February the 14th is a time when all the romantics' hearts are set aflutter at the prospect of Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. People find themselves travelling around to globe to places renowned for their romantic moods. Paris, Rome and Venice all lay claim to being 'The City of Love' but did [...]
Murder! Massacre! Betrayal! Treason! Glencoe is one of the most spectacular areas of unspoiled wilderness in Scotland. There is a haunting quality about the moor-clad mountains that stand as sentinels over the eight-mile-long glen which runs from east to west along the northern border of Argyll. And there are those who say that the glen [...]
Less is known about the life of Sacrist Downie than his death. Some think he may never have existed. Indeed, there is no record of the Sacrist ever having worked at Aberdeen University. Today on the 525th anniversary of the University, we are going to investigate a dark tale of revenge and death! The 10th [...]
Friday the 13th is considered to be the unluckiest day of the year and in December, 2019 we have the double whammy of having Friday the 13th and a Cold Full Moon. Any misadventures we encounter on this day can be attributed to the date but on this day 712 years ago, you were truly [...]
Few places in the world can claim to have as many restless spirits as haunted Saint Andrews Cathedral. From Medieval times, Scotland has celebrated the Feast Day of its Patron Saint, Saint Andrew, on the 30th November. According to legend, some of Saint Andrew’s bones were carried across the ocean by a Greek monk named [...]
Witch! This was perhaps the most fearsome word encountered by Kathrin Key, resident of the small fishing town of Newburgh in Fife. Witches were powerful. They could curse and cure, make cattle sick, kill children and fly broomsticks. Their magical abilities came from the devil. Satan! Auld Nick! In order to gain that power, they [...]
Rubble is all that is left of the tiny settlement of Badanluig, once home to a proud people who pitted themselves against the land and sea and eeked out a meager survival in the Scottish Highlands. It is here they loved and raised their children. It was here that cruel landlords had them cast out [...]
Perhaps one of the most magical places on Earth, Spooky Scotland investigates haunted Skye. The mention of Skye conjures up images of rugged landscapes, picturesque villages and medieval castles. It is a land overflowing with myths and legends, with tales of faeries and giants and lochs which are home to ferocious Kelpies. It is a [...]
Drummossie Moor, otherwise known as Culloden Moor, is a cold, desolate place. A relentless cold wind tugs at the flags which delineate the battle lines on the site of the last pitched battle to be fought on British soil. It is a cold wind which seeps deep into your bones. Or is it the wind [...]
As evening descended on Holyrood Palace, 9th Match 1566, a band of assassins burst into the chambers of the heavily pregnant Mary Queen of Scots and, before her eyes, brutally murdered David Rizzio, her secretary. His blood still stains the floor where he was slain, and his ghost is said to haunt the 16th Century [...]