Dunfermline
Dunfermline [dead link] (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Phàrlain) is a historic town in Fife, 3 miles north of the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It became a royal residence, ecclesiastical centre and effective capital of Scotland from the 11th century, and many monarchs are buried here. It's also the birthplace of tycoon philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
Get in
By plane
Edinburgh Airport has good flight connections across Europe and UK and within Scotland. A direct bus runs from airport stop G across the old Forth Road Bridge to Inverkeithing (for trains) and Halbeath P&R (for local buses). This is the Stagecoach Jet 747 which takes 30 min and costs £7.50 single and £14 for a return within 28 days. It runs daily 24 hours, every 20 mins daytime.
By train
Dunfermline has two railway stations: 1 Dunfermline Town is in town centre and 2 Dunfermline Queen Margaret is northeast, near Queen Margaret Hospital. From Edinburgh take the Fife Loop Train to Inverkeithing and Dunfermline, running every 30 mins. This continues clockwise inland to Glenrothes with Thornton, returns to the coast at Kirkcaldy then loops back to Inverkeithing and Edinburgh. Don't be on the anti-clockwise train, which follows the coast from Inverkeithing to Kirkcaldy before looping back via Glenrothes with Thornton to Dunfermline.
From Glasgow Queen Street take the fast train to Edinburgh and change at Haymarket for the loop train. From the north change at Inverkeithing, don't trundle round the loop via Kirkcaldy.
By car
Dunfermline is two miles west of M90 motorway. From the south, follow M90 across the Forth Road Bridge (no toll) and exit at junction 2 onto the spur A823(M). However there's a little cluster of hotels and other facilities at the east edge of town: for these and the two hospitals take junction 3.
By bus
The main bus operator is Stagecoach. Bus X55 runs hourly daily from Edinburgh over the old Forth Road Bridge to Rosyth and Dunfermline, taking just over an hour.
Bus X24 runs hourly from Glasgow (sometimes starting from the airport) to Cumbernauld and Dunfermline, and continues to Glenrothes and St Andrews. X26 also runs from Glasgow via Dunfermline to Glenrothes and Dundee. These all call at 3 Dunfermline bus station west side of town centre.
However, most inter-city buses bypass the town but call at 4 Halbeath P&R on A92 four miles east. These include buses M90 and M91 to Perth and Inverness, M92 and G92 to Dundee and Aberdeen, X56 to Kinross and Perth, and X61 to Glenrothes and Leven. The Edinburgh airport bus also runs from here. See below for local buses between the P&R and town centre.
Get around
Buses between town and Halbeath P&R are Bus 19, which runs south to Rosyth and north to Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly and Ballingry; Bus 33 running east to Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly, Cardenen and Kirkcaldy; and Bus 83 southeast to Dalgety Bay.
See
- 1 Dunfermline Abbey, St Margaret Street KY12 7PE. Apr-Sept daily 09.30-17:30, Oct-Mar Sa-Th 09:30-16:30. The Abbey dates back to the 11th century and is Romanesque, but ruined in the Reformation. Several parts such as the impressive nave were incorporated into the 19th C parish church. Notable burials here are St Margaret of Scotland, Robert the Bruce, and five other kings and their queens. Attached to the Abbey are the few remains of the Palace: King Charles I was born here in 1600, but by the end of that century both the palace and the Stuart royal dynasty were broken. The nearby Abbott House is no longer open to the public. Adult £4.
- 2 Carnegie Library & Galleries, 1 Abbott St KY12 7NL. M-W F 10:00-17:00, Th 10:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-16:00, Su 12:00-16:00. Carnegie funded the building of this public library in his home town, opened in 1883; he went on to fund over 2800 more. A modern extension, opened in 2017, houses a museum and galleries. Free.
- 3 The Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Moodie Street KY12 7PL, ☏ +44 1383 724302. This humble weavers cottage was the birthplace of the steel tycoon and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919). He was 12 when the family emigrated to Pennsylvania, where he was soon noticed for his brightness and hard-working. He became prosperous through the railway industry, then enormously wealthy through iron and steel. He resolved to donate most of this to causes such as education, and by the time of his death had donated over $350 million, equivalent to $80 billion in today's money. Free.
Do
- Watch a show at 1 Carnegie Hall, East Port KY12 7JA, ☏ +44 1383 602302. This is the original Carnegie Hall, a 540-seat theatre named for the local-boy-made-good. The shows are mostly light fare.
- Watch football at Dunfermline Athletic, who play in the Scottish Championship, the game's second tier. Their home ground (capacity 11,400) is East End Park, on A907 half a mile east of town centre.
- 2 Pittencrieff Park. Carnegie purchased this park and gave it to the people of the town; the grand gates were added in 1908. A stream runs through a bosky glen and there are various walkways, an Art Deco pavilion, gardens and hothouses, and the stumps of King Malcolm Canmore's tower dating to 1000 AD.
- 3 Adventure Golf Island, Fife Leisure Park, Whimbrel Place KY11 8EX, ☏ +44 1383 737152. M-F 11:00-21:30, Sa Su 10:00-22:00. Florida-style adventure golf with two 18 hole courses, Treasure Island and Pirates Cove. Floodlit at night. Adult £8, child £6.50.
