More ghostly tours to meet demand

Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides are on track to achieve another record-breaking year with their Ghostly and Macabre walking tours.

Having dealt with a record 828 bookings last year, they are on course to beat that and have sold out until mid-January. The demand has been so great that two additional tours are being staged on Thursday 13 February and Thursday 13 March.

Marketing Officer John Saunders said: “Before we even started at Halloween we had reached half of last year’s total. Why? The answers lie in visitors from further afield - our adjoining counties and Hertfordshire; local people returning to bring family or friends and the amount of publicity we have generated.

"We have had some very positive articles, most recently following a tour enjoyed by the Morbid Tourist who was in awe at the number of spooky legends and highlighted Bury St Edmunds as being lesser known for its dark tourism as opposed to York or Edinburgh. The online reviews we receive consistently show that our customers are extremely satisfied, especially with the way the guides narrate their tales.”

For those who think that the tours are just about history, the guides have unearthed recent stories of premises in town where strange happenings occur.

John added: "The evenings combine the grizzly with humour and provide a talking point for those who come as groups and go on to enjoy the town’s night-time economy. People are booking the tours for hen nights, birthdays and we know that some are buying them as Christmas gifts. The extra nights will allow for those who want to scare their Valentine in February or seek an early Easter bunny.”

The Ghostly and Macabre Walking Tours are every Friday until March 28. Tickets are £10, bookable on the Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides website or call 01284 758000.