the tour will continue regardless of weather. So be sure to wear sensible shoes and dress for the weather. 2) you can pay through the phone or in person when you reserve a spot on the tour. I strongly recommend going on this tour or on the Mystery and Murder tour which happens at 2030. read more

Absolutely LOVED it. We went on a few tours, and this was by far my favorite. If you are the type who only wants a tour like this to be serious or scary, this is not the one for you. This tour is a bit different in that while it gives you some history and stories, the actors also throw in quite a bit of humour. The actors antics are meant to make you jump on occasion, and simply make you laugh at other times. I certainly did both. We had a great time, and everyone in the group we were with seemed to really enjoy it as well. The atmosphere for the evening was fantastic. Don't take this tour for seeing the sites, for getting an in-depth history, or for being terrified. Take this tour for a fun evening romp. read more

There are whole range of tours that are offered in Edinburgh Old Town and even as you go round this tour you will see others plodding the same route. It seemed to me we were having the most fun on ours! Our tour guide was a 19th century head of the Edinburgh' cemetery named Alexander Clapperton who introduced us to a several ridiculous characters along the route from the castle, down the mile and through the alleyways and courtyards I hadn't known existed. He talks about a whole range of things from the role of the foul clangers (I won't tell you, don't want to spoil the fun) to the fighting tactics of the armies during the Highland clearances. This is a really interesting and genuinely funny way to get to know a bit about Edinburgh's history. I had my doubts before we started but I was crying with laughter and had learnt a few facts I hope will win me some pub quizzes. Whether you are here for a weekend or you're a local I would highly recommend this for a thoroughly entertaining evening. £7.50 for adult £5 for child If you have an Edinburgh Pass it is free read more

Had so much fun with Adam Lyal (deceased) during the murder & mystery walking tour when I was recently in Scotland on vacation! Him and his partner put on a great show for us - both amusing and a little scary. Can't say I learned a lot of factual information but definitely had fun. read more

A MUST for every visitor. A definite must. Ghost tours are not scary but are very informative. They tell you stories which are not written in books but which your grandma generally tells you. Very interesting and fun... read more

Take a tour of Edinburgh's old town at your own peril...they say there's a high level of spirt activity on the Royal Mile! For those who love all things frightful and spooky, this is a tour for you. Suitable for all ages, tours run at various times of the evening throughout the year and are highly recommended for a bit of light-hearted fun. The tour offers a good opportunity for a little light exercise; I, for one, do not take these things too seriously. But, then, who knows exactly what may lie out there? read more

This was pretty bad. Actually it was obnoxious and bad. I am a tourist. I do touristy things. Like take kitchy ghost walks, hoping to get a little history along with some entertainment. While a small bit of history was gained, the obnoxious behavior of the "actors" made the experience regrettable. It started off well enough, and the main guide was well spoken and knowledgeable. But the other "actor" jumped out and ran through the tour group shreiking, more than once or twice. It was old after the third time, yet he kept at it, switching his mask midway, but the same shtick; scream, wave arms, invade personal space, scream some more. No mater how uncomfortable the (paying) participants looked, he kept at it. People politely turned away, he got in their face and screamed again. I started to think he was inebriated, then I started to wish I was. At one point when the tour guide was talking about the lack of sanitation resulting in the plague, obnoxious actor (I'll call him OA from now on) ran through the crowd throwing a bucket of water on the (again, paying) participants, pretending it was excrement. We all realized it was just water, of course, and I was lucky not to have been hit with any, but with all the pricey cell phones and digital cameras people had with them, I thought this was a really bad idea. One German guy was hit square in the face with about a half cup of water. Do you really want to throw water in an unsuspecting German's face? The plague may be the least of your worries, buddy. At two different times I actually had to put my hands out in front of me to get OA out of my face. I must admit, his smell was authentic, though. He kept putting his arm around my friend, announcing she was "his girlfriend". She was mortified, but too polite to do anything except look very uncomfortable and turn her head away. That type of behavior back home in Chicago could get you shanked. We ended up leaving the tour before the end, mostly because OA could not get the numerous cues that we were not enjoying his "antics", and my friend no longer wanted to be touched by the freak in the mask. This made me feel bad for the main guide, who was actually halfway decent, but we just couldn't take it any more. Choose another tour, folks. Seriously. read more

Adam Lyal's Witchery Tales, the darker side of Edinburgh. You meet at The Witchery restaurant on The Royal Mile. The tour lasts an hour and 15 minutes with gruesome stories told with humour and fun, therefore this walk is not scary. A little participation is needed from the group to get this show going otherwise it would and could feel a little flat. The actors have a fab sense of humour and make this walk entertaining but it could do with more content and less messing about therefore I have mixed views on this tour. It is not expensive and you do get a book of tales to take home. Other walking tours pass by you, there seems to be lots and on occasions I wondered if they were better, not a good sign. It was entertaining but once done it goes into the box and not done again. Xoxo read more

It was not as scary as I would have liked and nothing too interesting happened, but I did like my tour guide.

I really enjoyed spending my last night in Edinburgh taking the "murder and mystery" tour-- the guide was funny with a very dry sense of humor, and his costumed sidekick was funny to me (though if you have a more refined sense of humor than the masses, maybe you'd find him obnoxious). I would have liked more historical sights along with the stories, but that's my only quibble. If you're into truly being scared, this probably isn't for you, but I'm a scaredy cat so the humor-scary pairing was perfect for someone like me! read more

The Vaults is the first place I have ever truly had a paranormal experience and its something i can never forget. Its a series of underground tunnels that people used to live in and some of them decided to stay! The guides are good and entertaining and they are passionate about what they are saying. They also answered all the questions the group had and they has a wide knowledge of the history of the area. If you love freaking yourself out, take a trip down there, its not for the fainthearted! Im a sceptic but this place proved me wrong. read more

This is a really fun way to tour and see the Old Town in Edinburgh, whilst learning some interesting facts. You get guided through all the alleyways whilst hearing some extravagent stories of medieval Edinburgh. Adam Lyal (deceased!), the tour guide, kept us entertained throughout along with his side kick who provided many laughs and gags. We had a great time and thought it was well worth the money, even in the cold (we went at night)!! This was one of the highlights of our weeked in Edinburgh, they run another tour- ghosts and gore which we will try next time we're there. read more

If you expect to be creeped out or scared, this is not for you. However, if you want to learn details about the sordid past of Edinburgh, while being entertained, this is the tour for you. Interesting yet humorous presentation as we walked through the streets of Edinburgh. Would recommend for light hearted tourists who want to have fun while learning some history. read more