Blackness Castle, Scotland: An Outlander Location With a Haunted Twist

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No trip to Scotland would be complete without visiting one of its many castles, and one of its true hidden gems has to be Blackness Castle.

A star of the screen in its own right, Blackness has appeared in both runaway success stories (think Outlander) and box office flops (looking at you, 1997’s Macbeth). But what’s it really like to visit?

I paid my first visit to Blackness Castle on New Year’s Eve, and it wasn’t long before I was completely swept up in the atmosphere and history of the place.

Take it from someone who has actually been there, a trip to Blackness is definately worth missing a day in Edinburgh for, or making a beeline to if you’re travelling along the M90!

This post is your complete guide to exploring Blackness Castle – and to hunting down the surprisingly low number of ghosts rumoured to haunt the site.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• History of Blackness Castle
• Why Is It Called The Ship That Never Sailed?
  • The South or ‘Stern’ Tower
  • The Central or ‘Main Mast’ Tower
  • The North or ‘Stem’ Tower 
• Prisoners At Blackness Castle
  • The Central ‘Prison’ Tower 
  • The Pit Prison or Bottle Dungeon
• Is Blackness Castle Haunted? 
  • The Ghostly Knight of Blackness Castle 
  • Things That Go Bump In The Night
• Blackness Castle in Film and TV
  • Blackness Castle And Outlander
  • Christopher Lee’s Ivanhoe
  • Mel Gibson’s Hamlet 
  • Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
• Let’s Get You There 
  • Driving from Edinburgh 
  • Alternative Modes of Transport
  • Tours From Edinburgh 
• General Visitor Information 
  • Ticket Price & Best Time to Go
  • Do I Need To Book To Visit The Castle? 
• Want More Things to See in Scotland?

History of Blackness Castle

If you’re a fan of Scottish history, then you may well have heard of Blackness Castle in Scotland already.

Jutting out on a rugged rock formation along the Firth of Forth, Blackness Castle – also known as The Ship That Never Sailed – has links with the once-powerful Crichton family, surrendered to Oliver Cromwell in 1650, and even served as a state prison during the infamous Killing Times of the 17^th century.

According to Historic Environment Scotland, Blackness Castle has been a key location in the Scottish history timeline. 

Why Is It Called The Ship That Never Sailed?

It’s not obvious to see how Blackness Castle got its nickname when looking at the castle from the car park or even down at it from the ramparts. 

To appreciate the true essence of ‘The Ship That Never Sailed’, you need to look at it from above – and for that I’ve used this picture below from Canmore. 

Blackness Castle is also filled with nautical references, reinforcing its nickname as ‘The Ship That Never Sailed’.

The South or ‘Stern’ Tower

Enter the site through the main gate, passing an original iron gate that has been hanging on its hinges since 1693 on the way (I know, how cool is that!).

To your right, on a substantial crop of rocks, stands the mid-16^th century South Tower – also known as the ‘Stern Tower’ – and also probably one of the most iconic views of Blackness Castle. Will you just look at those rocks!

It was here that the castle’s kitchens were located and where the main accommodation in the castle was once found. Stand in the Great Hall and you should be able to pick out a minstrel’s gallery, or remains of it anyway, at the far end. 

The Central or ‘Main Mast’ Tower

The tower that you see in the center of the site is, rather surprisingly, called the Central Tower, or the ‘Main Mast’. It’s also known as the ‘Prison Tower’ .

For those interested in the darker side of history, this tower, along with the North Tower (or Stem Tower at the tip of the site), was used to hold prisoners, but more on that in a moment.

If you’re feeling energetic, you can explore the Central Tower in full. Climb the 17th-century spiral staircase, and step out into the fresh air, where you can enjoy views of the bridges in the distance.

It’s also here that the castle’s only ghost has reportedly been seen.

The North or ‘Stem’ Tower

At the front of the ‘ship’ is the North Tower, or ‘Stem’ – just one of the many fascinating nooks and crannies waiting to be explored at Blackness Castle.

