Edinburgh Dungeon

"Christmas is banned at Edinburgh Dungeons. For families desiring an alternative Christmas experience, Edinburgh Dungeons has banned Christmas! The dungeon takes visitors back to the year 1586 when the religious reformer, John Knox had banned Christmas in Scotland. Strictly enforced by the law, Scottish citizens were made to work on Christmas Day and festivities of any kind were firmly forbidden, having been condemned as illegal Catholic decadence. Visitors have to defend themselves in the dungeon’s anti-Christmas courtroom as the puritan Judge will be making families quake in their shoes, finding out those who have dared to celebrate Christmas. There is also the rest of the dungeon to explore including the terrible torture chamber, the foul pestilence of the plague and Sawney Bean’s carnivorous cannibal cave lair. Christmas is banned at Edinburgh Dungeon is on until 26 December."

"Edinburgh Castle is one of Scotland’s most haunted sites and is said to be home to a headless drummer, a phantom piper, the souls of French prisoners and a phantom dog. To prove the sightings were more than just folklore, in 2001 the castle vaults were subjected to a rigorous scientific survey over 10 days. 240 fully-screened volunteers used night-vision equipment, digital cameras and thermal imaging and reported all sorts of spooky occurrences – from an abrupt drop in temperature, to unexplained prods in the back."