Loch Leven Castle Island, Kinross

Friday 4^th May

 

We drove 4 and a half hours from home to Kinross, full of narrow streets with give- ways and quite an unlikely place to have a lake. There was a minute to go on the sat. nav. and we were still surrounded by old buildings and then town houses. Surprisingly, round a bend we came to a boat yard and we could see Loch Leven. There is an unmade car park and some buildings towards the lake comprised of a bistro, the booking office for the boat to the island and castle and then nearest the lake an outdoor eating area with a mobile café.

We bought tickets at £6 each (concessions and otherwise £7.50) and were told the next boat was at 2pm so we had 20 minutes wait. It was chilly and overcast so we opted for the bistro where they were happy for us to sit in arm chairs by the door with a pot of tea. Dogs are positively encouraged here with blankets and bowls of water available. We think the only loo was in this building.

Loch Leven has a 13 miles traffic free path round it for walkers and cyclists. There were plenty of cyclists around. It is 6 km at its longest side and is roughly triangular in shape.

Historic Scotland run the boat trip out to the castle. I expected some running commentary on the 10 minutes it took for our group of eleven people to cross but the young man steering the small motor boat, well wrapped up for wintry weather ( but with sun glasses) seemed far away, restricting his speech to only the necessary. We sat next to a bronzed group of 3 older men, recently back from holidays in the sun and off away again next week, who told the story of Mary Queen of Scots to us. In a previous life one could have been a guide he spoke with such enthusiasm or maybe it was local pride.

In 1567 Mary was imprisoned in the castle (belonging to the Douglas family at the time) after surrendering to rebel Scottish lords. Her husband had been murdered and she had been having an affair with Boswell (later husband no.3) who was probably the father of the twins she miscarried during her incarceration. There was a failed attempt at escape. helped by the castle owner’s son, George when she exchanged clothes with a servant woman, but the boatman couldn’t be duped, suspicious of the tapered fingers holding the muffler and part way across he rowed her back.

 The successful escape with the help of the young Douglases, George and teenager William (an adopted son) took place on May 2^nd 1568 through a window, used as a postern gate, after purloining the keys from the dining table. They locked the gate after them and threw the keys into a cannon. Even Mary was said to help row the boat back to land where she proclaimed herself, “ Queen once more.”

The island is bigger today than it would have been in Mary’s time. In 1830 the water level of the loch was lowered by over a metre. Originally the full castle (about half remains) would have occupied all the much smaller island.

Built in the 1300s the tall tower house is entered by the 2^nd floor. The first 2 floors would have housed the kitchen and service area. Mary had her rooms on the third floor of the five. It was said to have been comfortable.

There is a surprising amount of castle left to see and we enjoyed exploring it. On setting foot on the island we were told that the next boat would be in 40 minutes. We walked left first and passed the toilet block, then under the trees behind the curtain wall of the castle until we reached a gate with a no admittance sign. Nearby is a ring of cut tree trunk seats presumably set out for storytelling.

As we walked we were followed around by a mist of what we thought were midges ( the bane of Scotland!) but on closer inspection we saw they were tiny flies, non- biting but causing us to itch non the less. Someone suggested they were corn flies. We thought maybe this would be a good place for a picnic but maybe not if they are there all summer.

The square 5 floored tower, where Mary had her accommodation on the 3^rd floor, dominates the site. Narrow stone spiral staircases lead to the different floors and you have to use your imagination as to how the rooms would be arranged though they were said to have been comfortable. Built in the 1300s the tower house is entered by the 2^nd floor and underneath is the vaulted basement. The first 2 floors would have housed the kitchen and service area and we walked over a service “hatch”, a trapdoor here. There are information boards all around the castle area but we only cursorily read these.

 

The round Glassin Tower built much later around 1500 is set in the SE corner of the ancient wall. The vaulted basement was used for storing water accessed from the courtyard. Separate holes allowed loch water in, while slop water went out through a slop drain. You could feel the damp.

There is an oriel window in the lower chamber with views over the loch and above the higher chamber is a very small room, only accessible from the wall’s walkway, that was probably a library or study.

Oyster catchers flew around the walls noisily. Maybe they had a nest up on there and were using diversion techniques- an unusual bird to see at a castle!

The weather took a turn for the worse and the nippy wind had light rain in it. Several us of strained to see the boat return. It doesn’t seem to go in a direct line, sweeping way out around the island opposite that I believe is a bird sanctuary- maybe that is why!? We were only 9 going back as 2 of our outward party had not got off the boat earlier. We were glad to leave the flies, but it had been well worth a visit. We decided to drive straight away to Anstruther where we would stay Friday night ready for a boat trip out to the Isle of May early Saturday.