THE founder of the Tudor Travel Guide, Sarah Morris, is retracing the steps of Mary, Queen of Scots when the latter travelled the Royal Mile towards Holyrood signalling the start of what promised to be a triumphant reign over her people.
On September 2, 1561, Mary, Queen of Scots returned to claim her rightful place on the Scottish throne.
Visitors can now travel back in time and follow Mary’s footprints on the September 2 down the Am Mìle Rìoghail, to imagine the scene as the beautiful 18-year-old queen entered centre-stage into the dangerous world of the 16th-century Scottish court.
Mary landed at Leith to begin her royal progress to Edinburgh and her destination, Holyrood Palace, where she had royal apartments. Scotland welcomed Mary warmly, her presence – marking a true Scot finally on the throne – was hugely celebrated across the country.
As a remarkable figure in Scottish history Mary, Queen of Scots was a strong and passionate woman in a man’s world. Retracing her steps as she re-entered Scotland for the first time since childhood signifies the beginning of her bid to dominate Scotland and her long-held ambition to ultimately rule England.
However, she faced a treacherous situation at home politically: Scotland was spilt by religion, with clans vying for power. Despite being catholic in an increasingly protestant court, she believed she would unite the country and rule Scotland and through her descent from Margaret Tudor, sister to Henry VIII, England as well.
Having lost her husband, King Francis and the French throne, Mary returned to Scotland assuming her destiny was secure. But as we know the tragic tale of Mary ends with her losing everything, but not before she made a lasting impact on Scotland and its history.
To learn more about her, the Tudor Travel Guide will be leading a tour of the five principle places associated with Mary, Queen of Scots in June 2021. The tour will dig deep, from the place of her birth, Linlithgow Palace, to Stirling Castle, Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh Castle and finally to Loch Leven, where she was forced to abdicate her throne.
In the meantime, during September, Morris will be airing a series of interviews recorded during her visit to Scotland with members of the Marie Stuart Society. They include talks with its president, Liz Manson, and also with Historic Environment Scotland guide, Donal Ferrie at Edinburgh Castle on her popular history podcast, The Tudor Travel Show.
Morris said: “Mary, Queen of Scots has long held a deep fascination for me and my Tudor Travel Guide followers, even though she is a Stuart and not a Tudor!
“The story of Mary has everything – beauty, glamour, naivety, intrigue, passion, betrayal and tragedy.
“We hope by bringing her journey to life people can get a glimpse of what it was like for this ill-fated Queen. If you really love Mary, join us for our Tour next June when we visit significant places for Mary across Scotland.”
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