2 December 2025
A different type of walk today visiting a village that I had previously only driven through. Culross is in Fife on the north side of the river Forth and is a good example of a 16th century Scottish burgh.......
I started my walk in the main square on the north side of which is the Palace and the Town House. The Palace was built by Sir George Bruce in 1597. It was eventually partitioned into flats for 16 different families and by the 1900's had fallen into disrepair. It was then bought and restored by the NTS; today it was closed so I could only view it from the outside. I will have to come back in the main season......
The Town House was the centre of local authority where the councillors met and courts were held. It also served as the local prison for those convicted either of criminality or of being a witch......
I then made my way up several of the cobbled streets, the houses which are still lived in today look fabulous......
About half way up is the Mercat Cross. Only Royal Burghs in Scotland can have such a thing. This one has a unicorn on top!
I continued up the hill with the Abbey now in sight. This has been a religious site since St Serf founded the town in the 6th century and the first monastery (Cistercian monks) appeared in the 1200's. Today only ruins of part of this building remain and the area is now occupied by the Parish church. This can be visited but today the door was locked; another reason to come back......
I then made my way back downhill to the car via an excellent coffee shop, The Biscuit Cafe. It had been a day full of interest and best visited in the off season, it gets rammed with tourists in the summer months.
