Photographs, route description and maps of the walk from Blackness Castle along the Firth of Forth via Hopetoun House to the Bridges at Queensferry in the East of Scotland

Entrance Gates to Hopetoun House

Hopetoun House

The country house was built between 1699-1701

and then hugely extended from 1721

It is owned by the Hopetoun House Preservation Trust,

a charity established in 1974

to preserve the House and Grounds as a national monument.

Hopetoun House

Aerial view of Hopetoun House

Gardens at Hopetoun House

Abercorn Church

Wikipedia - Abercorn

Midhope Castle at Abercorn

a 16th-century tower house.

It is a Category A listed building

and a scheduled ancient monument

Wikipedia - Midhope Castle

Beach at Blackness Village

at start of path to Bo'ness

Route map for Blackness to Queensferry

BLACKNESS TO QUEENSFERRY - ROUTE DESCRIPTION:

Location: West Lothian
Map: OS Landranger 65
Distance: 10 miles ( 16km )
Time: 4-5 hours
Terrain: Moderate shoreline walk

This walk, now part of the John Muir Way, has a lot to offer, from ancient carved stones through an imposing castle and a magniﬁcent stately home up to modern marvels of engineering - and with super views as well.
South Queensferry has lots of history. The name derives from Queen Margaret having crossed the Forth here, and in fact there was a ferry to Fife until the Forth Road Bridge opened 40 years ago. As you walk out of Queensferry, you pass under not one road bridge but two, and can see the progress being made on the new crossing, which is fascinating.
The walk then enters the grounds of Hopetoun House, crossing the Deer Park. The original house was designed by Sir George Bruce for Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun, but what you see today is mostly the work of William Adam, dating from the 1720s. He also laid out the gardens and grounds. The facade is extremely impressive and features a large fountain. The house is open to visitors and stages numerous events. During some of these ( such as horse trials ) access may be restricted.
Leaving Hopetoun, the walk enters mature woodland and crosses the old Nethermill Bridge. The signposted diversion to Abercorn Church is well worth taking. The church is a simple, beautiful building with a history going back more than 1,000 years and in a tiny museum close by are some astonishing carved symbol stones thought to date from the 8th century.
From here on the walk keeps close to the shore for the rest of the way , but because part of it is in woodland you don‘t always get the views.
A long stretch of about 2.5km through Wester Shore Wood ends as you emerge into the open with Blackness Castle ahead of you.
Blackness was built in the 15th century for the then powerful Crichton family and guarded the harbour for Linlithgow, one of the most important Royal Burghs in Scotland. The castle was later used as a prison.
Looking back from the castle, the view down the Firth really starts to open up.
The route continues through Blackness village and along the shore path to Bo'ness, long popular with local people. The views really open up here and you can look ahead and right to the Ochil Hills and the distant cone of Ben Lomond and back to the three great bridges.
Another woodland section follows, intriguing because as well as a great variety of woodland birds you can also find waders, so you might well see and hear curlew and jays at the same time.
Nearing Bo'ness there is another open section with stupendous views.
The ﬁnal stretch of the walk keeps to the shore outside Bo’ness’s industrial area and crosses a park to reach Bo'ness Harbour. Next to the harbour is Bo'ness Station from where you can round off your day with a trip on a steam train to Kinneil.
Bo'ness itself ( originally Borrowstounness ) has a long history and is well worth exploring.

Route:

Buses run from Linlithgow to South Queensterry and from Bo'ness back to Linlithgow.
Visit www.travelinescotland.com.
Leave S Oueensferry by Hopetoun Road.
Fork right under the Road Bridge ( NCH76 signs )
and continue with Hopetoun Fload, later Society Road, for 1.5km.
Fork L to enter Hopetoun Estate through gates.
Follow the signs L then R and through a gate.
Cross the Deer Park on a track and TR twice as signed to go down into woods.
Cross burn by bridge and follow track through Wester Shore Wood for 2.5km then path to Blackness.
Visit castle then walk through village and continue on shore path to Bo'ness.
Keep outside industrial area on shore path, later take concrete walkway past small harbour.
At park area take L fork, leaving JMW. then in 150m go R to Bo'ness Harbour.
Go L by harbour, cross railway by bridge and go R on Union St to town centre and bus station.
Note: Access through the Hopetoun Estate can be affected by major events.
Visit their website tor dates and details.

Route Map for Blackness to Abercorn Church

BLACKNESS TO ABERCORN CHURCH - ROUTE DESCRIPTION:

This ﬁne coastal walk links Blackness Castle on the Firth of Forth with Abercorn Church and its ancient graveyard.
Much of the walk is in woodland and while this will provide shelter from the Forth's winds there may be tree debris from recent storms so care is needed.
From the village follow the road north towards Blackness Castle, which occupies a commanding position on a promontory jutting into the Firth of Forth.
Built to defend Blackness, the seaport for Linlithgow's Royal Palace, the original 14th-century keep was fortiﬁed into an impressive
artillery fortiﬁcation that saw considerable action. The castle is open to the public.
Turn right before the entrance to the castle courtyard and follow a path beside the outer wall to steps, which lead to the grassy frontage of the bay.
From here a path leads round the bay to a gate at the entrance to Wester Shore Wood.
The track through the woodland to Abercom is part of a national cycle route.
The track gives a straightforward route to Nethermill Bridge over the Midhope Burn at the western end of Hopetoun Estate with
glimpses through the trees to the Firth of Forth and Fife.
Turn right after the bridge and over a subsidiary burn on to a section of new track up to Abercorn Church. It dates mostly from
the late 1800s though a blocked doorway on the south side is from the 12th century.
An exit can be made from the south-west corner of the graveyard to regain the track, which is descended back to Nethermill Bridge.
Here a variation return can be made via the upper path in Wester Shore Wood. This follows paths and tracks, and is a little wilder than the prepared cycle route.
Cross the bridge, turn left and follow the track beside the burn to a junction, turn right and follow the path and track beside the southern boundary of the woodland.
It is best to descend via the ﬁrst or second obvious path on the right as the last section of the path has a tricky rock-step across a burn.
If you get to this point and don't fancy the crossing then it is only a short distance back to a path leading down to the cycle route.
Back on the cycle route follow it to the woodland gate and turn left up the path to Blackness.