A Hollywood stuntman has travelled to Perthshire to join ghost-hunters investigating haunted sites in the region.
Rick McCallum, who worked on Clint Eastwood’s 2011 film J Edgar – starring Leonardo DiCaprio – is among a group of Americans who have headed to the region this week in search of supernatural goings-on.
The group are being hosted by Lynn Knight, from Blackford, who runs History and Horrors Tours with her husband Gary.
They are exploring a series of buildings in the region in the hope of finding something unusual.
Lynn met Rick – not to be confused by the film producer of the same name – at an event last year.
She said: “We kept in touch and when he came back to Scotland at the end of last year we met up and showed him around a couple of places.
‘Perth is ancient – there’s so much under the surface’
“He loves Scotland but every time he comes he gets the train from Edinburgh to Inverness and back again.
“I told him that he has to do Perth, it’s ancient and there’s so much under the surface.
“He’s got a group of people coming over and I’ll be showcasing the dark and spooky side of Perth for a couple of days.”
Lynn has already planned an itinerary for the group – which also includes FATE Mag Radio host Kat Hobson.
Lynn said: “First we’re going to be staying at the Bankfoot Inn. The owners contacted us because one thought that it was haunted.
“My husband and I are going to be staying in what is thought to be their most haunted room.
“A few things have happened in there, like a voice being recorded, and we were kept up through the night before as there were footsteps heard.
“Then we will show them around Dunkeld and will be staying at the Salutation Hotel (in Perth) which is meant to be repeatedly haunted by Bonnie Prince Charlie among others.
“They’ll be staying there for two nights and will be doing an investigation on the first night.
“We’ve had permission from the Fair Maid’s House to do a bit of ghost-hunting. That’s quite a coup as it hasn’t been investigated before.”
‘It’s a great way to bring history to life’
Lynn hopes the group’s findings will lead to more people visiting the area.
She said: “It’s our way of trying to put Perth on the map.
“Look what it has done for Edinburgh, dark tourism and the paranormal are very popular.
“It’s a great way – even if you don’t believe in the afterlife and ghosts – to bring history to life and make it relevant.
“Storytelling and ghost stories go back millennia, it’s part of social history and a great way to promote the area and the city.”
Conversation