Visited July 2024

Location	Firth of Forth, Edinburgh
Entrance Fee	Yes
Railway Station Nearby	No
Parking	No
Facilities	Gift Shop, Toilets
Map

The abbey on Inchcolm Island has been there since the 1100s, when it was founded by King Alexander I of Scotland as a thank you for the hospitality he received on Inchcolm when sheltering there during a stormy crossing of the River Forth.

However there was a religious presence on the island prior to the establishment of the abbey as it was inhabited by some hermits, who looked after the king while he waited out the storm. There is a stone building on the island just west of the abbey, which is thought to be a Hermit's Cell, although what survives today has been heavily restored over the years. 

Review

The original abbey and church grew and expanded, and was in use for about three hundred years. It was often raided by the English, and therefore the abbey was more fortified than many other religious buildings in Scotland. After the Reformation in Scotland the abbey was closed and took on many different uses, including being a private home, a quarantine island for plague victims and defence position during both the first and second world wars. Some of these defences remain today and can be visited at the same time as the abbey.

A trip over to Inchcolm Island is exciting for children as it involves a boat trip from Queensferry passing under the Forth Bridge as you go. The boat trip is very popular in summer so should be booked in advance to make sure of getting spaces.The boat has outdoor and indoor seating and has refreshments and toilets on board.

Once on the island, we recommend starting at the visitor's centre and shop. There are also toilets here. As well as souvenirs, there is a small museum with some displays from the abbey, including a hogback stone which was once used on a grave, thought to be of a Danish invader from the 9th century.

Once you have looked around the museum, make your way over to the abbey, where the first building you will find is the Abbot's House. This is where the head of the monastic community lived- giving him privacy from the other monks. The building also has some interesting cellars, but watch out for the low doors- you don't want to bash your head (Mum cannot stress this enough as this is exactly what she did- Ouch!)

The hexagonal building with the conical roof was the monk's Chapter House, which is where the monks would meet and discuss abbey business and work to be done. This was Mum's favourite part of the abbey as the vaulted ceilings and circular seats around the inner walls of the room appealed to her.  The floor above was the warming house which was the only part of the abbey that had a fire. The monks were allowed in here on cold days. 

The cloister also survives, and has some interesting arches, and parts of the rood screen survive. Upstairs in the clositer building was the dormitory where the monks would sleep.

Once you have looked around the abbey, we would recommend looking at the war defnces on the island. The island has been used for military purposes for many centuries, including in 1547 when it was occupied by the English during the 'War of the Rough Wooing'- so-called because it was an attempt by Henry VIII to enforce a marriage contract between his son Edward and Mary Queen of Scots, who was still an infant at this time. 

Barracks were also built, and later demolished, during the Napoleonic Wars.

Most of the war defences left today date back to the 1st and 2nd World Wars. There is a brilliantly preserved brick tunnel which was built for the WW1. It is pitch black inside (make sure you have a torch/phone on you) but children were having a great time running through in the darkness. There are also some gun and search light emplacements from WW2. On the day we were there these areas had a lot of nesting sea birds in them, and the birds were very vocal if anyone got too close to their babies. In fact there were a few areas we didn't get to as we thought we would disturb the birds to much. At different times of the year this might not be a problem.

The time spent on the island in total was between 3.5-4 hours. The time of the boat service back to Queensferry is given as an approximation as it takes into account the weather conditions on the day. The return trip does allow for some great shots of the island as we pass the abbey, and also of the Forth Bridge. 

There is no cafe on the Island, but we brought our own food. Either that or eat before or after the boat trip at Queensferry, where there are several restaurants.

More info:  Inchcolm Abbey