The Greater Grassmarket Business Improvement District (BID) have launched a free-to-use Historic Trail on Tuesday 26th July, in association with Edinburgh World Heritage. The Trail will bring to life centuries of history from Edinburgh’s historic Old Town and aims to provide a large boost to tourism and business in the area.
Visitors to the Greater Grassmarket will be invited to step back in time and learn about some of the fascinating and lurid history of Edinburgh’s Old Town, hearing tales about some of Edinburgh’s most infamous characters such as Burke and Hare and Half-Hangit Maggie (Maggie Dickson) via an innovative audio trail located at 11 different positions along a mile and half route.
The free self-guided tour takes around an hour to complete and covers the entire Greater Grassmarket area. Visitors can follow the trail by picking up a free map in local cafes, shops and pubs in the Grassmarket, or follow it on their mobile via the Historic Trail website (www.greatergrassmarket.co.uk/history).
Want to meet Burke and Hare and Half-Hangit Maggie?
At 11 different audio spots along the route, visitors can tune into an audio version of the trail that will give them an even greater sense of the sights, sounds and Grassmarket characters of the past. Four pillar-style information points feature throughout Grassmarket Square to point visitors in the right direction and guide them to the local hotspots as well as shops, boutiques, restaurants and bars.
The Historic Trail is part of the Greater Grassmarket’s wider plan to drive further footfall to the area by developing family-friendly events and activities for both locals and tourists. In addition, the information provided by Edinburgh World Heritage, local resident and historian Elspeth Wills provided an archive of material to help with the trail’s development.