Pittencrieff Park

Pittencrieff Park — universally known to locals as "The Glen" — is a 76-acre public park running through a deep ravine at the heart of Dunfermline. It contains the ruins of Dunfermline Palace, formal gardens, woodland walks along the sides of the glen, a peacock garden, and a museum in the old Pittencrieff House. It is one of the most attractive urban parks in Scotland, and the fact that it is free and open all year makes it the social heart of the city.

The park was given to Dunfermline by Andrew Carnegie in 1902, bought from the Hunt family for £45,000. Carnegie's idea was that the park should serve as a sort of benevolent improvement for the people of his home town — he funded a trust to maintain it and provide activities within it. The contrast between the formal upper terraces near the abbey and the wilder wooded glens below makes for a varied walk; allow a full hour to explore it properly.

things to do sight park
A story
As a child in Dunfermline, Andrew Carnegie was forbidden from entering Pittencrieff Park — it was private land, belonging to the Hunt family who owned the estate. When Carnegie became rich, he bought the entire estate in 1902 and immediately donated it to the people of Dunfermline. He is said to have done so partly in memory of the childhood frustration, and to ensure that no child in Dunfermline would ever again be denied access to those gardens.