News

Adam Lyal (deceased) can now be seen on YouTube.

Having spent many years worried about NOT COMING OUT ON FILM, Mr Lyal is happy announce that this was just an old wives tale.

If your planning to come on a Witchery Tour, it may be wise to check out the following videos on YouTube before booking.

JUMPER OOTER and GHOST CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Also check out a former Adam Lyal (deceased), actor Kevin McKidd (Rome, Trainspotting, Greys Anatomy) in this clip Kevin McKidd leads Edinburgh’s Witchery Tour.

We would like to wish all our customers past, present and future a very Happy Hogmanay and Happy New Year!

For all things current about the tours with regular updates, please check out our FACEBOOK and TWITTER pages.

The Witchery Tours run all year, although the starting times of the trips can vary. We take advance bookings to avoid our groups getting too big.

You can BOOK ONLINE or if you prefer we also still operate the ancient art of ‘telephoning’ – (0131) 225 6745.

Our ghosts are very much looking forward to 2012. We hope you are too!

Even in the world of ghosts and phantoms, the choice of Christmas presents for fellow ghouls can be tricky. For example, our head ghost Adam Lyal (deceased), is a notoriously difficult character to buy a present for. Thankfully our present to him last year of a 1829 replica newspaper covering the gruesome case of the ‘bodysnatchers’ Burke and Hare was well received.

On the other hand, our Assistant Head Ghost, Alexander Clapperton (also deceased), was easier to buy for and was much taken by his Mad Monk of the Cowgate T-shirt while the Mad Monk of the Cowgate himself was happy with an orange in his sock (clearly he’s old school).

What else? I would suggest a Witchery Tours Gift Voucher, an Enchantment Notebook or perhaps an Adam Lyal DVD.

If you are in Edinburgh you are most welcome to drop into our shop at 84 West Bow, Victoria Street, EH1 2HH. Opening times are Monday to Saturday from when we get in to when we leave and Sunday is pretty much the same. We are open 7 days a week (our ghosts rest on the 8th day). If you’re not passing by our shop, you can of course order on line.

Best Witches of the season . . .

Halloween Looms . . . and I’m not talking about October weaving, I’m talking about a very busy time for all my fellow ghosts and phantoms at Edinburgh’s Witchery Tours. So it is advisable to book early to ensure disappointment . . . I mean avoid disappointment . . . I always get that mixed up.

The whole of Halloween weekend is very (very) busy, so you need to start booking sooner rather than later. Click HERE to book online or call us on (0131) 225 6745.

My ghostly friends have made a big attempt to integrate with the 21st Century by opening accounts with TWITTER and FACEBOOK. You can follow our goulash updates . . . I mean ghoulish updates by clicking on something or other. . . . I always get mixed up with that.

Good witches,
Adam Lyal (deceased)

Local artist Katherine Jones has given The Cadies & Witchery Tours spooks a light-hearted makeover with a range of delightful card designs.

The Murder & Mystery Tour collection
Adam Lyal (deceased)
Agnes Fynnie
William Burke (skeleton)
The Mad Monk

The Ghosts & Gore Tour collection
Alexander Clapperton
Foule Clenger
Beggar
Highlander

For more details please click here.

What’s Under The Kilt? is a colourful book providing a flavour of Scotland through the humorous eyes of the world’s worst tourist guide – Robin Mitchell. The book touches on ten topics stereotypically associated with the Scots: being mean, ancestral research, the weather, kilts and tartan, bagpipes, language, whisky, football (and pubs), haggis and the Loch Ness Monster.

The lively text is complemented by cheeky and often surreal photographs to create a unique guidebook to Scotland – a must for all visitors, locals, travelling salesmen, nuns, plumbers, lawyers and polymer engineers.

‘This is the best guidebook Scotland has ever seen apart from the last guidebook I saw’ – Des Dillon (writer & film-maker).

Purchase your copy here.

Former MP and television broadcaster Michael Portillo recently filmed on the Witchery Murder and Mystery Tour for his BBC documentary about Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond.

This is not the first time Michael has been on the Witchery Tour. According to our Crusty Archivist, Michael attended a Witchery Tour away back in the mists of time (1992). Apparently the guide, back in the day, made an amusing quip about the Maastricht Treaty. Well at least he thought it was amusing.

To view a short clip of Adam Lyal (deceased) from the documentary please click here. Needless to say Mr Lyal did not stand for election this time round to give Mr Salmond a better chance of winning. It worked!

A big thank you to everyone who attended the 200th anniversary of the execution of Adam Lyal on Sunday 27th March 2011. A large number of former Witchery Tour guides travelled from near and far to commemorate his life and crimes.

The next big anniversary will be on 27th March 2061, although we are not taking bookings for this just yet. More pictures and comments can be found on the Facebook page belonging to Adam Lyal (deceased). Click HERE.

On Wednesday the 27th of March 1811, Adam Lyal was hanged as a highwayman in the Grassmarket of Edinburgh. He was 26 years old. Brief mentions of his execution were made in The Scotsman and Edinburgh Courant newspapers, but his crimes brought him little notoriety . . . until now.

In 1985 we resurrected Adam Lyal from the city records and trained him up to haunt the closes and courtyards of the Royal Mile on our Witchery Murder and Mystery Tour. Since then only 45 brave souls (sometimes known as tour guides) have worn the pale face and black cloak of Adam Lyal, which is not many considering we have been wandering the streets of Edinburgh on a nightly basis for 25 years.

Sunday 27th March 2011 marks the 200th anniversary of the execution of Adam Lyal. We will be celebrating this special day in a number of unusual ways. If you are planning to book a tour for that weekend it is advisable to reserve places well in advance.

Like everyone at the moment, our resident ghosts have been trampling through the snow and slush, continuing to provide tours around the streets and alleyways of old Edinburgh. Apart from Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day our tours will be running come hail, snow or shine.

We would like to say a big thank you to all our customers who have supported us during the past year. We are all looking forward to 2011, a year which marks the 200th anniversary of the demise of Adam Lyal. We will tell you more about this in March 2011.

Meantime please have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Hogmanay!