March 2022: Fife: Culross

Culross is a historic coastal village situated in the far west of Fife, close to its boundary with the Clackmannanshire council area. Dating from the 6th century AD, it is believed to have been founded by St Serf. Readers from outside Scotland will just have to believe me that the name is pronounced COO-ross, with the ‘l’ silent and the final vowel unstressed and indeterminate.

The main attraction lies in just wandering the streets and observing the old houses and other buildings. The visitor will see many examples of stepped gables, showing the influence that the near continent once exerted on the east coast of Scotland. (Even today, Culross is twinned with Veere in the Netherlands.) Building highlights include Culross Abbey, the Town House and Culross Palace.

Most visitors won’t realise that Culross stands on an operational rail line linking Alloa and Dunfermline, which currently sees only the occasional special excursion train. Any further development of the line hinges on the success of a proposal to turn the nearby site of the former Longannet power station into a train-building factory.