From Satanic hauntings to a forgotten flat in the rafters, the Hunters Tryst pub in Edinburgh is home to spine-chilling secrets and centuries-old stories, writes JOHN S TANTALON
Hunters Tryst is a pub with many fascinating stories.
The building dates back to the 1800s and was a regular haunt of ramblers exploring the Pentland Hills. A group from this period, titled The Six-Foot Club, featured members such as Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott.
The building later became a dairy until the 1960s, when it changed hands and became the pub it is today.
A bizarre plaque sits on the wall near the entrance. It reads: ‘The inn closed in 1882 after being haunted by Satan’.
This chilling message, which greets the thirsty traveller, should give you some idea of the stories that lie before you.
In the book Edinburgh After Dark by Ron Halliday, the author relays an interview with a previous manager of Hunters Tryst. The woman, named Marilyn, recalls an incident back in 1996.
While on shift one afternoon, she left the pub to take her dog for a walk. She walked a short distance towards the foot of the Pentland Hills. Turning to check on her dog, something in the distance caught her attention.
The pub lights switched on—one section at a time—and then off. Nobody else was in the building, and she had locked the door. This encounter was not the last unusual incident she would experience.
In 2022, I met with current staff from Hunters Tryst for an interview.
Rab has worked as the manager for the last three years. He had a brief knowledge of the pub’s history and knew the stories of its famous customers and the Six-Foot Club. He was also aware of more recent events, which he would later share with me.
When asked about any stories of paranormal goings-on, he had one personal encounter to relay.
The pub was fully operational shortly after lockdown restrictions were slowly lifted across the country. In the early hours one morning, Rab was contacted by the alarm company that monitors the building’s security.
Something had activated the alarm.
Rab headed over and waited for the police to arrive. What he saw next chilled him to the bone.
As he waited, he witnessed the lights of each section of the building switch on and off in succession. Rab pointed out that the switches had to be physically operated—they were not motion-activated.
He remained in his car, terrified of what could be inside the Hunters Tryst.
When the police arrived, they found nothing inside. There was no sign of forced entry.
Although this was the only unexplained event during his time at the pub, he had heard a story of a mysterious white woman sighted on the rear stairs towards the kitchen. He had never seen her himself, but other staff members had.
I asked him if he was familiar with Edinburgh After Dark. He had never heard of it.
Over the next 10 minutes, I relayed the stories of the previous manager and the tale of a spirit sighted towards the rear of the pub. The shocked manager told me that the area described in the book had since been remodelled and was previously known as the café area.
That part of the pub, however, was not the only section to undergo change.
One afternoon, Rab struck up a conversation with a couple in for a meal. The man told him he was a former employee and had worked at the pub years ago. He said it was a great job, and the accommodation that came with the post had been a huge help.
Rab asked where they had stayed.
The man replied, “The wee house upstairs.”
Rab said he knew of no accommodation above the pub. The visitor, however, proved him wrong.
The rear of the pub—now used for stock—has been completely remodelled. The faintest marks of where steps once stood are still visible, but little else remains.
There is a small hidden hatch, painted over and barely recognisable. Upon lifting the wooden panel, you are presented with an entire property, hidden in the mists of time.
A calendar still hangs on the wall from 2001. Other remnants are scattered throughout the dark and vacant space.
What else remains unknown in the famously haunted Hunters Tryst Inn?
