Witches, Kidnapping and Mary Queen of Scots: 500 Years of Crime and Punishment

(161 reviews)

Aberdeen audio tour: Witches, Kidnapping and Mary Queen of Scots: 500 Years of Crime and Punishment

This is a 1.8mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

Aberdeen

The United Kingdom

$8.99

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About the Tour

From bodysnatching and beheadings to witchcraft and whippings, we share real life stories of crime and punishment from the last 500 years.

Along the way you’ll see major Aberdeen landmarks, from Marischal College to the Mercat Cross, and learn how they were witness to some of the most shocking moments in the city’s past. In this audio guide we’ll bring to life tales from the darkest chapters in Aberdeen’s history, shedding a light on the baffling and often unjust laws of the last five centuries – and revealing that past is not as far away as we think.

Please note

The graveyard closes at 4pm.

Tour Producer

Scot Free Tours

5 tours

Scot Free Tours was started in 2016 by born and bred Aberdonian Lia Sanders. Since then we have expanded across the North-east of Scotland and have started making audio tours. The idea is to give you the freedom to explore at a time that suits you - while still getting our 'take' on a place, with all the funny, gruesome or unexpected details that involves.

We'd love to hear what you think of the tour so get in touch via Facebook or our website.

Preview Location

Location 1

Tour start - Tolbooth

You should be standing outside the Tolbooth Museum. As the name suggests, the Tolbooth was where tolls and other taxes were collected. But it is best known for being the jail where prisoners were kept.

Stand with the Tolbooth doors behind you and turn to your left. Walk u... Read More

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Major Landmarks

The Tolbooth Museum
Castle Street
Mercat Cross
The Salvation Army
Peacock's Close
St. Andrew Cathedral Church
The Anatomy Rooms
Marischal College
Marischal Square
St. Nicholas Cemetery
Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting
The Green
Aberdeen Maritime Museum
Town House

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Castle St, Aberdeen AB11 5BB, UK
Total distance

3km
Final location
Town House, Broad St, Aberdeen AB10 1AQ, UK
Distance back to start location

55.43m

Directions to Starting Point

Start: Tolbooth Museum, Castle St, Aberdeen AB11 5BB

It is 8 minutes' walk from Union Square, which is next to both the bus and train stations.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Attractions: The Tolbooth Museum, Maritime Museum

Food and drink: There are plenty of eateries along Correction Wynd and The Green (which you reach at around the ¾ mark). I would particularly recommend Café 52 and their fried parsnip chips.

Best time of day

The tour is best started before 4pm so that St Nicholas Graveyard is still open when you get to it. If you want to visit the Tolbooth Museum at the start of the tour, it shuts at 5pm Monday to Saturday and at 3pm on Sundays. The Maritime Museum, which you can visit near the end of the tour, has the same opening hours.

Precautions

Every effort has been made to make sure that this tour is as safe as possible. Aberdeen is regularly ranked as one of the safest cities in Scotland and the UK. Having said that, be careful with your valuables and if you feel uncomfortable in a situation, get out. Please also use all designated crossing points and take every care while crossing the road or walking on uneven surfaces.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”