Located in Fife is the historic village of Culross whose colourful houses and cobblestones have been painstakingly restored by the National Trust of Scotland and now draws visitors from around the world. Find out about the top things to do in Culross in this guide!
Culross | Scotland
Stepping into Culross (pronounced: Coo-riss) is like stepping into a 17th-century Scottish market town. Harled cottages with red-tiled roofs line cobblestone alleys. A bright mustard-coloured building stands alongside other pastel-painted houses. There is a tollbooth and a clock tower facing the town square. And if you walk up the road, past the Mercat Cross, then up a steep street that promises aching knees and brilliant views of the Forth, you will reach a hilltop abbey. Culross is frozen in time, thanks to the National Trust of Scotland, which has spent years of money and effort to conserve the 17th and 18th-century look of the town. And it has been so successful that filmmakers from around the world flock to Culross. And thanks to the NTS, Culross was designated a Conservation Village in 1971.
ETYMOLOGY OF CULROSS: The town’s name in Scottish Gaelic is Cuileann Ros, ‘holly headland‘. The etymology is generally explained as “the back of the headland ”—from Gaelic cul, back, and ros, headland. But it is also argued that it is not cul (back) but cuil, a nook or niche.
According to legends, in the 6th century, future saint Teneu became pregnant before she was married. Enraged, her father, the King of Lothian, hurled her to her death from a cliff but unknown to him, she survived. She was met by an unmanned boat that brought her to Culross across the Firth of Forth, where she was cared for by St. Serf who became a father figure to her son, Mungo, who would later become St. Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow.
The fortunes of the town rose in the 16th and 17th centuries when it became an important centre for coal mining. In 1595, Robert Bruce built a revolutionary shaft known as the ‘Moat Pit’, the first coal mine in the world to reach out under the sea. It was considered a modern wonder until it was destroyed by a storm in 1625. Salt panning was another of Culross’s industries and the town sold both coal and salt to the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands). The town’s fortunes began to decline in the 18th century, and Culross remained a bouquet of decaying buildings until the NTS began its conservation work in the 20th century. For more on the history of Culross, read this post on Electric Scotland.
Culross’s past is not all rosy. The town, like the rest of Scotland, was notorious for witch trials. The Fife Witches Trail is a series of three plaques in Culross, Valleyfield, and Torryburn commemorating local women executed as witches in the 16th to 18th centuries. The plaque which faces the Culross Town Hall reads: “32 innocent women were accused of being witches. So many ordinary women were accused of being witches in Culross. Innocent victims of unenlightened times.”
Today, Culross draws visitors from around the world. It is a favorite with history enthusiasts, fans of Outlander- the village of Cransmuir was set in Culross- , and daytrippers.
Things to Do in Culross
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How to Reach Culross
You don’t need a car to reach Culross. It is easily accessible by public transport which makes it a great car-free day trip option from other Scottish cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow.
BY TRAIN // The nearest railway stations are Dunfermline (from Edinburgh) and Alloa (from Glasgow and Stirling). Stagecoach buses 8, 8A, and 8B connect Dunfermline and Alloa.
BY BUS // Stagecoach buses connect Glasgow and Edinburgh to Culross. The journey takes between 1.5 and 2 hours. Note that there are limited services on the weekend, so please check for availability. We travelled on a Sunday from Edinburgh and we took the X55 to Dunfermline, then the 8B to Culross and it cost us £9 each for a day ticket.
TIP: If you driving, note that parking is very limited in Culross. There are two car parks, one at each end of town, and in the summer months, it can get very difficult to find a parking spot.
Things to Do in Culross
For a town this small, there are a lot of things to do in Culross!
