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Dunfirmline is only 18 miles from Edinburgh and makes a great day-trip destination combined with Blackness Castle. Dunfirmline is a very important city in Scottish history (it was essentially the capital of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 11th century to the 15th century) and today the town has almost become a suburb of Edinburgh, growing quite rapidly over the past 10-15 years. In addition to being the final resting place for several royal figures, Dunfirmline is the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, the titan of the U.S. steel industry who emigrated with his family to Pittsburgh, PA when he was 12 years old.
We visited Dunfirmline on our way to St. Andrews and so while we did not have a lot of time in the town, we were able to see the Abbey and walk through the main town before driving to St. Andrews.
Dunfermline’s Abbey houses the remains of seven Scottish Kings and other royals, including the famous Robert the Bruce who died in 1329 and was the last king to be buried here. Robert the Bruce is known for his major victory over the English at Bannockburn, Scotland in 1314 (Bannockburn battlefield can be visited near Stirling, Scotland and is well worth a stop). Robert’s heart was taken to Melrose Abbey, which I will write about in a separate post (he wanted his heart taken to the Holy Land, but it never made it). The grounds of the Abbey include a few remaining walls of a 12th-century royal palace, ruins of the huge refectory and nave of the original Benedictine Abbey and a newer 19th-century rebuilt section after part of the original Abbey collapsed and fell into disrepair in the 1600’s and 1700’s.
Connected to the Abbey are the ruins of the Benedictine Refectory and Palace.
Above – the western facade of the old Abbey.
If you’re in Edinburgh and would like a short side trip to explore the countryside, Dunfirmline is a great stop. We found a car park close to the Abbey and there were just a few visitors at the Abbey in late August, even though Edinburgh was packed during that same time.
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Dunfermline looks like the perfect mix of rich history and peaceful charm, love that you got to see Robert the Bruce’s final resting place too.