Culross

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As you wander around the narrow cobbled lanes of this charming village you would be forgiven for thinking you were in an historical film-set depicting 17th century Scotland. About the only thing that spoils the fantasy is the occasional parked car. I know it's always difficult striking a balance in such a picturesque place between catering for visitors and allowing locals to live and work and get on with their lives, but in Culross I feel there is a real argument for, at the very least, hiding the cars somewhere (perhaps below the high tide mark on the nearby banks of the River Forth).
Everywhere you look there are whitewashed walls and crow-stepped gables and rounded cobbled surfaces on winding little streets. For such a wee place there are loads of old buildings you can enter, houses with wood-panelled rooms and painted overhead beams. Your appreciation very much depends, of course, on your interests. If, for example, you are fond of shopping, then Culross is not the place for you. If, on the other hand,
you are keen to creep around the ruins of old abbeys and
soak up the atmosphere in rooms and passageways that
creak and groan, then you've come to the right place.