Join us at Blackness Castle to have a fun-filled summer with our Living History programme that is running from the start of July through to the middle of August.
Selected dates until Sunday 15 August 2021, visit the HES website for further details.
Get a glimpse into what life was like as a medieval scribe during the 14th century whilst admiring the views across the Forth.
You can even meet a Jacobite soldier to learn about his life enduring warfare in the 18th century. Between the 17 July and 1 August we are delighted to welcome you to our Living History programme as part of CastleFest at Blackness Castle.
Blackness Castle
Blackness,
EH49 7NH
4m NE of Linlithgow on the Firth of Forth, off the A904
From Linlithgow train station walk 5 mins to Linlithgow Cross on the High Street, First Bus number 49 to Blackness. Walk 6 minutes to castle.
Getting Around:
If you're planning on visiting Linlithgow Palace, Torphichen Preceptory and Blackness Castle, then buy your PLUSBUS ticket at only £2.30 for one day of unlimited travel, it is definitely worth while
Site contact number
01506 834 807
Parking
The car park is about 10m from the visitor centre. It has a rough gravel surface and no accessible spaces marked.
Approach to site
The main castle building is about 30m along a level gravel roadway and about 10m down a fairly steep, uneven path.
Visitor centre
Enter the shop via three concrete steps with a wooden handrail on both sides.
Monument
The entrance to the site has a gently sloping concrete plinth with a single handrail before stepping down to uneven natural rock at the entrance.
The ground level of the castle is mostly uneven rock or cobbles, and is slippery when wet. The pier is of planked wood coated with an anti-slip surface.
The south (stern) tower is reached over a rough cut rock stair and a stone spiral staircase of 51 steps. The east courtyard parapet (wall walk) is reached along the west spur, up a series of stone staircases or through the great hall, via a spiral staircase with no handrail.
The roof of the north (fore) tower is reached up 40 stone steps to the spur battery then along the battlements and up a further two sets (1 wood, 1 stone) of 7 steps.
The first floor is reached up a further 16 timber steps with a handrail on the left hand side. The mid tower is reached through a spring mounted wooden door.
The upper levels are reached via wide and even stone spiral stairs with no handrails. There are four picnic tables and two benches on the lawn in front of the castle.
Surroundings
There is a large grassed area around the castle.
Toilets
The nearest adapted toilets are at
Tesco, Link Road, Bo Ness EH51 9AN;
3.4 miles.
Join us for a night time walk around the palace and peel as we search for Linlithgow's nocturnal inhabitants. Bat detectors will be available to help us track down these elusive creatures, but don't forget to bring a torch!
Discover more around the historic town of Linlithgow, starting and finishing at Linlithgow Palace.
Join us on Thursday 29 July at 8pm for a brand new live, interactive panel show featuring some of Scotland’s best loved comedians and our top historical experts.
Visit West Lothian, Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, West Lothian. EH54 6FF UK Registration No. SC346843
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