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The 300th anniversary of the union between Scotland and England will fall this year. I am the first to admit that my understanding of both the history and intricacies of the United Kingdom is appallingly limited- but I must admit that I never thought that my first trip to Scotland would see me wondering whether there would be a subsequent three hundred years of unity between England and their northerly neighbour. In 1707 there were allegations of bribery, corruption and (obvious) disenfranchisement after the noblemen in the Scottish Parliament agreed to the Union with the Kingdom of England. Nowadays the Scots are more represented than ever - they have had their own Scottish Parliament since 1998, they are still represented in the Parliament of Great Britain in London and for all intents and purposes the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom will almost definitely be a Scot - yet if you believe media reports the desires of the Scottish population to assert their differences compared with England and leverage themselves into an “independent” Scotland seem very strong.

Underground Independence

Patrick Gatland
2007-03-08 18:14:21

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on the tour, were parts of the old city that were built over several hundred years ago when the black plague was raging through Europe. Apparently, areas that were deemed too diseased were simply built on top of. Yet as it happened many people continued to live there for some time, and the stories and legends of those that lived and died there (and a little entrepreneurial spirit) have fuelled a huge ghost tour industry.

Our tour was led by a strange twenty-something man who had the unnerving habit of looking at no-one while talking to the group and making odd jokes that were incomprehensible to those of us brave enough to venture into an underground vault with a guy who looked like he wasn't the type to solely wear his top-hat, cloak and cane while conducting ghost tours.

The tour was dark. It was not scary. The guide was.

The tour could have been described as disappointing. For example, any "Underground Ghost Tour" that starts with the guide saying "We are about to enter the underground world of Edinburgh - please follow me up these stairs" is bound to be a trifle trying (yes we did have to go up the stairs to go underground but there was more of a geological, rather than metaphysical explanation for this (the section of the vaults we were entering was built into a hillside). Yet somehow all the oddities of the tour made it hugely entertaining. Like at the end of the shock inducing tour the guide turned to us and asked "Who would like to see a set of torture implements?" and then lead us into a room displaying macabre tools of torture and explained their use in excruciating detail over Scotch and shortbread. It was never made clear how the torture equipment related to the vaults but who doesn't love to hear how to properly use a jaw-breaker (?).

Emerging into daylight cursed - I had willingly stepped inside the stone prayer circle of a witches' coven during the tour and according to our guide I shouldn't even be alive to ...