Torphichen Preceptory Historic Scotland - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Cairnpapple Hill is a hill with a dominating position in central lowland Scotland with views from coast to coast. It was used and re-used as a major ritual site over about 4000 years, and in its day would have been comparable to better known sites like the Standing Stones of Stenness. The summit lies 312 m above sea level, and is about 2 miles north of Bathgate. In the 19th century the site was completely concealed by trees, then in 1947–1948 excavations by Stuart Piggott found a series of ritua

The 12th century ‘refuge stone’ marks the boundary of Torphichen which was held by the Knights of St John Hospitallers of Jerusalem where they established a Preceptory in 1124. It is one of a number of surviving boundary stones around the village. West Lothian Council worked in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland to carry out the £1000 restoration project.

Cockleroi or Cockleroy is a prominent hill in Scotland. It is Linlithgow's local hill. At its summit is a Bronze-Age hill fort known as Wallace's Bed or Wallace's Cradle, which is very similar in structure to another on the nearby Bowden Hill. Also at the summit are an Ordnance Survey triangulation pillar and a geographical indicator.

Muiravonside is Falkirk’s only Country Park, providing 170 acres of stunning woodland and parkland, a mini demonstration farm, a sculpture trail, children’s play area and a café at the Visitor Hub courtyard. The park is free to access all year round and offers spectacular scenery accessible through a network of paths. The site is managed by Falkirk Community Trust.

This is the second largest aqueduct in Britain and the largest in Scotland. It measures 247m long, 25.9m high and 7.2 m wide. All three aqueducts on the canal use the same construction of hollow stone piers and arches spanning 50 ft. The water is channeled over in an iron trough. The canal's engineer Hugh Baird consulted Thomas Telford over this innovative design. There are canal boat trips to the aqueduct from Linlithgow.

Bathgate's well established Bennie Museum is currently running a fascinating 'Museum of Childhood' exhibition, which depicts and shows aspects of life from the perspective of Bathgate's children from years gone by. This includes vintage toys, books and games. It wasopened in 1989 as a museum of Bathgate’s history and life.