The A9 is Scotland’s longest road, stretching through the heart of the Highlands. It’s a route travelled daily by thousands — but it also carries a darker reputation.

In this follow-up to my episode on the haunted A75, Dark Miles, I trace the length of the A9, uncovering ghost stories that cling to the road and the landscapes around it. From death omens in Pitlochry and the witch of Beinn a’ Ghlo, to phantom whistles in Glen Tilt and a modern woman in white near Drumossie Brae, the accounts are as varied as they are disturbing.

While the story follows the road north, I also take some detours into places I know well and love to walk — glens, mountains, and old haunts where folklore and personal memory blur. What emerges is not just a road of traffic and tarmac, but one that seems to carry echoes of history, oppression, and tragedy.

Blythswood Square sits at the heart of Glasgow’s Georgian New Town - elegant, symmetrical, and steeped in history. But behind the sandstone facades, the square holds a darker story.

In this episode, we explore a haunting said to be tied to one of Scotland’s most infamous court cases: the 1857 trial of Madeleine Smith. Her secret affair with Pierre L’Angelier ended in scandal and death, and although the verdict was “Not Proven,” the questions never truly faded. Nor, it seems, did the presence of those involved.

We look at ghost stories stretching across decades: strange smells, silent corridors, footsteps in locked rooms, and apparitions that appear to walk not just through buildings — but through time itself. Some of the tales link directly to Madeleine’s story. Others seem older, or completely separate, yet share the same unnerving details. A woman in white gliding past closed doors. A child’s scream. A figure in Victorian dress vanishing into a wall.

This is a square shaped as much by memory as by architecture. And whether you believe in ghosts or not, some places leave a mark that doesn’t easily fade.

As featured in Tales from the Crypts of Auld Reekie by John Tantalon

What if one of the most haunted streets in Edinburgh wasn’t in the Old Town, but found just beyond the Meadows — overlooked, residential, and never mentioned in ghost tour scripts?

This episode explores the eerie happenings of Arden Street, a seemingly ordinary road in Marchmont with a long history of unsettling events. From spectral footsteps and phantom dogs to frightening apparitions and a mysterious book of Bruegel prints, these stories draw from real first-hand accounts gathered over years.

I originally wrote this chapter for Tales from the Crypts of Auld Reekie, a brilliant collection of Edinburgh hauntings compiled by John Tantalon and featuring contributions from Graeme Milne, Kerrie Powell, Scott Lyal and Joss Cameron.

If you’d like to explore the full book, Tales from the Crypts of Auld Reekie is available now on Amazon.