Balmerino Abbey

📌 Balmerino, Fife
★★

Forget about guided tours, staff, toilets or the end-of-visit gift shop: Balmerino Abbey differs from most National Trust for Scotland sites. A few markers explain the layout of the abbey complex, but are best supplemented with a little research on your mobile phone (signal permitting). This 13th century Cistercian monastery was once a grand affair but suffered from a 16th century attack by the English, quickly followed by its decline following the Reformation. The building was later converted into a house for the Lords of Balmerino, meaning that some parts have survived OK while others had their stonework ransacked for local buidling projects. The East Range is now the highlight: partly held up by wooden props but still with some interesting architectural features visible. Also look out for the gnarly old Spanish Chestnut tree, reputed to have been planted to mark the abbey’s founding in 1229 – though recent dating studies have put this in doubt.