To access the first floor, you’ll need to tackle 16 steps  – or so says Historic Environment Scotland. I was more focused on not slipping than counting when I visited!.

Originally made up of three floors and a grim ‘pit,’ the North Tower was reduced to its current two-story height in 1693. 

It’s here that you’ll come across the chilling Pit Prison, where the lowest of the low fought daily battles against the tidal Forth and swarms of rats when Mother Nature ‘slopped out’ the space twice a day.

You can also explore part of the upper chamber, known as the Middle State Prison, and experience the stark contrast in conditions – it’s a real eye-opener.

Prisoners At Blackness Castle

Originally built in the mid-15th century as a grand residence for the Crichton family, Blackness Castle later earned a fearsome reputation as a state prison, holding inmates for over 250 years from 1453 until the 1707 Treaty of Union.

Here were jailed French prisoners of war, who passed through between 1759 and 1813. 

However, Blackness is perhaps best known for its role during the ‘Killing Times’ of the 1670s and 1680s, when Covenanters – those who defied the king’s religious decrees – were held captive within its grim walls.

Blackness Castle had two separate prisons, and where you were held depended on your social status.

Lower-ranking prisoners were confined to the cramped, uncomfortable cells of the Pit Prison, while those of middle or high rank were placed in the upper chamber of the North Tower, where they could watch the tide roll in, engulfing the space of the Pit Prison below.

The Central ‘Prison’ Tower

Strengthening work on the Central Tower, completed between 1537 and 1542, set the stage for its first notable prisoner – Cardinal David Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews, who was held here for about a month in 1543.

After failing to become Regent for the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, Beaton was replaced by his rival, the 2nd Earl of Arran.

Housed over three floors, the Central Tower held high-ranking prisoners like Beaton, who enjoyed relative comfort – though he had to pay for it.

Prisoners could roam up to three miles from the castle during the day but were locked up at night, with servants ready to provide meals on their return.

This was a far cry from the harsh conditions of the Pit Prison, where lower-status prisoners were kept.

The Pit Prison or Bottle Dungeon

Located in the North Tower, the Pit Prison was accessed through a small hatch in the floor of the lower chamber.

Here the sea acted as a natural cleaner, washing away the filth that accumulated on the slimy prison floor – no toilets here, so you can probably imagine the rest.  

Twice a day, at high tide, the cold waters would rush into the pit, sluicing out the filth (see image No. 4 in the picture below for more of an idea as to how the pit prison was sluiced out). 

As the water swirled around, it carried with it rats, seaweed, and whatever other filth it came into contact with as it gushed in through the tower walls washing both the floor – and no doubt a few of the prisoners – clean.

This was the reality of the Pit Prison and it was ‘reserved for the lowest of the low’.  

Is Blackness Castle Haunted?

But despite this 15th century stronghold having a sinister appearance, it’s perhaps not as haunted as we’re led to believe.

Being home to only one or two ghosts at most, why does Blackness Castle regularly make it onto the list of Scotland’s ‘most haunted places’? 

Is there a story I’ve missed, or is it simply part of the legend?

I tend to judge a place’s ‘most haunted’ status by the number of ghosts, and at Blackness Castle, that tally seems to amount to just one – plus a few thumps and dragging noises for extra atmosphere.

Even Historic Scotland didn’t include it in their blog roundup of ghostly haunts back in the pre-COVID days, yet Visit Scotland includes it in its ‘round up’ of most haunted castles in Scotland – I just can’t fathom why. 

That said, let’s dive into Blackness Castle’s most famous ghost story: the chilling encounter with the armoured knight.

The Ghostly Knight of Blackness Castle

In the late 1990s, long before Blackness Castle gained fame through Outlander, this hidden gem on the banks of the Firth of Forth was still quietly drawing visitors.

Since its creation in the 15th century, Blackness had served as a state prison, and it’s here, at the top of the Central Tower, that one of its most famous paranormal experiences took place.

During the 1990s, a woman visiting with her two young sons made the arduous climb to the top of the five-story tower. 

