Shop of Horrors

Give the Shop a bone

Our shop at 84 West Bow being painted black, 2003

The 17th of February 2023 marks 20 years' trading from our wee shop at 84 West Bow (Victoria Street) in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town. We entered our new lair after searching high and low for several months, seeking a suitable ghostly abode. Of course, our walking tours had been operating since February 1984, but prior to securing access to our permanent base, we were housed in a variety of temporary old town spaces. How time flies when you're having fun, as the over-used homily has it.

The Mad Monk on a Skateboard

The Mad Monk of the Cowgate with his very own skateboard

The Mad Monk of the Cowgate has turned his attentions to a new hobby: skateboarding.

Deadly Diesel's dangerous driving delights denizens of 'dinburgh

FF9 filming on Victoria Street, Edinburgh

It's not every day we look out of our shop window and see a souped-up muscle car careering down the street the wrong way, with a musclebound shaven-headed career criminal at the wheel. Every weekend, certainly, but rarely at about noon on a Wednesday.

Spooky goings-on ... and on, and on

New Dummies shipped in for the shop window (Christmas card 2003)

In March 2018 we celebrate 15 years in our wee shop at 84 West Bow (Victoria Street). Now, to avoid any confusion, this anniversary is for our shop not the walking tours as they've been running for almost 35 years - founded in 1984.

Happy Burke-Day to the World's Smallest Museum!

The Mad Monk celebrates with William Burke's skin

Has it been a year already? Yes, this weekend our small but perfectly-formed exhibit of awfulness celebrates its frightfully festive first anniversary.

The William Burke Museum, which displays only ONE exhibit, a calling card case made out of the skin of notorious Edinburgh "bodysnatcher" William Burke, celebrates its first birthday on 28th January 2018, exactly 189 years after the execution of William Burke which took place on the 28th January 1829.

Princess prepares to pump again

Princess Pumpalot: The Super-Farting Bean Mystery front cover

As our keenest followers will know, Witchery Tours founder Robin Mitchell also created the windy, rugby-loving Princess Pumpalot in the successful children's book of the same name.

The Princess and her Wiffyville chums then took a step further, jumping from the page to the stage at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013. They haven't left since, with 2017 marking an astounding fifth year of full-throated flatulent fun.

What is a Cadie?

The Cadies & Witchery Tours shop, 84 West Bow.

It's a familiar site in Edinburgh's West Bow to see visitors (and some locals) standing in front of our wee shop staring at the name above the door: The Cadies & Witchery Tours. Within seconds of spying our name, the front door creaks open and we prepare ourselves for the expected question: "What in the world is a Cadie?"

A load of (colourful) balls as Tum Bin 2 comes to West Bow

Neha Sharma and Aditya Seal filming a scene for Tum Bin 2 in West Bow, Edinburgh

One does sometimes see some curious sights in the hideous heart of Edinburgh's Old Town, but this might just take the biscuit.

This morning as I pried up my cellar door and stepped outside to dispose of last night's gardy-loos, I was startled by a large, rainbow-coloured beach ball landing with a soft "poomp" right next to me upon the cobbles, as though having fallen from some height. Well, I thought, that's a funny time for a stag party to be out and about, but not unprecedented I suppose ...

Artist spotlight: Katy Jones

Witchery Toons character illustrations by Katy Jones

The Cadies & Witchery Tours are proud to support Scottish artists, and our shop on Victoria Street boasts work for sale by several highly talented individuals, but our longest-standing and most prolific contributor has undoubtedly been portrait artist and illustrator Katy Jones.

A trip down Monk's Close

Monk's Close painting in the Cadies & Witchery Tours shop, 84 West Bow, Edinburgh

There is a unique and remarkable life-size painting in our wee Edinburgh shop which goes by the name of Monk's Close. It was painted by contemporary Scottish artist David Martin, who is not to be confused with the other Scottish artist called David Martin (born in 1737).

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