Explore Culross
Of course, the first thing to do in Culross is wandering through its winding streets. There couldn’t be a prettier town than Culross: cobblestoned alleys thread past white harled cottages and cute cafes, historic buildings line steep streets, and raised gardens sun themselves merrily. Culross was one of the top Outlander filming locations in Scotland. You could stroll through the town for hours and yet not tire of its charm! Walk the Back Causeway, Middle Causeway, and Little Causeway (where you can spot Laoghaire’s house from Outlander!), then stop at the Mercat Cross for lovely views of the Forth over the terracotta rooftops of Culross. The building on the right with the half-shuttered windows and the corbelled tower is The Study, which was used by the Bishop of Dunblane on his visits to Culross in the 17th century. The exterior of the house was shown as Geilis Duncan’s house in Outlander.
Visit Culross Palace
Palace is a misnomer but this grand house, featuring a distinctive mustard-coloured limewash, crow-stepped gables, and terracotta pantiled roofs, at the heart of Culross was the house of a rich merchant that was lovingly restored by the NTS and offers visitors a glimpse of a bygone era. The house was constructed in 1597 and 1611 by Sir George Bruce, the Laird of Carnock, with materials that he traded in: Baltic pine, red pantiles, Dutch floor tiles, and glass. Inside, you can see 17th and 18th-century furniture, painted ceilings, and a fine collection of Staffordshire and Scottish pottery. Photography is not permitted inside the palace. At the back, there is a garden with raised beds, a flowery mead, and crushed shell paths; it has a brilliant collection of vegetables, fruits, and herbs that were popular in the 17th century. Outland fans will recognise the garden as Claire’s herb garden at Castle Leoch.
See the Hanging Gardens
Walk uphill along Haggs Wynd, a wee cobblestone lane that branches off from the Back Causeway, to the Hanging Gardens that promises splendid views of the town of Culross and the Firth of Forth. The colourful houses of Culross create a vibrant tapestry that slopes gently toward the calm, blue waters of the Forth. According to Project Dunfermline, Haggs Wynd “once had its centre several inches higher than its edges; local worthies walked “the crown o’ the causie”, lesser mortals trod in the gutters.”
Top Outlander Tours to Culross
Are you absolutely hooked on Outlander? Did you know that parts of this show were shot in Culross and you can visit Outlander filming locations on these curated tours?
Visit Culross Abbey
Another top thing to do in Culross is visiting the ancient Culross Abbey. Continue along Middle Causeway, past the Heraldic Unicorn at the Mercat Cross towards Culross Abbey which was founded in 1217 by Malcolm, 3rd Earl of Fife, who brought Cistercian monks here from Kinloss Abbey. It is said that Malcolm built the abbey on the site of an old religious centre founded by St. Serf and that St. Mungo was a member. The monks at Culross Abbey produced illustrated manuscripts such as the Culross Psalter (15th century). Parts of the abbey are in ruins today but you can see the vaulted ceilings, part of the cloisters and the refectory. Sadly, it was closed on the day we visited. After the reformation of 1560, the choir and presbytery of the abbey church were taken over as the parish church. It is said that the heart of the Lord Bruce of Kinloss is buried nearby.
Walk to the Ruins of West Kirk
Follow the signs from Culross Abbey to West Kirk. It was built in the 1500s pre-reformation and was the parish church for the people of Culross until 1633. Today only the ruins of the kirk stand amidst gravestones. When we visited in March, there were fields of rapeseed blooming yellow all along the way and it was a beautiful walk under clear blue skies. From the kirk, you can either follow the signs back to town or continue to Devilla Forest. Note that the path gets really slippery on wet days.
Visit Dunimarle Castle
We did not visit the Dunimarle Castle on this visit but this gothic structure (the present structure was built by Magdalene Sharpe Erskine; only ruins of the original 12th-century structure survive today) is a must-see if you love to explore Scottish castles. We hear that there are plans to build a cafe in the orangery, so maybe next time!
Walk the Fife Pilgrim Way
Launched in 2019, the Fife Pilgrim Way is a long-distance footpath connecting West Fife with East Fife via routes used by medieval pilgrims. The route starts at Culross (North Queensferry is an alternative starting point) and continues to St. Andrews via towns of religious importance like Dunfermline and Ceres.
