Mary Queen of Scots tour
Mary Queen of Scots tours – four locations
Our tour features a visit to the key places in the life of Mary Queen of Scots including Linlithgow Palace and Stirling Castle . Five films have been made about Mary Queen of Scots including the 2019 film featuring Oscar Nominee Saoirse Ronan in the role of Mary, and Margot Robbie as Elizabeth I .
Linlithgow Palace
Linlithgow Palace is where Mary was born in 1542.
Next to the Palace is the medieval St Michael’s Parish Church where Mary was baptised . A new bronze statue of Mary has been erected next to the church .
Linlithgow Palace featured as Wentworth Prison in Outlander.
This royal pleasure palace and birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. 2. Stirling Castle is where Mary was brought to be crowned as an infant.
This was her home until she was 5 years old. The castle features the royal palace , rose gardens and Royal Apartments. In the castle Mary saw the baptism of her son, James VI . Sadly this is also the place where she sees him for the last time.
3. Loch Leven
Loch Leven recalls one of the more sombre periods in Mary’s life. Loch Leven Castle is where Mary was imprisoned for nearly a year, suffered a miscarriage and was forced to abdicate in favour of her son James. She eventually escaped with the help of George Douglas but went on to suffer defeat at The Battle of Langside, and on to imprisonment in England. On the tour we stop at Loch Leven .
4. Falkland Palace, the favourite retreat of the Stewarts. Mary is thought to have enjoyed some of her happiest days here, enjoying hunting and hawking and playing tennis on the world’s oldest tennis court. On a more haunting note, it is here that her father James V was said to utter the prophecy of The Stewart Dynasty “It cam’ wi’ a lass and it’ll gang wi’ a lass” and you can also see a copy of her death mask.
Nine key dates in the life of Mary Queen of Scots
Born 8 December 1542 in Linlithgow Palace.
Crowned Queen of Scots in the Chapel Royal, Stirling Castle, aged just nine months.
Smuggled to France aged five, where she lived until she was 18.
Gave birth to her only child in Edinburgh Castle. He would rise to become James VI of Scotland and James I of England.
Some believe she arranged to have her second husband, Lord Darnley, assassinated.
Married for a third time to Lord Bothwell – some believe he abducted her against her will.
Imprisoned for almost a year in Lochleven Castle in Kinross before managing to escape.
Last hours in Scotland were spent in Dundrennan Abbey in Dumfries & Galloway before journeying to England to seek protection from her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
Confined in England for 18 years before Elizabeth sanctioned her death warrant and she was beheaded. She died 8 February 1587 in Fotheringhay Castle.
The 2019 Mary Queen of Scots film features Oscar Nominee Saoirse Ronan in the role of the ambitious Mary, whose attempts to reclaim the throne of Scotland incurs the wrath of the virgin queen, Elizabeth I, played by Margot Robbie. Former Dr Who David Tennant also features in the film as John Knox . Much of the filming for the £180 million project has taken place in Edinburgh, 20 miles from the queen’s birthplace in Linlithgow, with scenes also shot in Glencoe, Blackness Castle , Oxford and Derbyshire. The film also features a digital recreation of Linlithgow Palace , birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.
Mary Queen of Scots tours – phone +447305-294773 or book online .
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Take a Highlands Scotland tour from Edinburgh and discover the beauty of Scotland’s landscapes. Late bookings for UK tours can be made by phone / WhatsApp +447305294773.
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Outlander Blood of my Blood filming began filming at Doune Castle in Scotland and it was completed in June. Outlander fans in the US , UK and around the world are getting excited about seeing the second half of season 7 this year and season 8 , the final season next year .
Crown castles tourScotland. Season six of the Crown featuring St Andrews is on Netflix.
Experience days in Scotland offer visitors from America, Canada and Europe a unique and immersive way to explore the rich history, stunning landscapes, and cultural heritage of this amazing country.
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Need more information ? Please phone / text / Whatsapp us on +447305294773 or contact us online
Custom tours of Scotland can be arranged – pick the locations you want to visit . For more information and bookings please phone / Whatsapp +447305-294773 or contact us online .
Your driver / guide is David Rankin , a photographer with 20 years experience and a tour guide for 6 years . David has extensive knowledge of the top locations in Scotland for a wide range of tours to castles , the Highlands and film locations including Outlander and Game of Thrones . Please phone / text / Whatsapp him on +447305294773 or contact us online
Explore Westeros with our Doune Castle Game of Thrones Tour, an unforgettable experience that transports you to the iconic locations featured in the globally renowned TV series.
Mel Gibson decided to direct the film, as well as star as Wallace. Braveheart was filmed in Scotland and Ireland from June to October 1994. Book your Braveheart tour online
Yes, Midhope Castle is the real life location for Lallybroch , the ancestral home of Jamie Fraser . You can visit Lallybroch on our unique Outlander tours .Lallybroch, or Broch Tuarach, is Jamie’s fictional home in the series. Outlander tours from Edinburgh can be booked online . In real life it’s an ancient 16th-century tower house outside Edinburgh. The castle stars in a number of Outlander episodes as the ancestral home of Jamie Fraser , played by Scottish actor Sam Heughan . You can visit the castle on one of our tours and take a look around the outside . Unfortunately the inside of Lallybroch is derelict and not accessible at the moment , although plans have been announced to build accommodation inside the castle .
What is Broch Tuarach? And can you take a tour to it ? It is an old broch on the land, Broch Tuarach means “north-facing tower” in Gaelic. Lallybroch, as the estate is known among those who live there, in turn means “lazy tower”. Lallybroch , ancestral home of Jamie Fraser , is also known as Broch Tuarach . Broch Tuarach tours can be booked online . For last minute bookings phone / Whatsapp us on +447305-294773