Aberdeen is full of mysteries, marvels and strangeness, and this book is a comprehensive guide to them all. Here you will encounter magic, witchcraft, folklore and superstitions; contemporary urban legends; gargoyles and graveyards; graverobbers and murderers; stone circles and prehistoric burial sites; UFOs and freak weather; and tales of horror, madness, humour – and dangerous porridge. Many forgotten aspects of the city’s strange history are here, from the disturbing (spontaneous human combustion, William Wallace’s dismembered limbs, the man who died of fright after a mock execution, and the bodysnatching professors) to the downright bizarre (a talking statue, a wedding celebration which was mistaken for an alien invasion fleet, and golf with giant skulls). The Guide to Mysterious Aberdeen is the tenth in Geoff Holder’s acclaimed series. As with the previous volumes, it is profusely illustrated with over 100 photographs and draws on both ancient and modern sources. Full access and location details are given for both driver and walker alike, making this the indispensable companion for anyone exploring the Granite City.

Aberdeen is full of mysteries, marvels and strangeness, and this book is a comprehensive guide to them all. Here you will encounter magic, witchcraft, folklore and superstitions; contemporary urban legends; gargoyles and graveyards; graverobbers and murderers; stone circles and prehistoric burial sites; UFOs and freak weather; and tales of horror, madness, humour – and dangerous porridge. Many forgotten aspects of the city's strange history are here, from the disturbing (spontaneous human combustion, William Wallace's dismembered limbs, the man who died of fright after a mock execution, and the bodysnatching professors) to the downright bizarre (a talking statue, a wedding celebration which was mistaken for an alien invasion fleet, and golf with giant skulls). The Guide to Mysterious Aberdeen is the tenth in Geoff Holder's acclaimed series. As with the previous volumes, it is profusely illustrated with over 100 photographs and draws on both ancient and modern sources. Full access and location details are given for both driver and walker alike, making this the indispensable companion for anyone exploring the Granite City.

With the country's oldest university and the ruins of both a magnificent castle and one of the grandest cathedrals of medieval Europe, St Andrews is one of the most beautiful and historic places in Scotland. But it's also one of the most haunted. Here are investigations into St Andrews' most famous ghost (the White Lady) and its most famous paranormal location (the Haunted Tower, with its real-life Victorian mystery of mummified bodies); the numerous phantoms, historical and contemporary, that appear to cluster around the medieval quarter of The Pends and St Leonard's School; and spectres of castle and cloister, town and gown. There is also the Pitmilly House poltergeist, whose fire-raising activities resulted in a payout by an insurance company. Join paranormal expert Geoff Holder in an exploration of the darker side of St Andrews.

From reports of haunted castles, hotels, public houses, chapels and churchyards, to heart-stopping accounts of apparitions, poltergeists and related supernatural phenomena, this collection of stories contains both well-known and hitherto unpublished tales from around the city of Aberdeen. This spine-tingling selection includes Fyvie Castle, home to the Green Lady; Aberdeen Central Library, where the ghost of a former librarian still helps customers; the Four Mile Inn, whose staff have heard ghostly footsteps; and His Majesty's Theatre, said to be haunted by a ghost named Jake, a theatre hand who was killed in a stage accident. Richly illustrated with over seventy-five photographs and ephemera, Haunted Aberdeen is sure to appeal to all those interested in finding out more about Aberdeen's haunted heritage.

The guide to mysterious Aberdeenshire

Smitten by Scotland since childhood, travel writer Rebecca Gibson moved to Moray and started exploring her new home region on foot to produce this new title in Bradt’s award-winning series of Slow travel guides to UK regions. Walkers, cyclists, wildlife lovers, families, history and folklore enthusiasts, and foodies are all catered for, with coverage of a wide range of attractions. As the only comprehensive guidebook to North East Scotland in print, it also contains all the practical information you could need to plan and enjoy time in this thrillingly diverse yet largely under-explored part of Britain. This region of mountains and coasts, ancient Caledonian pine forests and salmon-rich rivers harbours much to enthral and surprise. Long famous among hillwalkers, mountaineers and nature lovers, the Cairngorms is the UK’s largest National Park and holds five of its six tallest summits – but also abounds in fairy folklore. Balmoral Estate has been a royal residence since Queen Victoria’s reign, while Aberdeenshire – with its unique language, Doric – has Scotland’s highest density of castles and numerous Pictish stone circles among an astounding 30,000 sites of historical and archaeological interest. Between Inverness and Aberdeen lies the less-familiar region of Moray, which hosts the world’s most northerly population of bottle-nosed dolphins, Scotland’s oldest independent museum, and Forres, where Shakespeare’s Macbeth met the three witches. Here the Scots language and culture are celebrated through gatherings such as fire festivals. This guidebook’s Slow approach to travel fits with a growing ethos of sustainability in this part of Scotland, from Findhorn Ecovillage to a celebration of locally sourced, artisan and organic food alongside the well-known products of whisky, Aberdeen Angus beef and River Dee salmon. Key heritage attractions are described in intimate detail – but so too are opportunities to see some of Scotland’s most special wildlife, from pinewood-dwelling crested tits to high-altitude specialists like ptarmigan. Whether you are keen to visit castles or indulge in whisky-tastings amid Britain’s highest concentration of distilleries, to hike among Cairngorm’s remote mountains or to stride boldly along miles upon miles of coastline, discover North East Scotland with Bradt’s unique Slow guide.

From reports of haunted castles, hotels, public houses, chapels and churchyards, to heart-stopping accounts of apparitions, poltergeists and related supernatural phenomena, this collection of stories contains both well-known and hitherto unpublished tales from around the city of Aberdeen. This spine-tingling selection includes Fyvie Castle, home to the Green Lady; Aberdeen Central Library, where the ghost of a former librarian still helps customers; the Four Mile Inn, whose staff have heard ghostly footsteps; and His Majesty’s Theatre, said to be haunted by a ghost named Jake, a theatre hand who was killed in a stage accident. Richly illustrated with over seventy-five photographs and ephemera, Haunted Aberdeen is sure to appeal to all those interested in finding out more about Aberdeen’s haunted heritage.