Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
by Sir William Bruce in 1699. It was enlarged as well as substantially redesigned in
1721 by no less than three members of the architecturally talented Adam family. You
can wander through splendid reception rooms filled with period furniture, Renais-
sance paintings, statuary, and other artworks. The views of the Firth of Forth are
panoramic from the rooftop observation deck. After touring the house, visitors
should try to take in the grounds, some 60 hectares (150 acres) of parkland with a
walled garden, shorefront trail, and deer park. Last entry is 1 hour before closing.
South Queensferry.
&
0131/331-2451.
www.hopetounhouse.com. Admission to house and grounds £8
adults, £7 seniors, £4.25 children, £22 family. MC, V. Easter weekend to last weekend in Sept daily
10:30am-5pm (groups by appointment year round). 3km (2 miles) from the Forth Rd. Bridge near
South Queensferry, 16km (12 miles) from Edinburgh off A904.
Linlithgow Palace
In the 15th and 16th centuries, this was one of the favor-
ite residences of Scotland's royal Stuarts. It was the first building to be called a
palace in the country. Today, it is one of Scotland's most poignant ruins, but visitors
can still get an idea of how grand the place once was. Most of the structure was built
by King James I between 1425 and 1437. In 1513, Queen Margaret (part of the
ruling Tudor family in England) waited in vain here for husband James IV to return
from the ruinous battle of Flodden, where England's forces routed the Scots, killing
the king and much of his court. When their son, James V (also born here) wed Mary
of Guise, the palace fountain ran with wine. Their daughter, the now iconic Mary,
Queen of Scots, was later the last Scottish monarch born here. More than 200 years
later in 1746, a fire gutted the building when government troops, who were in pur-
suit of Bonnie Prince Charlie's army, were barracked in Linlithgow. Last admission
is 45 minutes before closing.
Linlithgow.
&
01506/842-896.
www.historic-scotland.gov.uk. Admission £5.20 adults, £4.20 seniors,
£3.10 children. AE, MC, V. Apr-Sept daily 9:30am-5:30pm; Oct-Mar 9:30am-4:30pm.
Roslynn Chapel
In no small part thanks to Dan Brown's blockbuster novel,
The Da Vinci Code,
and the Hollywood film, the elaborately carved Rosslyn Chapel
is firmly on the trail of those who seek to retrace the historic and mythical path of
the Knights Templar. The chapel was founded in 1446 by Sir William St. Clair and
has been long noted for its architectural and design idiosyncrasies (though it doesn't
have all of those mentioned in Brown's tome). While undergoing long-term restora-
tion, the chapel remains open to the public. Guided tours can be arranged and last
admission is 30 minutes before closing.
Off the A701 in the village of Roslin, about 10km (6 miles) south of central Edinburgh.
&
0131/440-
2159.
www.rosslynchapel.org.uk. Admission £7.50 adults, £6 seniors, £4 students in groups. AE, MC, V.
Mon-Sat 9:30am-6pm; Sun noon-4:45pm. Closed Christmas and New Year.
St. Michael's Parish Church
Next to Linlithgow Palace stands the medieval kirk
of St. Michael, site of worship for many a Scottish monarch after its consecration in
1242. The biggest pre-Reformation parish church in Scotland, it was mostly con-
structed in the 15th century. In St. Catherine's Aisle, just before the battle of Flodden,
King James IV apparently saw an apparition warning him against fighting the English.
Perhaps he should have listened. Despite being ravaged by the more zealous disciples
of Protestant reformer John Knox (who chided followers for their “excesses”) and
transformed into a stable by Cromwell's forces, this remains one of Scotland's best
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