Culross – Up the Cobbles to the Abbey and a Roofless Kirk
Most visitors to Culross stay down among the ochre houses by the shore.
This short walk goes the other way, up the steep cobbled lanes to the ruins of a 13th-century abbey, then out along the hillside to the old West Kirk, a roofless church alone in its graveyard. It takes about an hour and a half, and the Red Lion is at the foot of the hill for lunch.
- Time
- About an hour and a half: around 700 metres up steep cobbles to the abbey, and around 800 metres from the car park to the West Kirk.
- The path
- Steep cobbled lanes to the abbey and a footpath to the West Kirk. Not for wheelchairs; hard work with a pushchair.
- Where to start
- The West car park, beside the play park. Free.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. The cobbles are slippery when wet or frosty.
- Children
- A steep hill and cobbles; the ruins are open ground.
- Toilets
- Public toilets at the West car park, for a small charge.
- Before you set out
- The abbey ruins are open all year. The Red Lion, at the foot of the hill, serves food every day from noon to 9pm; over Christmas and New Year, check before going.
The walk
Park at the free West car park beside the play park. There are public toilets at the car park for a small charge. The abbey is about 700 metres away at the top of the village, and the way up is by steep cobbled lanes, so take them slowly and wear shoes with a grip. The ruins are those of a Cistercian monastery of the 1200s, set on a slope with a long view over the red roofs to the Forth. They're open all year, and the abbey's church beside them is still the parish kirk.
Culross was a place of pilgrimage long before the monks came. St Serf is said to have settled here after killing a dragon that had been terrorising Strathearn, and St Kentigern, who became St Mungo of Glasgow, is said to have been born here after his mother was washed ashore. James IV left an offering at St Serf's remains in 1511, and pilgrims set out from Culross to cross Fife to St Andrews. The second half of the walk is quieter. The West Kirk stands out in the fields about 800 metres from the car park, and a footpath leads to it.
It's the old parish church of Culross, long without its roof, with its walls and gables still standing among the gravestones. Allow an hour and a half for the abbey, the kirk and the lanes between. Lunch is at the Red Lion on Low Causeway, 400 metres east of the car park. The inn is run by a community society and serves food every day from noon to 9pm, with a children's menu.
If it rains
The lanes are sheltered but the cobbles are slippery in the wet. In steady rain, go up to the abbey and back and leave the West Kirk for a dry day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Where to eat
The Red Lion, Culross, a restaurant in Culross.
The Mercat, Culross, a café in Culross.
For further reading, before you go.