The Prisoner in the Tower by Motorhome
Lochleven Castle
The Castle is best remembered for its association with Mary Queen of Scots. She was a frequent visitor during her short reign and used it as a base in 1563 for her favourite pastime of hawking. However the final time she came to the Castle was as a prisoner on the 17th June 1567. A few days earlier Mary Stuart and her third husband Bothwell found their army heavily outnumbered by the Confederate Lords at Carberry Hill. Aided by George and Willie Douglas various plans were made to help her escape. These came to naught as did the plan for the Queen to jump down almost 3 yards to a waiting boat from a window in the Tower. The plan was abandoned when one of the ladies-in-waiting badly damaged her ankle practising. Finally on 2nd May 1568 Mary succeeded in escaping with the help of Willie Douglas who stole the keys to the Postern Gate from a table during a banquet in the Great Hall. They slipped away in one of the boats and legend has it that Willie threw the keys into the water. When the Loch was being lowered in 1831 a set of eight keys was found in the mud.Loch Leven Castle is reached by boat from the main pier at Kinross. Park the Motorhome in the car park and take to the water. Don’t look for a place to pay for the crossing, you don’t pay until you arrive on the island. If you still refuse to pay you’ll be chained up in the Tower.
Linlithgow Palace Fountain
Bothwell the Borderer
Mary met him in Dunbar at a dance
An’ he showed her his sturdy big Castle
She wis a’ taken oan wi’ his knowledge o’ France
So she didnae gie him much hassle
Wi’ his persuasive technique, an’ his manly physique
He wormed his way intae her favour
His dancin’ wis fine if he stayed aff the wine
But he jist couldnae stoap this behaviour
He wis a bandit, a robber, a right bob-a-jobber
An’ he danced wi’ an axe in his belt
She merried the chancer, ‘cause he wis a guid dancer
Or wis it the shaft o’ the chopper she’d felt?
Mary had only ane question tae raise
As soon as their heids hit the pillow
‘Why dae ye dance wi’ an axe roon’ yer waist?’
He said, ‘It’s handy for strippin’ the willow’
His comeuppance came at Carberry Hill
When he showed her his dashin’ white sergeant
Beatin’ a retreat, tae a lively quadrille
Wi’ a yellow leather streak, oan his red leather garment
