Linlithgow

Linlithgow is a small town in The Lothians in central lowland Scotland, 20 miles west of Edinburgh. It's a commuter town for the city, with a population in 2020 of 12,840. Its main attraction is the ruined palace, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, overlooking the town and scenic loch.

Understand

 * "A great nuisance in this reign was the memorable Scottish queen, known as Mary Queen of Hearts on account of the large number of husbands which she obtained, eg Cardinale Ritzio, Boswell, and the King of France: most of these she easily blew up at Holywood."
 * - 1066 and all that, Sellar and Yeaman.

The town was founded as Lithgow, llaith cau, the damp hollow, and lynn llaith cau was the lake causing the dampness; eventually Linlithgow came to mean the town itself. It was astride the route from Edinburgh to Stirling, Perth and the Highlands so it became a stop-over and acquired a medieval palace. Mary Stuart was born at the palace in 1542 and just five days later became Queen of Scotland when her father James V died. The country was therefore ruled by regents and at age six Mary was sent to France for safety and to contract a dynastic marriage with the heir to the French throne.

The royal palace was little used after 1603 when power and patronage drained south to England, and it burned down in 1746. The town however grew with tanning, leatherwork and shoe-making. The canal and later the railway to Glasgow also came this way, swinging north of the hills to cross via Falkirk. It was the county town of West Lothian, but local government moved to Livingston when that new town was created in the 1960s. Linlithgow is now part of the commuter belt for Edinburgh but its Victorian High Street has mostly been preserved.

Civic firsts claimed by Linlithgow include Scotland's first murder by a gun in 1570, the first medical use of chloroform in 1837, and Scotland's first petrol pump in 1919.

Get in
By plane: Linlithgow is 11 miles west of Edinburgh Airport. There's no direct public transport, so the choice is:
 * Tram or bus to Haymarket Station (see Edinburgh), then train or Bus 38 to Linlithgow as below;
 * Hike a mile up the airport access road to Glasgow Road, go under the bridge to be on the correct side, look left for the steps up to the 38 bus stop.
 * Or just grab a taxi.

By train: trains run from Edinburgh every 20 min via Haymarket, taking 20 min to Linlithgow. These run 5AM-11:30PM and continue west to Glasgow Queen Street, the quickest in 30 min via Falkirk High, the slow trains taking an hour via Falkirk Grahamstoun (change here for Stirling) and Cumbernauld.

is at the east end of High Street. It has a staffed ticket office and machines, a waiting room and toilets. There is step-free access to both platforms.

By road: Linlithgow is on the historic Edinburgh-Inverness-John O'Groats road, but this has been severed by airport expansion and downgraded to B9080 - only use it as a scenic route or by bike. Cyclists can also use the canal towpath, which links Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Falkirk and Glasgow. The M9 runs just north of town, with restricted junctions: from Edinburgh exit at jcn 3, from Stirling at jcn 4. From Glasgow follow M8 to Dechmont jcn 3 then zigzag north cross-country on Burnhouse Rd.

By bus: First Scotland East Bus 38 runs every 15 min from Edinburgh past the airport to Kirkliston and Linlithgow, taking an hour. It continues west to Falkirk, Larbert and Stirling, taking another 90 min. It runs daily 6-10:30PM.

Get around
Linlithgow is small enough to walk around. Town bus L1 loops round the town via the residential areas of Springfield, Braehead, Listloaning and Linlithgow Bridge. Prentice Westwood Bus 45 / 46 runs hourly to Bo'ness, orbits that town and Grangemouth then returns. Community Bus F49 runs every 3 hours or so between Linlithgow and Bo'ness via Blackness.

See

 * The Peel originally meant the castle tower but now refers to the lakeside parkland around the ruins.
 * See Livingston for Torphichen Preceptory, base of the medieval Knights Hospitaller, and Cairnpapple Hill Bronze Age burial chamber, both in the fields a couple of miles south of Linlithgow.
 * See Bo'ness for the heritage steam railway.
 * See Livingston for Torphichen Preceptory, base of the medieval Knights Hospitaller, and Cairnpapple Hill Bronze Age burial chamber, both in the fields a couple of miles south of Linlithgow.
 * See Bo'ness for the heritage steam railway.
 * See Livingston for Torphichen Preceptory, base of the medieval Knights Hospitaller, and Cairnpapple Hill Bronze Age burial chamber, both in the fields a couple of miles south of Linlithgow.
 * See Bo'ness for the heritage steam railway.
 * See Livingston for Torphichen Preceptory, base of the medieval Knights Hospitaller, and Cairnpapple Hill Bronze Age burial chamber, both in the fields a couple of miles south of Linlithgow.
 * See Bo'ness for the heritage steam railway.