- Walk or cycle along the coast of the Firth of Forth, west through Culross, Kincardine and Clackmannan, swinging inland past Rosyth navy base; going east the coastal trail goes all the way to St Andrews. You may cross the river by the Kincardine Bridge or the old Forth Road Bridge, both toll free; you may not use the new Forth Bridge ("Queensferry Crossing"), which is motorway. Another trail to Clackmannan runs inland parallel to A907.
- Highland Games are held in Ballast Park in Inverkeithing in early August. The 2020 event is cancelled so the next are probably on Sat 7 Aug 2021, tbc.
Buy
The main retail park is Halbeath, east of the centre on A907. There's an Asda here, open daily 08:00-22:00.
Eat
- Gratzi, Carnegie Drive KY12 7AN, ☏ +44 1383 737979. Su Tu-Th 16:00-21:30, F Sa 12:00-22:00. Tasty Italian, Tues nights is tapas.
- 1 The Hideaway, Kingseat Road KY12 0UB (half a mile north of jcn 3 of M90), ☏ +44 1383 249533. Tu-Th 09:00-16:00, F-Sa 09:00-16:00, 17:00-22:00. Good informal restaurant.
- 2 Carnock Inn, 8 Main St, Carnock KY12 9JQ (A907 four miles west of Dunfermline), ☏ +44 1383 850381. Closed. Gastropub does food worth coming the extra distance. Bar has garden, is open to midnight. The place closed down in March 2020, it's not known whether the new owners will run it in a similar way.
- Royal Bengal (formerly Bengal Tiger), 57 Pittencrieff Street KY12 8AJ (a mile west of centre). Daily 17:00-22:30. Good Indian food, mostly tandoori.
- Garvock House Hotel is an upscale Georgian place east of the centre on St John's Drive, but it's the restaurant that most impresses.
- Fife Leisure Park by M90 junction 3 has a rash of cheap eateries, including Frankie and Benny's, Pizza Hut, Brewer's Fayre, Bella Italia and Chiquito.
Drink
- The king sits in Dunfermline toune, drinking the blude reid wine . . . - Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens, anon
- Guildhall & Linen Exchange is a JD Wetherspoon at 83 High St, open daily. They also have rooms.
- Other central places are Coady's, Commercial Inn, Monty's and Lourenzo's. Just east are East Port Bar and The Monarch.
- West of centre along St Catherine's Wynd are Bruce Tavern, Tappie Toories, The Old Inn and the Creepy Wee Pub.
Sleep
- City Hotel is a pub with rooms near the bus station. Weekends are noisy with karaoke.
- 1 Pitbauchlie House Hotel, Aberdour Road KY11 4PB (B916 a mile southeast of centre), ☏ +44 1383 722282, fax: +44 1383 620738, info@pitbauchlie.com. Pleasant mid-range place with gardens, dog-friendly. B&B double £110.
- 2 King Malcolm Hotel, Queensferry Road KY11 8DS (A823 a mile south of town, by Pitreavie business park), ☏ +44 1383 722611, fax: +44 1383 730865. Drab exterior looks like the Bates motel, but decent enough accommodation for the price. B&B double £105.
- Holiday Inn Express, Halbeath Road, Halbeath KY11 8JH (A907 two miles east of town), ☏ +44 1383 748220, fax: +44 1383 748221. Good budget, dogs welcome. B&B double £95.
- Premier Inn Dunfermline, 4-12 Whimbrel Place, Fife Leisure Park KY11 8EX (near Jcn 3 of M90), ☏ +44 870 600 1486, fax: +44 870 600 1487. Chain budget hotel, comfort and service consistently better than its price range. Lots of eating places, retail and amusements on the Leisure Park. B&B double £80.
- Travelodge Dunfermline, Halbeath Junction KY11 8PQ (Jcn 3 of M90), ☏ +44 871 984 6287, fax: +44 1383 844649. Reliable budget chain next to motorway, good value for what you pay. B&B double £80.
- 3 Best Western Plus Keavil House Hotel, Crossford KY12 8NN (2 miles west of town), ☏ +44 1383 736258. Upscale 72-room country house hotel in its own grounds. With restaurant and spa, often does weddings and similar events. B&B double £110.
Go next
- The Fife coast is urban until you get east of Kirkcaldy and Leven. The view improves greatly around Anstruther and the charming fishing villages of the East Neuk.
- Culross 10 miles west is a well-restored 17th / 18th century village. Highlights are the Abbey, Town House, Study and Palace.
- Dollar, reached by the scenic A823 over the hills, has a walk up the ravine of Dollar Glen to the ruin of Castle Campbell. The autumn colours here are fabulous.
- Falkland Palace, ten miles north of Kirkcaldy, is the medieval palace of the Stuart kings, rebuilt in the 19th century.
| Routes through Dunfermline |
| Perth ← Kinross ← | N  S |
→ North Queensferry → Edinburgh |