If you were on the Caledonian Sleeper to London last night then you may have enjoyed the storytelling by Mark Hannah from Mary King’s Close. The tales he told were were all about Edinburgh’s dark past, very timely for Halloween.

 

Figure of Robert Fergusson
Robert Fergusson outside Canongate Kirk

Mark played Robert Fergusson the 18th century poet who entertained the passengers to short stories about life in Edinburgh and the people he knew, including Burke and Hare.

Mark said: “There’s no better time than Halloween to bring history to life. At the Close, we invite guests to step down into Edinburgh’s hidden history. We tell the intriguing real stories of the city’s past residents, and offer an immersive walk-through of the city’s uniquely preserved streets and spaces; all located underneath Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile. To be asked to bring a small selection of some of our favourite stories to guests travelling on the Caledonian Sleeper has been thrilling.”

The Halloween event forms a calendar of on board events organised by Caledonian Sleeper to offer guests a series of Scottish-inspired experiences and follows a similar storytelling event with The Real Mary King’s Close last year.

Graham Kelly, Serco’s Guest Experience Director at Caledonian Sleeper, added: “We were very excited to welcome The Real Mary King’s Close back for a second Halloween.

“Travelling through the night on board Caledonian Sleeper is magical in itself but by adding these truly Scottish events, including the historical tales from Edinburgh’s most famous street, we’re able to make the journey even more enchanting and memorable. We hope guests enjoyed the event and weren’t too spooked before bed.”

To find out more about The Real Mary King’s Close, visit www.realmarykingsclose.com

To find out more about the Caledonian Sleeper, visit sleeper.scot.

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.