Linlithgow Palace
In Part 90 of this blog series, I noted I often have the impression I’m following in the footsteps of Mary Queen of Scots. In keeping with this I decided to take a trip out to Linlithgow Palace, which is in fact the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. It is a bit of a ruin these days, though parts of it are still accessible to the public. The grounds are magnificent and well worth taking the time for a stroll. The palace is situated beside Linlithgow Loch and an ideal place for a picnic. Look out too for the swans.
It is a different experience from say visiting Falkland Palace (see Part 66 of this blog), which is furnished and is maintained to a high standard. Linlithgow Palace is not what it was which is a shame. Having said that it is well worth visiting and gaining an impression of how imposing the structure would have been centuries ago. There is a fair bit of scaffolding around the palace itself and I’m hoping restoration work continues to improve the structure.
Mary was born here in 1542, becoming Queen at just six days old. The Marie Stuart Society gifted a statue of Mary in 2015 and this can be seen to your left as you go through the main gate to the palace grounds. As you go into the grounds you can also take in the 15th-century St Michael’s Parish Church where Mary was baptised. Along with the palace these are two of Scotland’s finest medieval buildings.
In keeping with many of these sites, the palace was used for filming some scenes in the Outlander TV series, though standing in for a fictional castle in the story. The town of Linlithgow is a great place to visit if you fancy a drink and something to eat. It can be very busy especially at the height of the summer tourist season, but there is so much space in the palace grounds, that if you want some peace and tranquillity, then you can’t go far wrong with taking time out among the grounds.
The Fiction Factory 