Fife - The Rough Guide to Scotland - page 314

ACCOMMODATION
Ì St Mungo's Cottage Low Causeway T 01383
882102, E [e-mail]. The only
accommodation option within striking distance of Culross,
this picturesque part-medieval B&B on the main road 5min

walk east of town offers just two traditionally decorated
rooms (both en suite), the larger of wh ich caters for
families for an additional £20 per head. £70

Dunfermline
he former de facto capital of Scotland and royal seat of power established by Malcolm
III in the mid-eleventh century, DUNFERMLINE made the significant contribution to
medieval Scots politics until it was abandoned by James VI after the 1603 Union of the
Crowns. Today the town's charm has been considerably eroded by twentieth-century
development and few visitors venture further than the outstanding ruined abbey and
its small old town.

Dunfermline Abbey and Palace
Monastery St, 10min walk west of Dunfermline train station • April-Sept daily 9.30am-5.30pm; Oct daily 9.30am-4.30pm; Nov-March
Sun-Wed & Sat 9.30am-4.30pm • £3.70; HS • T 01383 724586, W dunfermlineabbey.co.uk.
Dunfermline abbey is a monolithic demonstration of stone workmanship from the
middle ages, its oldest part attributable to Queen Margaret, who began building a
Benedictine priory in 1072 (still visible beneath the nave of the present church). Her
son, David I , raised the priory to the rank of abbey in the following century. In 1303,
during the first of the Wars of Independence , most of the monastic buildings were
destroyed by the English king Edward I's troops, who occupied the palace and had the
church roof stripped of lead to provide ammunition for his army's catapults. Robert the
Bruce helped rebuild the abbey and when he died of leprosy was buried here minus his
heart, which was sent, unsuccessfully, on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land only to be
buried at Melrose Abbey (see p.122). Inside, the stained glass is impressive, and the
thick columns are artfully carved with chevrons, spirals and arrowheads.
he guesthouse of Queen Margaret's Benedictine monastery, south of the abbey,
became the palace in the sixteenth century under James VI, who gave both it and the
abbey to his consort, Queen Anne of Denmark. Charles I, the last monarch to be born
in Scotland, entered the world here in 1600. Today, all that is left of the palace is a long
sandstone facade, especially impressive when silhouetted against the evening sky.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE

8

DUNFERMLINE

By train Trains stop at Dunfermline's train station,
halfway down the long hill of St Margaret's Drive,
southeast of the centre, with services to Edinburgh
(every 30min; 30min).

By bus The bus station is on Queen Anne St, a block north
of High St.
Destinations Culross (1-2 hourly; 30min); Edinburgh (2
hourly; 1hr).

INFORMATION
Tourist office Offering an accommodation booking
service, the tourist office is at 1 High St (Mon-Sat

9.30am-5pm, April-Sept Sun 11am-4pm. T 01383
720999, W visitdunfermline.com).

EATING AND DRINKING
Ì Reubens 10-12 New Row T 01383 739071. One of
the more progressive establishments in town, Reubens is
variously a delicatessen focusing on local suppliers, a
licensed café, a restaurant, wine store and a brewer of its

own blonde beers; £14 will get you a varied sharing platter
(for two) from the deli or go for the hot stovies at £6, good
as a winter warmer. Mon-Thurs 8.30am-8pm; Fri & Sat
8.30am-8pm; Sun 11.30am-6pm.