Edinburgh - City Scavenger Hunt
Edinburgh - City Scavenger Hunt
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Explore Edinburgh’s Dark Side with ‘The Plague Doctor’s Diary’
Uncover Edinburgh’s gruesome past and ghostly legends with The Plague Doctor’s Diary — a self-guided city scavenger hunt packed with dark history, grisly tales, and spine-chilling stories.
Perfect for fans of the macabre and curious explorers alike, this immersive guide takes you through Edinburgh’s winding streets and hidden alleys, starting at the historic Mercat Cross and ending at the gates of Holyrood Palace. Along the way, eliminate suspects and discover true stories of plague, murder, and restless spirits.
Whether you're a local or visitor looking for things to do in Edinburgh, this atmospheric dark history walk will change the way you see the city.
No bookings, no groups — just you, the guide, and Edinburgh’s haunted past.
- 3.5km (2 miles)
- 2+ hours
- 19 multi-choice questions
Start and Finish Location
- Make your way to the starting point. 📍
- Read the first part of the whodunnit style mystery. 🔍
- Follow directions to navigate your way around the city. 🧭
- Find information on monuments, landmarks and signs to answer multi-choice questions. ❓
- With each correct answer, eliminate a suspect from the suspects list on the back of the booklet. ❌
- Read the real dark history, grisly tale or ghost story at each location. 😱
- When you have only one suspect left, enter their name and read the conclusion to the story. 🤔
- Make sure none of the city's ghosts follow you home! 👻
FAQs
What is a Ghastly Guide?
A Ghastly Guide is a self-guided treasure hunt booklet, approximately 20 pages long, set in a historic city, where you follow directions to discover information around public landmarks, monuments, and signs.
As you answer multiple-choice questions correctly, you eliminate suspects in a "who-dunnit" style mystery.
Along the way, you’ll also read stories of the city's darker history, including ghost tales, executions, and other macabre events.
It's a unique, flexible way to explore a city at your own pace.
Full instructions on how to use a Ghastly Guide can be found HERE.
Are Ghastly Guides wheelchair friendly?
We design our routes to avoid staircases wherever possible. However, due to the historic nature of many cities, there may still be cobbled streets and hills which could pose challenges for those with limited mobility.
If you are concerned about accessibility on a specific route, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to give more specific details about a route.
Are Ghastly Guides suitable for children?
Ghastly Guides are primarily intended for adults. The historical stories featured in the guides involve themes such as ghosts, executions, and murder, which may not be suitable or could be distressing for younger audiences.
While the treasure hunt questions themselves are light-hearted and focus on finding information at public landmarks, the accompanying narratives are better suited to a mature audience.
Do I have to book?
No booking is necessary! Ghastly Guides are completely self-guided experiences.
Everything you need is included in the booklet, and all the information required to solve the mystery is located in public spaces.
You simply purchase a guide and set out on your adventure whenever it suits you.
PLEASE NOTE - The City of London Guide begins in Trinity Square Gardens, which is open from 8 am daily until half an hour before Dusk.
How long does a guide take to complete?
Completion time varies depending on your pace. If you rush, a guide could take as little as 1.5 hours. However, most people spend around 2 hours or more, especially if they take breaks, stop for lunch, or choose to explore attractions mentioned along the way. The flexible format means you can go at whatever pace you find most enjoyable.
How long does delivery take?
We dispatch all guides using Royal Mail 48 Tracked delivery. Typically, delivery takes two to three working days after dispatch. You’ll receive tracking information once your order has been posted.
Some information I need to answer a question in the guide is inaccessible.
We do our best to ensure all the required information is available at public landmarks. However, occasionally temporary obstructions like building works or repairs may hide some clues. If you find a piece of information inaccessible, you can find a photograph of it at: https://ghastlyguides.co.uk/pages/hidden-evidence.
Do Ghastly Guides have a 'use by' date?
We advise completing your Ghastly Guide within 3 months of purchase. The questions in our guides rely on obtaining information from monuments, statues, landmarks, plaques and signs. We try to pick old and established sources which are unlikely to change. However, sometimes unforeseen changes do happen such as construction work, the removal of statues and changing of plaques. We try to keep our guides up to date. But the longer you leave between buying your guide and completing it, the higher the chance something may have changed. If you find a piece of information inaccessible, you can find a photograph of it at: https://ghastlyguides.co.uk/pages/hidden-evidence.