Queensferry

Formerly in the county of West Lothian, South Queensferry lies on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, 10 miles (16 km) west of Edinburgh. It has been an important crossing at least since 1071 when Malcolm III granted free passage at the 'Queens Ferry' for pilgrims on their way to St Andrews. A ferry service operated until 1964, the year the Forth Road Bridge was opened.

South Queensferry was created a burgh of regality in the 13th century and made a Royal Burgh in 1636. It traded actively with Europe in the 17th century. Buildings dating from this period include Laburnum House, the Hawes Inn, the Tolbooth Tower, the Black Castle, the Old Parish Church and Plewlands House. St Mary's Episcopal Church (from 1441) was a monastery and hospice before the Reformation. The Hawes Inn features in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Kidnapped. Today, South Queensferry is a dormitory village and yachting centre with electronics, oil storage and whisky industries..

Local Traditions

The Ferry Fair

A local fair dates from the 12th century. The modern form, dating from the 1930's, takes place each August and includes the crowning of a local school-girl as the Ferry Fair Queen, a procession of floats, pipe bands, and competitive events such as the Boundary Race. The Fair also has a dedicated radio station, Jubilee FM, which is planning to evolve into a full-service community station for North and South Queensferry in 2007.

The Burry Man

South Queensferry hosts the strange annual procession of the Burry Man during the Ferry Fair. This unique pagan-like cultural event is over three hundred years old, but its true origins are unknown. The name "Burry Man" is arguably a corruption of "Burgh Man", since the town was formerly a royal burgh. A local man is covered from head-to-toe in burrs - the hooked fruits from the Burdock plant - which adhere to undergarments covering his entire body, leaving only the shoes, hands and two eyeholes exposed. On top of this layer he wears a sash, flowers and a floral hat and he grasps two staves. His ability to bend his arms or sit down is very restricted during the long day and his progress is a slow walk with frequent pauses. Two attendants in ordinary clothes assist him throughout the ordeal, helping him hold the staves, guiding his route, and fortifying him with whisky sipped through a straw, whilst enthusiastic children go from door-to-door collecting money on his behalf. The key landmarks on the tour are the Provost's office and each pub in the village.

The Looney Dook

Literally: the lunatic duckings. A recently instituted event whereby people dive into the chilling waters of Firth of Forth on New Year's Day often in fancy dress.

Places of interest

On the High St.

• St Mary's Episcopal Church. This is the town's oldest building, dating from 1441. It is Scotland's only surviving church of the Carmelite order of friars.
• Black Castle - Built in 1626. When the original owner, a sea-captain, was lost at sea, his maid was accused of paying a beggar-woman to cast a spell. Both women were burned for witchcraft.
• Plewlands House - A 17th century mansion right in the centre of the village, managed by the National Trust for Scotland since 1953.
• The TolBooth - On the High St. dating from the 1600's, with clock-tower built in 1720.

The Hawes Inn in South Queensferry features in Robert Louis Stevenson's book Kidnapped. Opposite here you can catch the ferry to Inchcolm.

Stately homes

• Hopetoun House - Two miles to the west, a splendid Georgian stately home designed by the Scottish architects Sir William Bruce and William Adam and situated in 150 acres (607,000 m²) of parkland. Home to the Earls of Hopetoun since 1699.
• Dalmeny House - Two miles to the east, Dalmeny House was built by English architect William Wilkins in 1817 and is the home of the Earls of Roseberry. It houses the Roseberry and some of the Rothschild collections.
• Dundas Estate - One mile to the south. A 9-hole golf course has been established in its parkland since 1957. Each year it hosts a "The Life of Jesus Christ", an Oberammergau-type open-air passion play.