Discover the Story of Edinburgh's Greyfriars Bobby

The tale of the wee dog that waited by his master''s grave after he died is a heart-warming one begging to be discovered by any visitor to Edinburgh.

No trip to Edinburgh is complete without hearing about the story of Greyfriars Bobby, a little dog that showed just how loyal they can really be to their masters.

Immortalised in a small statue just at the top of Edinburgh''s Candlemaker Row, you can visit Bobby yourself and find out all about his fascinating, heart-warming story; getting to visit the actual sites where the dog reportedly stayed whilst mourning for his master.

The year was 1858 - when a man named John Gray died and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard - the cemetery right next to where the statue of Bobby can be found in Edinburgh. Unmarked and largely unnoticed by many, the grave was of interest to no-one, with but one exception: John Gray''s little Skye Terrier, Bobby.

Bobby was so devoted to his master that for 14 long years after John Gray''s death the dog rested day and night at the grave, waiting for his master to return to him. Rumours suggest that the dog only left his master''s grave to collect food, which came in the form of scraps thrown from the back window of a butcher''s into the graveyard just so the dog could survive. Reportedly, many Edinburgh locals also visited the kirkyard when Bobby was the main resident, at one o'' clock, because the one o'' clock gun - a cannon that fired daily from Edinburgh castle to mark the hour, a tradition that still exists even today - to see the terrier scampering off to collect his meal.

The gravekeeper was rumoured to have attempted everything in order to keep Bobby out as animals weren''t permitted in graveyards at the time. He locked the dog out, boarded up any holes and otherwise did everything he could to prevent the dog from entering - but somehow Bobby still managed to get in.

Eventually, it is said that the gravekeeper simply let Bobby stay and gave up trying to block the dog from mourning his master. After all, nobody else was coming to visit the grave, so it may as well be Bobby if nobody else would.

Fourteen long years later, Bobby died - but it''s not a sad end to the tale. Many people like to think Bobby finally got to go and join his master in the next world. Whatever happened, however, this charming tale of loyalty and love is one that many tourists visiting Edinburgh love to explore when they leave their Edinburgh hotels for a day''s sightseeing in the city.

You can visit John Gray''s grave and discover the site where everything happened - don''t forget to have your photo taken with Greyfriars Bobby himself at his commemorative statue!

Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.