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Step back in time with a visit to Culross, where everything from grand properties to modest cottages has been restored to all its 16th and 17th century glory. Culross is renowned as one of Scotland’s most picturesque villages and its steep, cobbled causeways with their white-walled, red-roofed, step-gabled buildings can regularly be spotted on film and TV.

A starting point of Fife Pilgrim Way, Culross has been a religious site since the 6th century. By the 13th century, there was a grand abbey at the top of the hill, with the village of Culross below. Today, Culross Abbey is in ruins but the town, which is cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, is a spectacular example of a 16th century burgh.

In the 1500s, Culross was a thriving port, bringing such great wealth to one local laird and merchant, he built a palace for his family to live in. Today, ochre-coloured Culross Palace, with its perfectly recreated 16th century gardens, is one of the many highlights of a visit to the village. The nearby Town House, overlooking the Forth, was once Culross’ court and jail, with criminals kept in the cell while witches were incarcerated in the attic. 

Culross regularly appeared in Outlander as Cranesmuir, with the village’s Mercat Cross and surrounding buildings instantly recognisable to fans of the hit TV series.

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