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Kilwinning Abbey

Off Vaults Lane, Kilwinning, Ayrshire
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Open all year round
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Roam the remains of the peaceful home of Tironensian monks, who lived here for around 400 years.

Kilwinning Abbey was founded in the late 1100s. It has close ties to Kelso Abbey, one of Scotland’s great Borders abbeys, which provided it with colonising monks.

The monks of Kilwinning had a peaceful existence in their 400-year stay here. The abbey was ‘cast down’ following the Protestant Reformation of 1560, though its magnificent south transept still stands nearly to its full height today.

View through a small arched stone window set in rough, weathered stonework. The view looks onto a grassy area with low stone walls and trees behind them.
Ruined wall of a stone church with three narrow arched window openings and a circular opening above them. To the left is a square clock tower, part of a newer building still in use. At ground level are low stone foundations.
Stone archway from an old ruin, built from weathered blocks and carved with layered Gothic-style arches. Through the opening, trees and a small courtyard with a few people sitting in the distance are visible.

Ready for an adventure?

Use a Membership or Explorer Pass to discover centuries of Scottish history and heritage, all while saving money and supporting our work.

Membership

Ideal for regular visitors and heritage supporters

Unlimited annual pass for all ticketed sites plus daytime events

Two adults, holding hands with two young children, walk through a graveyard, with historical stone ruins in the background. It is a sunny day.
  • Unlimited annual pass for all ticketed sites plus daytime events
  • Discount in our shops and cafés (on site and online)
  • Historic Scotland magazine delivered to your door
  • Free or discounted entry to sites in England, Wales and the Isle of Man
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Explorer Pass

Perfect for short-term trips and sightseeing

Valid for 14 consecutive days

A family walking across a grassy lawn with the New Abbey Corn Mill building in the background.
  • Valid for 14 consecutive days
  • Entry to all ticketed sites, including Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle
  • 20% discount on audio guides at Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and Glasgow Cathedral
  • Guaranteed entry when you pre-book online
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