The West Lothian coastal village of Blackness now welcomes hordes of visitors on the "Outlander" trail due to the castle featuring heavily in the internationally successful drama series. This walk describes the route from Blackness Castle to Midhope Castle - two and a half miles distant. The latter fortress was also used for filming and is known to millions of Outlander fans as Lallybroch. It is up to you whether you pay the fees to enter the compounds or view from outside the walls. From the centre of Blackness, take the obvious road towards the castle. If not visiting, pass through a gate in the metal fence to your right around 100 yards before the entrance. This is signed for the beach and leads you over a grassy mound and down to the sands, passing a ruined dovecot on the way.
Follow the shoreline and then enter the woodland. This route is part of the long-distance John Muir Way and a well-surfaced path among the trees parallels the water's edge. Several viewpoints appear and you can look across the Firth of Forth to the Kingdom of Fife. When you reach the back entrance to Hopetoun House, turn up a path to the right before the bridge over the stream. You rapidly gain height. Bear left at a junction, keeping the burn to your left, now roaring in a deep gully below. Bypass a gate (fence spars are broken to the side). A wide flat path continues ahead then descends to meet the stream. Follow the banks and you will appear in the car park for Midhope Castle. Only the exterior can be accessed due to safety concerns. Return to Blackness by retracing your steps exactly or staying on the high path when you meet the slope back down to the Hopetoun gate. It's the same distance either way and you come down to shore level via another path.
