Cambuskenneth Abbey
The ruined abbey by the Forth below Stirling, with a bell tower of the 1200s and the grave of James III.
Cambuskenneth Abbey lies in a loop of the River Forth a mile east of Stirling, a quiet green place in the shadow of the castle on its rock.
It was founded in about 1140 by King David, the first of the name, to serve Stirling Castle, and it grew into one of the great abbeys of medieval Scotland. Robert the Bruce held his parliaments here in 1314, a few months after Bannockburn, and again in 1326, and in the 1480s King James III and his queen, Margaret of Denmark, were buried before its high altar.
Little of the abbey still stands, but what does is remarkable: the tall, free-standing bell tower of the 1200s, with its lancet windows and ornamental arcades, which has no parallel anywhere in Scotland. Around it the low foundations of the church and cloister lie in the grass. The grounds are open and free to wander.
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The grounds are open and free.
A mile east of Stirling, off the A907.
- Open
- Grounds; free.
- Where
- 1 mile east of Stirling, off the A907.
Opening hours
- Monday
- 9.30am–5.30pm
- Tuesday
- 9.30am–5.30pm
- Wednesday
- 9.30am–5.30pm
- Thursday
- 9.30am–5.30pm
- Friday
- 9.30am–5.30pm
- Saturday
- 9.30am–5.30pm
- Sunday
- 9.30am–5.30pm
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Add your reviewCambuskenneth, a mile east of Stirling.
Wallace MonumentSitting on a hilltop overlooking the city, the National Wallace Monument is the city’s memorial to one of Scotland’s great heroes, William Wallace.2 miles 5 min by road
Legends at the MonumentThe coffee house and gift shop at the foot of the Abbey Craig, below the National Wallace Monument, run by a local charity.2 miles 5 min by road
University of StirlingThe university campus on the Airthrey estate below the Ochils, with a loch, woodland walks and a Robert Adam castle.2 miles 8 min by road
Beheading StoneThe old execution stone of Stirling, under an iron cage on Mote Hill, with two cannons and a view of Stirling Bridge.2 miles 8 min by road
WoodWinters3 miles as the crow flies
Stirling CastleOne of Scotland’s largest and most significant, Stirling Castle overlooks its namesake city.3 miles 9 min by road
Places to stay near the abbey, and when each is next free.
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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more in Stirling.
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