Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Culross: Step Back in Time
Thanks largely to the National Trust for
Scotland, this town near Dunfermline
shows what a Scottish village in the
17th and 18th centuries was like. With
its cobbled streets lined by stout cot-
tages featuring crow-stepped gables,
Culross may also have been the
birthplace of St. Mungo, who went on
to establish the Cathedral in Glasgow.
James IV made this port on the Firth of
Forth a royal burgh in 1588. The
National Trust runs a visitor center
( &   01383/880-359; www.nts.org.uk)
that is open daily noon to 5pm from
Good Friday to the end of September,
which provides access to the town's
palace and other sites. Adult admission
is £8.50.
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manufacturing in the 18th and 19th centuries provided a boost. In America, its most
famous product, however, is Andrew Carnegie, born in a weaver's cottage in 1835.
Dunfermline is on the “Fife Circle” train route from Edinburgh to the north,
which means twice hourly connections to the Scottish capital on a 30-minute ride.
By bus, the trip from Edinburgh takes about 40 minutes. If you're driving from
Edinburgh, take the A90 west, cross the Forth Road Bridge, and follow the signs
north to the center of Dunfermline.
Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum In 1835, American industrialist and
philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was born just down the hill from Dunfermline
Abbey. This museum comprises the 18th-century cottage where he lived as a child
and a memorial hall funded by his widow, Louise. Displays tell the story of the
weaver's son, who emigrated to the United States and became one of the richest
men in the world.
Moodie St., Dunfermline. &   01383/723-638. www.carnegiebirthplace.com. Free admission. Mar-early
Dec Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm.
Dunfermline Abbey & Palace This abbey was constructed on the site of a
Celtic church and a priory church built under the auspices of Scotland's first Queen
Margaret around 1070. Some 50 years later work began on a new priory, which is
today part of the Romanesque “Medieval Nave.” Abbey status was bestowed in
1150, and thereafter a string of Scottish royalty, beginning with David I, was buried
at the abbey, including Robert the Bruce (except for his heart). The newest sections
of the abbey church were built in 1818; the pulpit was placed over the tomb of - and
a memorial to - the Bruce. The remains of the royal palace are adjacent to the abbey.
Only the southwest wall remains of this once-regal edifice.
St. Margaret's St., off the M90. &   01383/739-026. www.historic-scotland.gov.uk. Admission £3.70 adults,
£3 seniors, £2.20 children. MC, V. Apr-Sept daily 9:30am-5:30pm; Oct-Mar daily 9:30am-4:30pm.
Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy Museum & Art Gallery The art collection in the second-floor
galleries here is among the single best gathering of works by Scottish artists. An
entire room is devoted to the brightly hued still-life paintings and landscapes by
“colourist” S. J. Peploe. There is more art by Hornel, Hunter, and Fergusson.
Another highlight of the collection is a range of paintings by William McTaggart. In
 
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