EDINBURGH 2023: Review: THE VAULTS TOUR, Auld Reekie Tours

The Vaults Tour is run by Auld Reekie Tours who offer a range of tours in Edinburgh including The Terror Tour, The Vaults & Graveyard Tour, the Edinburgh Fringe Children’s Vaults Tour, and The Haunted Vaults Tour. The group is named after one of the nicknames for the city of Edinburgh, the Scots language for “Old Smoky.”

Sid, our tour guide, led us from the meeting point on the Royal Mile down Old Fishmarket Close, stopping at a few points to explain the history of Edinburgh and how the South Bridge Vaults became a place for the poor and unfortunate. The walk to the vaults was around fifteen minutes and we were then led up the stairs into the vaults - Yes, you read that correctly. You have to go upstairs to get into the vaults. Trust me, it makes sense once you see a map!

Throughout your tour, you have the opportunity to see several vaults and learn about their different uses over the years, from storage space to homes. Something that makes the vaults shown in Auld Reekie Tours unique is their connection to witchcraft, as a Wiccan coven, The Source Coven of The Blue Dragon, used to operate in a rented vault. The space that the Wiccans used for rituals has been left in the condition it was in while in operation, giving visitors the chance to see inside a Wiccan ritual site. 

Of course, no tour to any vaults in Edinburgh would be complete without some ghost stories, and Sid had quite a few to tell. It was fascinating to be able to stand in the original Wiccan coven’s vault, looking at the stone circle that supposedly trapped the evil of the room, wondering how much of their stories were true. But, the true surprises comes in the “Haunted Vault,” in which the tragic stories of those who lost their lives in the vaults comes to life in a respectful yet still spine-tingling manner. 

Ultimately, The Vaults Tour is an insightful look into the lives of those who had no choice but to live in the darkness, hiding in the South Bridge Vaults. I appreciated the serious and respectful tone taken when speaking of those less fortunate but also the humour that Sid was able to incorporate when appropriate.

The Vaults Tour runs from the Welcome Edinburgh Tourist Information Booth Outside of the Bank of Scotland at various times until 27 August.

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