Believe it or not, strolling the subterranean catacombs underneath the historic Rock Cemetery is not as creepy as it sounds.
Despite being only a stone's throw from the bumper-to-bumper traffic of Mansfield Road the soon-to-be-opened cave network is home to a silence so peaceful it's almost therapeutic and the tunnels are neither damp nor cold. Indeed while you really wouldn't want to spend the night it's surprisingly pleasant.
The revelation that the catacombs never did fulfill their purpose as a final resting place for the dead is also welcome news, somewhat slashing the chance of stumbling across any gruesome remains.
Yes, it really isn't as chilling as one would first expect, well, at least it's not until tour guide Allan Mather asks our trio of explorers to turn their torches off.
It is dark. Can't see your fingers held up in front of your face dark. Feeling quite vulnerable because this could definitely be the premise of a horror film dark. Hairs standing up on your forearms dark.
It's easy to see why so many ghost hunters and fans of the supernatural are particularly interested in stepping inside the previously closed-to-the-public labyrinth.
With the torches turned back on again, the caves are a less intimidating entity, although sensible walking shoes are an absolutely must as the floors are incredibly uneven due to dust being blown in from small openings (possible carved out for ventilation), water erosion and the fact the network of tunnels were carved out by men swinging pick-axes - the blade marks of which can still be clearly seen in the ceiling.
"They could have been done yesterday, they are so well preserved," Allan offers, before pointing out further highlights including old and new graffiti carved into the sandstone, holes chipped out for candles and the old fixings of where gates would have once been.
Our guide is a Nottingham City Council memorial technician by day and has a wealth of fascinating pub quiz facts.
While keen to keep some of the tour under wraps so as not to spoil it for the hundred or so people lucky enough to bag themselves one of the handful of tours - tickets to which sold out in just 48 hours - he does share some theories about the catacombs.
Created on the site of a former sand mine, closed after workers began dying in the questionable employment conditions, Allan suspects the building project to create the catacombs may have been a ruse to continue mining there - as the fine quality sand was used for making glass.
Allan suggests another reason for its creation could have been as a cut through to the sunken walled burial area of the cemetery called St Ann's Valley. A resting place for paupers, the closed-off section would have been difficult to access by horse and cart via the sloped path and the carved out catacombs provided a handy short cut.
As well as the catacombs, the hour long tour takes in some of the famous graves located in the cemetery, which read like a Victorian celebrity who's-who of the city - with Watson Fothergill (Nottinghamshire architect who designed more than 100 buildings), Sir Frank Bowden (founder of the Raleigh Bicycle Company) and James Shipstone (founder of the Shipstones brand of beer) all laid to rest on site.
The tour also takes in Robin Hood's Cave, located on the eastern perimeter, which in the mid-19th century was rumoured to have been part of an ancient druid temple. It was also used to host an illumination experience for visitors coming to Goose Fair at the Forest Recreation Ground.
Opening on Friday (April 5) it will be the first time the underground network has been opened to the public and as such admission to the scheduled tours went like hot cakes, selling out in just 48 hours, with more than 500 people joining a waiting list.
Priced at £10 per person, the sessions are part of his year's Cave City - Underground Festival.
Further tours will be announced throughout the year.
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