Dracula: Bram Stoker’s bloodline to visit Edinburgh for Dracula’s 125th anniversary

It is widely regarded as the greatest gothic horror novel of all time, influencing countless books, films and plays since it was first published back in 1897.

Now a relative of Dracula author Bram Stoker is set to visit Edinburgh as part of an expedition following the Dracula trail.

Celebrating 125 years since the much-loved novel's publication, Dacre Stoker, the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker and the international bestselling co-author of Dracula: The Undead, will lead an expedition following the Dracula trail in Scotland.

The expedition will begin in Whitby, before moving on to explore all Scottish connections to Dracula – including Edinburgh, Jedburgh and finally Cruden Bay, where Bram Stoker wrote several chapters of the novel.

A relative of Dracula author Bram Stoker is set to visit Edinburgh as part of an expedition following the Dracula trail.

The Kilmarnock Arms Hotel in Cruden Bay host the 125th anniversary dinner, featuring local author Mike Shepherd as a guest speaker.

A commemorative plaque donated by the Stoker family detailing locations in the immediate area will be unveiled on the exterior wall of the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel during the special event.

“Scotland is where many chapters of the novel Dracula were actually written,” says Dacre Stoker. “It was during his long walks along the beach of Cruden Bay and on to Whinnyfold where all of Bram’s earlier inspiration, notes and research came together.

This area offered him peace and quiet, a far cry from the interruptions and the stresses of his office in the Lyceum Theatre in London.”

Jenni Steele, film and creative industries manager for VisitScotland, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for people to learn about the Scottish connections to this well-loved novel.

“Dracula holds such a sense of intrigue and mystery - and it’s easy to see why Bram Stoker was inspired by some of Scotland’s magical landscapes and locations on his travels – not to mention the fascinating connections he had with many other Scottish writers and personalities.”

Another Scottish link to the novel Dracula is the influence of Scottish writer Emily Gerard on Bram Stoker’s placing the plot in Transylvania.

The Jedburgh-born author wrote a book about Transylvanian superstitions, which played an important role in Bram’s research when writing his classic novel all those years ago.

For more details on the tour, log on to the Visit Scotland website.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.