The island prison where Mary was forced to abdicate before escaping across the loch in 1568.
From guest to prisoner
Mary first visited Loch Leven as a royal guest in 1561. After her surrender at Carberry Hill in 1567, she returned under guard and was held by the Douglas family for almost a year in the island tower house.
Abdication and escape
While imprisoned, Mary suffered a miscarriage and was compelled to abdicate in favour of her infant son, James VI. She escaped by boat on 2 May 1568 with help from within the Douglas household. After defeat at Langside she crossed into England and never returned to Scotland.
An island stronghold
The tower house dates from the fourteenth century and is among Scotland's oldest. Visitors still approach by boat from Kinross, making the physical isolation of Mary's prison part of the experience. Sailings remain dependent on season and weather.
What to look for while you're here
- The tower-house rooms associated with Mary's confinement.
- The unusually high original entrance to the medieval tower.
- The Glassin Tower and the confined scale of the castle enclosure.
Before you go
- The castle is reached only by Historic Environment Scotland's boat from Kinross.
- Sailings are seasonal, capacity-limited and weather-dependent.