As they emerged into the daylight, they were shocked to see an armoured knight turn to face them before chasing them back down the stairs in fear.

Try as I might, I cannot find any other information about the sighting. After much searching I came across an actual date for the event, 1998, which is mentioned in a six line paragraph about Blackness ghosts in Alan. C. Wood’s ‘Military Ghosts’.

But no-one seems to add any more detail to the story, and I can find nothing in newspapers from the alleged time of the event. 

I’m not saying that the encounter didn’t happen, just that I’d have liked to have seen a bit more evidence of it before I add Blackness to my ‘most haunted castle’ in Scotland list. 

Things That Go Bump In The Night

There’s no shortage of eerie sounds at Blackness Castle. From the ominous dragging noises to the loud thumps of objects shifting in nearby rooms, the castle is alive with strange activity.

Today, the Central Tower stands as a hollow shell. With its empty fireplaces and shadowy alcoves, it’s easy to imagine how even the slightest sound could echo throughout the tower.

The most recent ghostly encounter at Blackness occurred in 2015 when a tour group from Sláinte Scotland heard unexplained noises coming from the rooms above while exploring the third floor. 

When they called up, they received no response, assuming the noise came from other visitors higher up on the roof.

But when they descended the tower, the strange sounds resumed near the fourth floor. Could these be the same thumps and scrapes heard by a group of ghost hunters who stayed at Blackness on Halloween? 

They too investigated the sounds, but found nothing. As they settled back into their sleeping bags, the noises started again.

So, what do you think? Are these just tall tales, or does Blackness Castle really deserve its spot on Scotland’s ‘most haunted’ list?

I didn’t encounter anything during my visit (thankfully!).

Blackness Castle in Film and TV

You’ve probably heard of the wildly popular series set in Scotland featuring the iconic Jamie Fraser, right? That’s Outlander, of course, and it’s just one of the many productions filmed at Blackness Castle.

Although it looks like it belongs in Game of Thrones, no scenes from the hit series were actually filmed here – sorry GoT fans. 

From its role as Linlithgow Palace in the 2019 Mary Queen of Scots adaptation (where Mary was born) to the 1997 box-office flop Macbeth, Blackness has had its fair share of film fame.

The castle also featured in The Bruce (1996), starring Brian Blessed and Oliver Reed, along with Doomsday (2008) and The Outlaw King (2018), all of which helped cement Blackness Castle’s place on the tourist map – though it probably didn’t need much help in that department!

If you’re now itching to go location spotting, here are a few more productions where Blackness Castle takes centre stage.

Blackness Castle And Outlander

Various parts of Blackness Castle were used during filming Season One and Two of the fabulous Outlander series, where the Castle stood in for Fort William when the film crew rocked up here in 2014. 

Remember when Jamie received two floggings, each of 100 lashes? Well, this was here, at Blackness Castle. Jamie Fraser, was tied to a pillory and flogged by Black Jack Randall in the main courtyard near the Central Tower. 

Later, in the Season Two finale, Brianna and Roger visit Blackness Castle, which is still being used as Fort William in the show. 

For Outlander fans visiting, you’ll likely recognize the castle’s distinctive features – from the wall where Jamie and Claire escape to the doorway leading out to the fortifications. But for me, the courtyard is my favourite, and glances of its uneven rocky surface can just be seen as Jamie receives his 100 lashes, just like in the picture above.

Christopher Lee’s Ivanhoe

With a £6 million budget, Sir Walter Scott’s novel Ivanhoe was transformed into a six-part BBC series in 1997, starring Christopher Lee as the Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

The production required nearly 600 extras, and filming also took place at nearby Doune Castle in Stirlingshire and Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh.

Mel Gibson’s Hamlet

It’s not every day that a movie star crashes a 21st birthday party, but that’s exactly what Mel Gibson did while filming Hamlet with Glenn Close in 1990. Gibson, who was staying at the nearby Norton House Hotel near Ingliston, wandered into the celebration by mistake.

