Hello everyone,

As it was Halloween last week, I´m going to tell you a bit about the ghosts of Edinburgh, the city where I am from. Edinburgh is one of the most haunted cities in the United Kingdom, so I hope you don´t get scared too easily!

People say that one of the most haunted places in Edinburgh is an old, narrow street called Mary Kingś Close, which is in the old, historic part of the city. In the 17th Century, a plague broke out in Edinburgh and many people became ill and died. Beause of the plague and because of overcrowding in the city, walls were built to close off Mary Kingś close. However, many people say that some plague victims were deliberately trapped in the street and left there to die. Mary Kingś close was re-opened in 2003 as a tourist attraction, and many people say they have seen headless animals and ghosts of pale, ill people walking around the street. If you ever visit Edinburgh, you can go and see for yourself...

Another famous ghost in Edinburgh is called the Tunnel Piper (a piper is someone who plays the bagpipes). The Tunnel Piper haunts Edinburgh Castle, which was built in about the 12th century and is now one of the cityś most popular tourist attractions. There are many secret underground tunnels in Edinburgh, and one of them connects Edinburgh Castle to a main street called The Royal Mile. Hundreds of years ago, when people discovered these tunnels, a piper was sent underground to explore. As he was exploring, he played his bagpipes so that people above the ground could hear him and track his progress. However, when he was halfway down the Royal Mile, the piping suddenly stopped. A rescue party was sent underground, but they could not find him - the piper had simply disappeared. No one knows what happened to the piper - but visitors to the castle often say they can hear the sound of the bagpipes from underground...

I hope these stories weren´t too frightening! Next time I will tell you a bit more about Edinburgh and where I live.

Lynsey x