Cambuskenneth Abbey

📌 Cambuskenneth, Stirling
★★

Founded in 1140, Cambuskenneth Abbey used to be a grand, rich complex with links to nearby Stirling Castle. Resident canons prayed for generations of Scottish royals, with James III and his wife, Margaret of Denmark, both buried inside the church. Most of the buildings were razed to the ground during the reformation (and in subsequent quarrying of the stone for building materials), but the ornate bell tower remains intact as well as the tomb in which king and queen were reburied in 1864 following excavation. You can still easily see how the rest of the abbey was laid out thanks to its surviving foundations; also take time to wander down to the tidal River Forth behind, with excellent views of the Ochil Hills and Wallace Monument as well as faint remains of further ecclesiastical buildings.