Ghost hunters to gather at haunted close

A host of mediums, psychics and fans of the paranormal will descend on Mary King's Close next week for the Ghost Fest event.

Organiser Scottish Paranormal will hold vigils, some of which will be all night long, in the famous tourist landmark off the Royal Mile as well as the Edinburgh Vaults on Blair Street.

Members of the public will get the chance to accompany an investigating team that will try and establish if ghosts are present.

Mary King's Close, which was closed off due to plague from the Christmas of 1644 to the autumn of 1646, opened its doors to guided tours in 1995 and has been a fully-fledged visitor attraction for almost three years.

Ewan Irvine, an Edinburgh-based clairvoyant, said: "I have taken part in a couple of vigils with Scottish Paranormal, both in Mary King's Close and the Edinburgh Vaults.

"Hopefully, I can bring forward some of the characters and people who lived and worked there in distant times of our city."

Ryan O'Neill, of Scottish Paranormal, said: "Research of the paranormal is a serious thing."