📌 Whithorn, Dumfries & Galloway
★★★
🛠️ Some areas closed for masonry work – rest of site open (checked April 2024)
Whithorn Priory is famous as Scotland’s cradle of Christianity: in other words, the place where Christianity was (probably) first established on Scottish shores. The story starts in the 390s AD when St Ninian founded the first church here, fresh from studying in Rome. Whithorn Church flourished and developed into a cathedral, which was replaced by a larger one in the 12th century. With the 1560 Reformation came ruin, but a new parish church was built in the 1820s, still used today. Access to all this – in varying states of repair – is up Bruce Street, reached from the main street through a lovely archway in a cottage called the Pend. Before heading through here, a deceptively large visitor centre and exhibition on George Street gives a detailed introduction to the long history. There’s a further museum midway up Bruce Street, and a reconstructed iron-age roundhouse which you can explore by guided tour. You’ve probably realised by now that there’s a lot to do: allow at least a couple of hours if you want to see it all.
Visitor Centre on George Street – start here 
Inside the visitor centre 
Inside the visitor centre 
Head through this arch for the rest of the site 
12th century cathedral nave 
Inside the nave 
Cathedral crypt (left) & remains of the early church 
19th century parish church 
Inside the parish church 
Musuem on Bruce Street 
Iron age roundhouse 
Inside the roundhouse
🌍 Location
📌 Whithorn village centre. Start at the visitor centre on George Street (A746)
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NX 445403
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 54.733262,-4.415740
🚌 Bus to Whithorn
🚗 Street parking
📝 Key info
⌚ Sunday to Friday, 31 March to October 2024 – perhaps some extra days in summer
🎫 £7.50 adult / £4.50 child / discount for Historic Environment Scotland members (or free entry to priory & Bruce Street museum portions)
🔗 Visitor Centre: whithorn.com | Priory & Museum: historicenvironment.scot
