When Mary Stuart was born on an icy December day in 1542, no-one could have imagined that she would die some 45 years later upon a scaffold, deep in English territory, having been the prisoner of her English cousin, Elizabeth, for some 20 years. But the little Scottish queen had been born into a land that whose religious landscape was changing.
Having returned from France at the age of 19, Mary was thrust headlong into a hostile climate. She may have been young, cultured and very beautiful, but her Catholic religion had been displaced by Protestantism - and her lords all too often unmanageable and at dangerous loggerheads with one another.
Undermined by a series of her own cataclysmic decisions, almost as soon as Mary had returned to Scotland, she became embroiled in events that would set her upon a path that would ultimately end with her execution at Fotheringhay.
It is always a deeply moving experience to follow in the footsteps of any great historical character. Now, in this 5-day, 4-night tour, you will have the chance to explore Mary’s Scotland. We will follow in the Scottish Queen’s trail from the place of her birth, Linlithgow Palace, to Stirling Castle, where her mother took Mary to escape King Henry VIII’s rough wooing of the infant queen.
Of course, Edinburgh, and its dramatic castle, are a must! There, we will be touring two residences that were central to the young queen’s life story: The Palace of Holyrood, where we will stand in the very room in which her secretary, David Riccio, was brutally murdered in front of her eyes, as well as Edinburgh Castle, where Mary retreated after Riccio’s murder – and where she subsequently gave birth to her son, James, the future King of Scotland and England.
Finally, we pick up Mary’s trail at Loch Leven and (weather depending) we will be able to relive Mary’s doleful voyage across the loch to the place where she would spend her first few days in imprisonment, and where she would miscarry of twins and finally be violently forced to abdicate her throne.
Many of these places remain remarkably intact – and so there remains a strong, felt sense of connection to the Scottish Queen. So, I hope you can join us in search of Mary, Queen of Scots, as we retrace her steps through Bonnie Scotland, immersing ourselves in iconic places that bore witness to moments of triumph and tragedy in the life of this most captivating of women.
Professor Kate Williams is an author, historian and broadcaster and the author of nine books, most recently Rival Queens about Mary Queen of Scots
She will be joining us on this tour to talk about the relationship and rivalry between Mary and Elizabeth
Philippa is well respected within the history and travel industries for creating historical experiences which consistently exceed expectations.
Philippa entertains thousands each week with her videos and stories from across the UK and British History. This ability to engage an audience in British history as well as being an expert in travelling the historical sites of the UK, makes her the perfect tour manager.
Her aim is to provide once in a lifetime experiences but which you'll want to repeat!
Meet at the designated, convenient pick-up point where you will board our luxury private coach bound for our hotel.
We meet again early evening to enjoy a welcome drinks reception before our evening meal and welcome talk, from Sarah Morris.
On our first full day, we will visit Linlithgow Palace where both Mary and her father, James V of Scotland, were born. Linlithgow was built in the 15th century and was apparently the first place to be called a "Palace" in Scotland!
In the afternoon we will visit Stirling Castle where the infant Mary was taken for safety by her mother during Henry VIII's "rough wooing" before returning to our hotel for a 3-course dinner.
On day 3 we will be touring two residences that were central to the young queen’s life story: The Palace of Holyrood, where we will stand in the very room in which her secretary, David Riccio, was brutally murdered in front of her eyes, as well as Edinburgh Castle, where Mary retreated after Riccio’s murder – and where she subsequently gave birth to her son, James, the future King of Scotland and England.
Today we visit a place which held happy memories for Mary, Falkland Palace. This pleasure palace of the Stuarts was a place for hawking, hunting and 'Royal' tennis. The tennis court built for Mary's father James V, is still here! Mary is known to have played here...in breeches - scandalous!
Anyone who is an Outlander fan will also recognise Falkland Palace which doubled as 1940's Aberdeen
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per person with Double Occupancy, Single Person Supplement of 50% Applies
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