podtour
The Royal Mile, from the Castle to St Giles
Edinburgh begins on a rock.
Burke and Hare and Edinburgh Medicine: audio walk in Edinburgh
Burke and Hare never robbed a grave. Twelve stories, from the West Port to Surgeons' Hall, about the trade in corpses behind Edinburgh's medicine: sixteen murders, a woman who survived the gallows, Burke's trial and execution, the word born at his scaffold, his dissection, the professor who bought without asking, the first women medical students and the surgeon who inspired Sherlock Holmes.
What this walk is about
In the early nineteenth century, Edinburgh's anatomy schools paid for dead bodies. This walk starts where Burke and Hare lived and tells what they really did: they never robbed graves. The first body they sold; the couple who found the last victim under the straw and refused money to keep quiet; a woman who woke up after being hanged, and why the gallows mattered to anatomists; the trial, and the morning more than twenty thousand people watched Burke hang; the verb born that morning and the myth of the sticking plaster; the fear of grave robbers; seventeen tiny coffins found on Arthur's Seat, and a theory; the murderer's dissection; the professor who bought without asking; the day in 1870 the gates were shut on the first women medical students; and the surgeon who taught Arthur Conan Doyle to observe. All outdoors; the museums are optional. Contains murder, executions and dissection, told without graphic detail.
- Start
- A body, a buyer and no questions
- Finish
- The surgeon behind Sherlock Holmes
- Who it is for
- A walk for anyone curious about true crime and medical history. For anyone after the history behind the myth. Written for adults and teenagers. (murder and dissection told without graphic detail)
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
A body, a buyer and no questions
- 2
The body beneath the straw
- 3
Half-Hangit Maggie
- 4
Bodies for the anatomy table
- 5
The gallows at the end of the bridge
- 6
When Burke became a verb
- 7
Keeping watch over the dead
- 8
Seventeen tiny coffins
- 9
The murderer on the dissection table
- 10
The man who bought the bodies
- 11
A sheep in the lecture hall
- 12
The surgeon behind Sherlock Holmes
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
Edinburgh, before you go
A stone city built on hills, with a castle above it and weather that keeps changing. Cobbled streets and narrow stairways reward walking, provided your shoes have grip and your coat has a hood.
More walks nearby
Ghosts, Witches and Legends of the Old Town
Edinburgh lives off its legends, and here you'll hear them with their date of birth and the name of whoever set them going.
New Town: from St Andrew Square to Stevenson's Street
Edinburgh's New Town was drawn up in 1767 for a king, but many hands made it.
Good to know
What is Podtour?
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
When can I download the app?
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
Can I add guests after buying?
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Your first city,
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on Podtour.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
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One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.