ABERDEEN CITY TOUR FIELD GUIDE
Aberdeen's Dark Side: A 1.5‑Hour Private Walk Through Executions, Witch Trials and Ghost Stories
A private, 1.5‑hour walking tour led by a local guide that traces Aberdeen’s violent and haunted episodes—useful for travelers who want an authoritative, compact introduction to the city's darker history.
Aberdeen's Dark Side: A 1.5‑Hour Private Walk Through Executions, Witch Trials and Ghost Stories.
Walk the streets of Aberdeen with a local guide and bring into light the city’s darker chapters: murderers, slave owners, public executions, body snatchers and notorious witch trials. This compact 1.5‑hour private Dark Side tour layers eyewitness‑style storytelling over the places where those events unfolded, even touching on the ghost story of Marion Hardie and the killings at the Saltoun Arms.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
Public executions and the gallows
The tour stops at sites tied to Aberdeen’s public beheadings and executions, tracing the municipal practices of punishment and the locations of the city’s gallows as the guide brings those stories into context.
The ghost of Marion Hardie
One highlight is the haunting tale of Marion Hardie—her story is a focal point for the tour’s ghost lore and the ways the city remembers violent deaths and rumor.
Witch trials, body snatching and infamous killings
The guide narrates Aberdeen’s famous witch trials, accounts of body snatching and kidnappers, and notorious episodes such as the killings at the Saltoun Arms, revealing the darker social history behind each incident.
What the day feels like
What the tour feels like
This is a brisk, 1.5‑hour guided walking tour led by a local expert who moves the group between compact city sites while unpacking stories of murderers, witches, slave owners and public punishments. Expect concentrated storytelling at each stop that connects physical places to the shocking truths beneath Aberdeen’s surface.
THE HISTORY
Public executions and the gallows
The tour stops at sites tied to Aberdeen’s public beheadings and executions, tracing the municipal practices of punishment and the locations of the city’s gallows as the guide brings those stories into context.
THE HAUNTS
The ghost of Marion Hardie
One highlight is the haunting tale of Marion Hardie—her story is a focal point for the tour’s ghost lore and the ways the city remembers violent deaths and rumor.
THE CRIMES
Witch trials, body snatching and infamous killings
The guide narrates Aberdeen’s famous witch trials, accounts of body snatching and kidnappers, and notorious episodes such as the killings at the Saltoun Arms, revealing the darker social history behind each incident.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this private tour suits
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
Duration is 1.5 hours; you choose your preferred start time in the operator’s booking form and the tour departs from the set meeting point on Castle Street.
This private tour begins outside The Wig on Castle Street; the meeting point is fixed and cannot be changed.
The operator lists a price of £99 for a group up to four people, with an additional per‑person rate thereafter.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
How long is the tour?
The tour lasts 1.5 hours.
Where does the tour start?
The tour starts outside The Wig on Castle Street and this meeting point cannot be changed.
Can I choose the start time?
Yes — you choose your start time in the booking form when you reserve the tour.
Is this suitable for children or older visitors?
The tour is listed as suitable for all ages.
How is pricing structured?
Price is £99 for a private group of up to four people; after that the operator charges a per‑person rate.
Who operates the tour?
The operator is Walking Tours in the UK.