Situated in the beautiful town of Linlithgow…

Linlithgow palace is one of the most important buildings to survive from late medieval Scotland.
— Historic Scotland – Alba Aosmhor

St Michael’s Church with its modern spire.

Getting There

Linlithgow is located in West Lothian in the central belt of Scotland. Its easy to get to by road, just take the M9. This castle is also really easy to get to by train, as Linlithgow station is easy walking distance from the grounds.

If you do want to go by car, there is some parking available in front of the castle, through the Outer Gateway added by James V in 1535, so drive carefully! This car park closes at 4pm. Alternatively, there is parking available at the bottom of the hill, but there is a charge between 8am and 6pm.

Entry Costs and services

I bagged this castle on Sunday the 27th of October 2019 and the entry costs were: Adult- £7.20, Concession-£5.40, Child (5-15)-£4.30 and free to Historic Scotland Members. some prices may change.

Open all year round: April to September 09:30 -17:30, October to March 10:00 – 16:00.

there is a car park and great walks for dogs around the castle and the loch. (check with owner about dogs in the building)

website: http://www.historicenvironment.scot

phone:+44 01506 842896

Review

when you first walk in to Linlithgow palace you will see a beautiful fountain added by James V around 1538. The site was occupied from 1124 when a Manor House belonging to David I, the founder of the burgh. Edward I used the site as a military base in the early 1300s and turned it into a fortress.

A fire in 1424 destroyed most of the building and the surrounding town. It was James I who rebuilt it as his ‘pleasure palace’ up to 1437.

The Courtyard has remained the same, but the buildings surrounding it have got bigger and more dramatic. The buildings of the Northern Quarter collapsed in 1607 and were re-built around 1620.

As you can see from the pictures the buildings and courtyard are very grand and imposing.

I really enjoyed climbing up the spiral staircase of the North West tower. From there you can see over beautiful Linlithgow Loch and most of the town.

Surrounding the Palace is the ‘Peel’. This area used to be part of the defences when it was a fortress. It is now beautiful park land which is a good day out on its own. There are events held here throughout the year such as Jousting, Party at the Palace and other performances.