Greyfriars Kirk and Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard is the place where Edinburgh's history, legends and ghost stories meet. It occupies the site of a medieval Franciscan friary on the edge of the Old Town, granted to the city as a burial ground in 1562 after the Reformation, and its walls enclose centuries of the city's great and good in tombs and monuments that range from simple stones to elaborate classical mausoleums. The church itself, Greyfriars Kirk, opened in 1620 and was the setting in 1638 for the signing of the National Covenant, the defiant statement of Scottish Presbyterian faith against the religious policies of Charles I, an event that set off decades of conflict. Its aftermath is visible in the kirkyard: in 1679 hundreds of Covenanters captured after the battle of Bothwell Brig were held in a walled section now called the Covenanters' Prison, normally kept locked. Nearby stands the mausoleum of Sir George Mackenzie, the prosecutor nicknamed Bluidy Mackenzie, the focus of many ghost stories. Look also for the iron mortsafes, cages built over graves to deter the body snatchers who supplied the anatomy schools. The most famous resident is a dog. Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier, is said to have guarded his master's grave for fourteen years until his own death in 1872; his small statue stands outside at the corner of Candlemaker Row, and his headstone is just inside the gates, usually decorated with sticks left by visitors. Harry Potter fans also seek out names thought to have inspired characters. The kirk is free to enter, with information boards and volunteer welcomers, though it is closed for general visiting on some days.

Visiting: the main gate is at the top of Candlemaker Row, right by the Bobby statue and a short walk from the National Museum of Scotland and the Grassmarket. The kirkyard is generally open during the day. Paths are uneven and some stones are fragile, so stay on the paths and do not climb on monuments. From the higher ground at the south side there is a classic view north to the castle over the rooftops, with the turrets of George Heriot's School beside you. The kirk itself has information boards in several languages, a small museum and shop, and a display on the National Covenant. It is closed for general visiting on some days and on many days in August, when it becomes a festival venue, so check the official visiting page before you plan around it.

The Covenanters' Prison and ghost tours: the locked prison section is reached only on guided evening ghost tours run by commercial operators, which use it, and the Mackenzie mausoleum, as the setting for tales of the so-called Mackenzie Poltergeist. These tours are theatrical rather than historical, but they are fun if you enjoy that kind of thing, and they are the only way in. During the day, the kirkyard is calm and contemplative, popular with locals cutting through and students from the nearby university.

About Bobby: the story of the faithful terrier became famous in Victorian times and was turned into books and a Disney film, and historians have since debated how much of it is true, including whether there was more than one Bobby. Either way, he is the city's best-loved animal. Please do not rub the statue's nose, a newer habit that has worn away the bronze and that the city has asked visitors to stop. Combine Greyfriars with the National Museum of Scotland across the road, Victoria Street and the Grassmarket, and you have a full, largely free morning in the southern Old Town.