Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The tall roofless walls and arched windows of the priory church.
Loch Lomond

Inchmahome Priory

The ruined island priory on the Lake of Menteith, where the child Mary Queen of Scots was hidden in 1547.

Visit website
Welcome

Inchmahome Priory stands on a wooded island in the Lake of Menteith, Scotland's one lake, and a little boat carries visitors across to it.

It was founded around 1238 by Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, for a small community of Augustinian canons, who built their church first, with a processional doorway to rival Dunblane Cathedral's; its tall, roofless walls and lancet windows still stand among the trees.

In 1547, after the Scots were beaten at Pinkie, the four-year-old Mary Queen of Scots was brought here from Stirling with her mother, Mary of Guise, and hidden on the island for three weeks. The chapter house holds a remarkable effigy of Walter Stewart and Countess Mary, carved around the time of their deaths in the 1290s, lying in each other's arms. The priory opens daily from April to October; the boat holds twelve, so book ahead.

A short drive awayLake of MenteithScotland's one lake, a shallow sheet of water near Aberfoyle, with Inchmahome Priory on its island.2 min by roadSee itThe Lake of Menteith, its wooded islands and the hills beyond.
Before you go

Daily 10am to 4.30pm from 1 April to 30 September (last boat 2.45pm); daily 10am to 3pm in October (last boat 1.45pm).

Closed November to March. The boat holds 12; book online by midnight the day before. Adults £10 online.

Summer
1 Apr to 30 Sep, 10:00 to 16:30; last boat 14:45.
October
10:00 to 15:00; last boat 13:45.
Entry
Adults £10 online, with the boat.

Opening hours

Monday
10am–4.30pm
Tuesday
10am–4.30pm
Wednesday
10am–4.30pm
Thursday
10am–4.30pm
Friday
10am–4.30pm
Saturday
10am–4.30pm
Sunday
10am–4.30pm
Where it is

The Lake of Menteith, east of Aberfoyle.

Close byNear Aberfoyle.
  1. A white cottage reflected in still water among dark trees near Aberfoyle.AberfoyleThe southern gateway to the Trossachs, a Victorian resort that grew from Scott's Lady of the Lake, with its slate quarries and fairy minister.4 miles5 min by road
  2. Old gravestones in the kirkyard with the hills beyond.Aberfoyle Old Parish ChurchThe old kirkyard of Aberfoyle, with its iron mortsafes and the grave of Robert Kirk, the minister taken by the fairies.4 miles7 min by road
  3. The Duke's Pass winding through autumn hills, the road curving away below.The Duke's PassThe winding road over the hills from Aberfoyle to Loch Achray, built by the Duke of Montrose, one of Scotland's best drives.5 miles8 min by road
  4. A loch winds through forested hills beneath a grey, cloudy skyThree Lochs DriveThis seven-mile drive along forest tracks winds through some outstanding scenery.6 miles9 min by road
  5. A wooden footbridge over a burn in the green forest.Queen Elizabeth Forest ParkThe great forest park of 1953, from Loch Lomond to the Trossachs, with its visitor centre at The Lodge above Aberfoyle.6 miles10 min by road
Directions
The Lake of Menteith, its wooded islands and the hills beyond.AttractionsLake of Menteith1.2 miles
The forest drive winding past a loch through the woods, from above.AttractionsThree Lochs Forest Drive6.3 miles
Loch Ard still as glass, reflecting trees and hills.AttractionsLoch Ard7.3 miles
A shopfront lettered 'MHOR Bread' displays loaves and pastries in the window, outdoor tables and chairs set beside the entrance.CafeMhor Bread7.5 miles
Coloured scarves, jewellery and wooden trays displayed on a rustic wooden table in a gift shopShoppingHeather McDermott Jewellery7.5 miles
The shopfront at 11 Main Street, Callander, with tables outside.CafeBen Ledi Coffee Company7.5 miles
Galleria Luti's stone front on Ancaster Square, Callander.AttractionsGalleria Luti7.6 miles
Ancaster Square, its spire and cafés.AttractionsCallander7.9 miles
Autumn woodland reflected in a calm loch, framed by bare branchesAttractionsLoch Achray8.4 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the priory, and when each is next free.

A Highland calf walks across a lawn before a pink harled house, a stone wall and outbuilding visible behind.Monachyle Mhor
  • To stay
  • In Loch Lomond
  • 13 miles from Inchmahome
Check datesA grand stone mansion with multiple gables and chimneys stands behind a lawn set with wicker chairs, seen through overhanging leaves.Cromlix
  • To stay
  • In Loch Lomond
  • 14 miles from Inchmahome
Check datesSuie Hunting Lodge, Loch LomondSuie Hunting Lodge
  • To stay
  • In Loch Lomond
  • 18 miles from Inchmahome
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in Loch LomondAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go.