Walk the Fife Coastal Path
The Fife Coastal Path runs past Culross, and if you are up for a long walk, you can walk all the way to North Queensferry via Charlestown (known for its pretty rows of white harled cottages with colourful doors and classic orange roof tiles) and Limekilns (site of fourteen old limekilns built into the cliffs and featured in Outlander Season 1) or turn back at Torryburn where you can stop by the Tuilyies Standing Stones dating back to the bronze age.
We are walking the Fife Coastal Path in sections! Read about our first (short) walk from Burntisland to Aberdour.
See an Exhibition at the Town Hall
The Town Hall regularly runs exhibitions and you can pop in to see what’s on for the day. Most of the time, the subjects are local and you can learn about the local history of the area, landmarks, and events. In the past, there were exhibitions on Fife’s witch hunts and the innocent women who were accused and executed.
Shop at the Sunday Market
The weekly Sunday Market that is held in the warmer months promises a taste of the best of Culross and surrounding areas and is one of our top things to do in Culross. It is no secret that we love markets and had the best time sampling nibbles and browsing through the stalls. We bought a round of Arran cheese, a walnut and coffee cake, a jar of chutney, and craft beer!
Also read: The pretty town of South Queensferry makes for the perfect day trip from Edinburgh: Day Trip to South Queensferry from Edinburgh.
Where To Eat in Culross
These are the best places to eat in Culross.
BISCUIT CAFE / One of the most popular cafes in town, Biscuit Cafe serves a variety of refreshments. They have a cute garden at the back where you can lunch on sandwiches and soups and watch little robins play amongst the foliage. They are pet-friendly. Downstairs is a shop selling artwork, crafts, ceramics, and jewellery made by local artists.
RANKIN’S CAFE / Another cute cafe, Rankin’s Cafe is located next to the Mercat Cross and serves coffee and refreshments. We really want to eat here next time!
Also read: Wondering what to do next weekend? Visit the historic city of Stirling with our guide: Top Things to Do in Stirling.
RED LION INN / The Red Lion Inn serves traditional Scottish fare and drinks on tap. They are located on the Low Causeway and it is the place to go if you want to have a hearty lunch. Settle down with a steak and ale pie and a drink and wave your worries away! They also do three-course lunch specials.
SUNDAY MARKET / If you are visiting on a sunny Sunday and there’s a market open in the square, look no further! Eat your weight in handmade Scottish fare, have a coffee or a beer, and soak in the sun. We had a hearty lentil and bacon soup and a cup of coffee from Siren’s Coffee Shop, a banging pork sausage roll from Rootin’ and Roastin’, an amazing peanut butter bar from Saline Sweet Treats, and the most extraordinary, most creamy caramel and honeycomb ice cream from Nelson of Culross.
Where to Sleep in Culross
We visited on a day trip but there are some lovely accommodations in Culross, if you want to stay the night. Culross is just 25 miles from Edinburgh and makes for a fantastic alternative if you are visiting Edinburgh and trying to avoid the capital’s eye-watering hotel rates.
SANDHAVEN / Sandhaven, Culross, is a lovely cottage and features a garden.
FORGET ME NOT COTTAGE / Another superb option in Culross is the charming Forget Me Not cottage that offers lovely views of the Firth of Forth.
STAY BnB / If you are looking to stay at one of Culross’s picture-postcard cottages, look no further than this charming BnB.
THE DUNDONALD GUESTHOUSE & COTTAGE / For pretty views of Culross’s red-tiled rooftops and waters of the Forth, stay at the Dundonald.
We loved Culross so much that we couldn’t help stopping everywhere along the way, taking photos and admiring the heritage architecture. Keep some buffer time because the town is so charming, chances are you will spend some time than you budgeted wandering the wee alleys!
Have you visited Culross? What are your favourite things to do in Culross?
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