I’m wrapping up my series of sneak previews of new listings for sights within a 30-minute drive of Stirling (from our upcoming Rick Steves Scotland guidebook). This last one is ideal for anyone wanting a time warp to the 18th century, conveniently located on the way between Stirling and Edinburgh.
Culross — a time-warp of a village sitting across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh — is a perfectly preserved artifact from the 17th and 18th centuries. If you’re looking to let your pulse slow, stroll through a steep and sleepy hamlet, and tour a creaky old manor house, Culross is your place. Filmmakers use Culross to evoke Scottish villages of yore (you’ve seen it in everything from Captain America: The First Avenger to Outlander). While not worth a long detour, it’s a workable stop for drivers connecting Edinburgh to either the Stirling area or St. Andrews (free parking lots flank the town center — both an easy, five-minute waterfront stroll away).
The story of Culross (which locals pronounce KOO-russ) is the story of Sir George Bruce, who, in the late 16th century, figured out a way to build coalmines beneath the waters of the Firth of Forth. This hardworking town flourished, Bruce built a fine mansion, and the town was granted coveted “royal burgh” status by the king. But several decades later, with Bruce’s death and the flooding of the mines, the town’s fortunes tumbled — halting its development and trapping it in amber for centuries. Rescued and rehabilitated by the National Trust for Scotland, today the entire village feels like one big open-air folk museum.
The main sightseeing attraction here is the misnamed Culross “Palace,” the big-but-creaky, half-timbered home of George Bruce (£10.50; June-Aug daily 12:00-17:00; April-May and Sept Thu-Mon 12:00-17:00, closed Tue-Wed; shorter hours in Oct and closed Nov-March, tel. 01383/880-359, www.nts.org.uk/culross). Buy your ticket at the office under the town hall’s clock tower, pick up your included audioguide, then head a few doors down to the ochre-colored palace itself. First you’ll watch a 10-minute orientation film, then walk through several creaky floors to see how a small town’s big shots lived four centuries ago.
Docents in each room are happy to answer questions. You’ll see the great hall, the “principal stranger’s bedchamber” (guest room for VIPs), George Bruce’s bedroom and stone strongroom (where he stored precious — and flammable — financial documents), and the highlight, the painted chamber. The wood slats of its barrel-arched ceiling are painted with whimsical scenes illustrating Scottish virtues and pitfalls. You can also poke around the densely planted, lovingly tended garden out back. (They sell plants from a table in the front courtyard.)
Your ticket also includes a 45-minute guided walk through the town itself (3/day, check website for schedule).
The only other real sight, a steep hike up the cobbled lanes to the top of town, is the partially ruined abbey. While there are far more evocative ruins in Scotland, it’s fun to poke into the stony, mysterious-feeling interior of the still-intact church. But the stroll up through the town’s cobbles and pastel houses, with their carefully tended flower boxes, is even better than the church itself.
This sounds like a great back door. What about accommodations, tea rooms or a place for a meal? Even just passing through it would be nice to know. Or should we just wait for the new Scotland guide?
We visited all these sites on our Rick Steves’ Tour, and loved it.
Makes me wish I stopped here when I was doing the Fife Coastal Path. My focus was on the later sections so I was blind to any charm before that point I think. Can’t wait to get the book, Scotland is top three on my list of countries I’d want to revisit.