The Stern (or South) Tower was used for several scenes during the filming, alongside shots taken in the castle’s charming courtyard.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

And finally, the 1999 Indian Film Fair Awards winner Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which loosely translates to ‘Something Happened in My Heart’ was filmed at Blackness as well as other locations in Scotland. 

It’s only the second Indian film (at the time) to make it into the UK top ten and, according to The Aberdeen Press and Journal,  the most successful Asian film ever shown in Britain – so far.

Let’s Get You There

All visitors, no matter how you’re planning on visiting Blackness Castle, approach the same way, through the small village of Blackness nestled on the banks of the Firth of Forth. There is only one road to the castle – and one road out – and the car park is at the end. 

Driving from Edinburgh

You can easily get to Blackness Castle from Edinburgh if you have a car, and the journey will take you about 40 minutes, depending on traffic of course. 

There’s a few roads you can take, but the quickest is the A90 which leads onto the A904. 

I drove from Stirling directly down the M9, picking up signs for the A903 which took me directly to the site. It took me about half an hour, but I could also have carried on a little further on the M9 and picked up signs for the A904, as if coming in from Edinburgh. 

I found Blackness Castle to be well signposted and had no trouble getting here with the help of Sat Nav. The postcode for the site is EH49 7NH.  

Don’t be alarmed as the roads get narrower the closer to the castle you get. Just keep following the ‘S’ bend around to the left as you head down the hill, bear right and drive with the beach on your left and stop when you hit the carpark. 

I CANNOT stress it enough that you MUST pre-book your tickets before visiting the site as the car park is monitored and you probably won’t be able to get parked if you turn up ‘on spec’. 

You could chance your luck at parking in the village of Blackness and walking to the castle, but when I visited on New Years Eve this was jam packed and if I hadn’t pre-booked, I wouldn’t have been getting out of the car. 

Alternative Modes of Transport

A bus leaves Edinburgh for Blackness and at peak times, alternative travel is encouraged to ease the pressure on the local village. For full times and places, see the Traveline Scotland website. 

And if you’re into walking or cycling, Blackness lies on The John Muir Way

Tours From Edinburgh

If you prefer not to drive, plenty of tours are available from Edinburgh, ranging from large group options to private trips. Many tours include Blackness Castle, though some only offer it as an optional add-on.

Most Blackness Castle tours are part of longer castle visits, so expect a full day out. Alternatively, you can see the castle from the water on the Three Bridges Cruise. 

This popular tour, which is recommended by 91% of visitors on Viator, offers a scenic view of the Forth’s three bridges while the guide shares local history – all while you enjoy a scone with cream and jam – well it was offered when I first looked at the trip but sadly not any more…(I don’t think.)

Other popular tours include:

Blackness & Stirling Castle & Wallace Monument Tour

Linlithgow Palace, Blackness & Stirling Castle Luxury Tour

Executive Scottish Lowlands Tour

General Visitor Information

Getting to Blackness Castle is easy, but here’s a few questions most people have before visiting. 

Ticket Price & Best Time to Go

Best time to go? When it’s not raining! Other than that, if you can get booked into a slot, then go for it!  

It cost me under £5 to visit as a member of English Heritage, but even the regular price is under £10 and totally worth it. For up-to-date prices, check the Historic Scotland website.

If you plan to visit multiple castles, the Explorer Pass could save you money. Valid for 7 days, it grants entry to top Scottish attractions like Edinburgh, Urquhart, and Stirling Castles. Find more details and purchase on the Historic Scotland website.

Do I Need To Book To Visit The Castle?

Yes, especially as car parking is limited and monitored, but booking a spot is easy. It only took me 5 minutes to secure two tickets and guarantee entry.

Book directly on the Historic Scotland website. If you’re not a member, you can get a discount or free entry with memberships from English Heritage, Cadw, Manx Members, Young Scot, STGA, or SITOA card holders.

For up to date information on all aspects of visiting Blackness Castle, including any closures, please visit the dedicated visitor page on the Historic Scotland website. 

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