A visit to Blackness Castle can be a fun day out for all the family. The castle is located in Blackness, a small village on the Firth of Forth not far from Linlithgow. A visit to Blackness Castle is full of history and fun activities for the kids. The castle has an interesting past and sits overlooking the Firth of Forth with stunning views of the Forth Bridges.
Family-Friendly Attraction in West Lothian
COVID Information:
Blackness Castle tickets must be booked in advance. You will be given a timeslot for your visit. The car park is limited to roughly 90mins. After that time, you will have to move your car to somewhere in the village, which can be difficult due to there not being that many parking places. Especially if it is sunny, as we found out!
Face masks must be worn in the inside buildings and currently, there are limits to how many people can be in a room at a time. There are also several one-way systems in place. It is all very well organised and feels very safe. Hand sanitisers are located around the castle too which is very handy (no pun intended haha).
Blackness Castle – Visitor Information
The ticket office, gift shop and toilets are all located in the building to your right as you enter the car park. Once your Blackness Castle tickets have been checked you can walk through the car park towards the castle.
The castle is not suitable for prams so either try to get your little ones to walk or have a baby/toddler carrier.
Exploring Blackness Castle – Outlander Castle Location
Blackness Castle was really interesting to explore, and the boys really enjoyed looking around. From learning about the Mast Tower being for the privileged captives where prisoners would have been able to roam from the castle during the day and come back for curfew in the evening. They were also allowed to have their families and servants live with them too. Whereas the Stem Tower was used as a state prison. Prisoners were usually low and mid status people. The low-status people would have been put in the pit prison which is accessed through a hatch in the floor. It was dark, damp and conditions must of being horrific. The boys wanted to see into the pit prison, so I shone my phone torch down, but it was still pitch black! The middle-status prison is the room in the stem tower that you access from the stairs which had a level of comfort to it with a nice view, fireplace, and a latrine.
You can some stunning views of the Forth bridges and surrounding areas from the roofed areas of the castle. Definitely not to be missed. From the roof, you can also see where to walk to get to the beach if you wish to visit after visiting this West Lothian castle.
Blackness Castle might not be the biggest castle to explore with kids. However, there is enough for 1.5-2 hours to explore and read the boards about the history of the castle.
After your visit, you could head into the village to explore or even go for a walk along the beach.
For more information about Blackness Castle, you can access it here
If you are looking for a great family day out in West Lothian, then visiting Blackness and its castle with your family is a must!
I love taking the boys to places that are great for their education and they can learn so much from their visit while having fun. Have you visited Blackness Castle with kids? Let me know below!
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