Pipers silenced on Royal Mile

Buskers playing the bagpipes in Edinburgh have been banned from displaying their skills on the Royal Mile. Many of the pipers may have entertained visitors to the Scottish capital, but unfortunately they also irritated a lot of local residents as Inspector Bruce Johnston from Lothian and Borders Police explained to the Daily Telegraph yesterday, Friday, 13 June. "Some days it is from eight in the morning through to 10pm at night. They are disturbing a lot of elderly people and students studying for exams." The Police said they were fielding up to 100 calls a day from people complaining about the pipers.

Around twenty buskers have been asked to sign contracts forbidding them from performing in the Castlehill and the Lawnmarket on the Royal Mile. They face prosecution if they fail to comply.

Tourists in Edinburgh can discover the history of the Royal Mile with the Royal Mile & More audio walking tour. Residents in the Old Town may have kicked up a stink about the pipers on the Royal Mile, but the overcrowding was so bad in the eighteenth century that radical steps were taken to improve the standard of living of wealthy residents. The New Town was built so wealthy residents could escape the filth and smoke that used to hang over the Old Town. To hear an audio sample from the Royal Mile & More Edinburgh travel guide please click here.

Independent travellers in Edinburgh can still capture the essence of the Scottish capital with an audio downloadable walking tour. The Old & New Towns tour begins outside the Castle - where listeners will hear tales of skulduggery and murder - before descending into the Grassmarket, once the site of public executions. Hear about the woman who survived the hangman's noose, the city official who was 'strung up' and more. The Old & New Towns, Edinburgh city guide then continues over the Mound through Princes Street Gardens to St Andrew Square. Walk Talk Tourists undertaking the Old & New Towns mp3 guided tour then walk along George Street before concluding their tour in Charlotte Square, where Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, has his official residence. To hear an audio sample from the Old & New Towns podcast guided tour please click here.

The Royal Mile & More iPod travel guide and the Old & New Towns downloadable travel guide cost just £5.95 each. Typically, the Edinburgh audio travel guides can be completed in two hours, but with a Walk Talk Tour you're in charge. No need to follow a man with an umbrella or feel conspicuous with a guidebook in your hands. Each Walk Talk Tour city guide comes complete with a downloadable map, so you won't miss a thing. Customers purchasing both tours simultaneously will qualify for a twenty per cent discount. Walk Talk Tours represent excellent value for people sightseeing in groups and parties.