Do

 * Linlithgow Loch is a good stroll for views of the palace. The path around it is mostly firm going but there are sometimes quaggy bits after rainfall. It's a freshwater loch, shallow, and stocked with rainbow trout. A couple of islets were probably crannogs, 5000-year old stilt-dwellings. The loch sometimes suffers from agricultural run-off, which promotes the growth of toxic algal blooms in early summer - don't let the dog plunge into any green mush.
 * Union Canal has a good towpath for walking or cycling. A mile west of town, this sweeps over the impressive Avon Aqueduct, 250 m long and 26 m above the river. The aqueduct, completed in 1821, uses an iron trough to carry the canal, enabling a more slender design than earlier masonry and clay structures. The canal continues west to Polmont then enters Falkirk by a long tunnel. Finally after 9 miles it descends to the Forth and Clyde Canal via locks, tunnels and the ingenious modern Falkirk Wheel.
 * Eastbound the canal has nothing so spectacular, but pleasant views towards the Pentland Hills, great when the autumn berries are out or there's frost on the hills, and a muddy dog in tow. The canal passes through Winchburgh, loops back to Broxburn, then continues west under the M8 then via Ratho to end at Edinburgh Lochrin Basin after 18 miles.


 * Boat trips sail the canal, usually just a 30-minute putter from the Canal Centre (south-side of the railway station) across the Avon Aqueduct and back. But the entire canal is navigable, as is the canal west from Falkirk to Glasgow. They need notice to open the locks and bridges: check the Scottish Canals website for current status. This includes a skipper's guide to all the locks, moorings and similar essentials.
 * Golf: Linlithgow GC is a mile southwest, Bridgend & District GC is 4 miles southeast, Kingsfield GC is 3 miles east and West Lothian GC is 3 miles north.
 * Deacon's Court is a street fair held in May.
 * Linlithgow Marches is a ceremony of "beating the bounds", with parades, floats, riders and general hoop-de-hoop - High Street is closed throughout, and it also takes in Blackness. It's held on the first Tuesday after the second Thursday in June.
 * Party at the Palace is a music festival in August.
 * Linlithgow Folk Festival and ceilidh is in September.
 * Linlithgow Folk Festival and ceilidh is in September.

Buy

 * Linlithgow High Street has many small independent shops and businesses.
 * There are supermarkets at both ends of town. East is Tesco Metro (M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 8AM-10PM) in the Regent Centre, and west is Sainsburys (daily 8AM-10PM) in Linlithgow Bridge.
 * The retail park in Linlithgow Bridge (near Sainsburys) has some large shops such as Argos and Aldi. The town's only filling station is here on Falkirk Road, open 24 hours.

Eat

 * High St offerings include Nero Pizza, Delhi's Winter, Mason Belles and Cafe Bar 1807.

Drink

 * Others dotted along High Street and open daily 10AM-11PM or later are Platform 3, The Crown Arms, Linlithgow Tap, West Port Hotel and the Willow Tree, which in 2021 was prevailed upon to change its name from "The Black Bitch".
 * Linlithgow Distillery makes gin. The town's St Magdalene whisky distillery closed in 1983.
 * Others dotted along High Street and open daily 10AM-11PM or later are Platform 3, The Crown Arms, Linlithgow Tap, West Port Hotel and the Willow Tree, which in 2021 was prevailed upon to change its name from "The Black Bitch".
 * Linlithgow Distillery makes gin. The town's St Magdalene whisky distillery closed in 1983.

Sleep

 * B&Bs in town centre include Star & Garter, Court Residence, Palace View and West Port Hotel.

Stay safe
Linlithgow is a small town and is safe, there are no rough areas, but swerve clear of the pubs at closing time.

Connect
Linlithgow and its surrounds have 4G from all UK carriers. As of March 2022, 5G has not reached town.

Go next

 * Trains and motorways whisk you quickly to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling.
 * Beyond Stirling you approach Dunblane, the Highlands, and The Trossachs.
 * Admire South Queensferry then cross the Forth road bridge (nowadays "Queens Crossing" M90) to explore Fife.