Falkirk - 31 Attractions You Must Visit

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About Falkirk

Falkirk is one of 32 unitary authority council areas of Scotland. It was formed on 1 April 1996 by way of the Local Government etc. Act 1994 from the exact boundaries of Falkirk District, one of three parts of the Central region created in 1975, which was abolished at that time. Prior to the 1975 reorganisation, the majority of the council area was part of the historic county of Stirlingshire, and a small part, namely Bo'ness and Blackness, was part of the former county of West Lothian.

Types of Attractions in Falkirk

Activities Around

List of Attractions in Falkirk

Almond Castle

Almond Castle

Iconic Buildings

Almond Castle is a ruined L-plan castle dating from the 15th century. It is located 3 miles west of Linlithgow, and north of the Union Canal, in Falkirk, Scotland. It was known as Haining Castle until the 17th century. The structure is unsound and is protected as a scheduled monument. The ruin has a vaulted basement. The hall was on the first floor, while there is a kitchen in the wing. There is a courtyard, with a wall and ditch, enclosing the remains of 16th-century buildings.

Antonine Wall

Antonine Wall

Iconic Buildings

Old Ruins

The Antonine Wall, known to the Romans as Vallum Antonini, was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Built some twenty years after Hadrian's Wall to the south, and intended to supersede it, while it was garrisoned it was the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire. It spanned approximately 63 kilometres and was about 3 metres high and 5 metres wide.

Callendar House

Callendar House

Iconic Buildings

Callendar House dates from the 14th century. It is set in the nationally-important historic designed landscape of Callendar Park, which also contains a section of the Antonine Wall World Heritage Site. During the 19th century, it was redesigned and extended in the style of a French Renaissance château fused with elements of Scottish baronial architecture. However, the core of the building is a 14th-century tower house.

Callendar Park

Callendar Park is the jewel in the crown of parks within the Falkirk area, covering over 170 acres and housing the magnificent Callendar House. The woodlands and gardens host a number of interesting historical features including an Arboretum, Ornamental Gardens and a family Mausoleum. The Park is a historically-important designed landscape, listed in The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

Carron Dams

Carron Dam is a partially drained reservoir with wetland, rich fen and deciduous woodland. Specialised plants such as gypsywort, remote sedge and water-plantain thrive in the wetlands, which is one of the largest in the area. Water voles and water rails may also be glimpsed along the banks.

Castle Campbell

Castle Campbell

Iconic Buildings

Castle Campbell is a medieval castle situated above the town of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, in central Scotland. It was the lowland seat of the earls and dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell, from the 15th to the 19th century, and was visited by Mary, Queen of Scots, in the 16th century. Mary was impressed by this and said "this reminds me of home". The castle is now managed by Historic Scotland, and admission tickets can be purchased from their website.

Devilla Forest

Devilla Forest is a Forestry and Land Scotland commercial site to the north and east of Kincardine. There are many tracks and paths in the forest offering numerous possibilities for walking. A few route suggestions are given here but there are numerous other possibilities. Some of the routes are on unsurfaced trodden paths which can be very muddy at times. If this doesn’t appeal, just stick to the surfaced vehicle tracks and the boardwalk of the red squirrel way.

Dollar Park

A striking area of mature parkland offering horticulture features, tennis courts and a 18-hole putting green. The park is situated near Falkirk’s town centre. The town’s park is based centrally and boasts spectacular flower displays throughout the year, regardless of the season.

Falkirk Steeple

Falkirk Steeple

Man-made Structures- Other

The Falkirk Steeple is a landmark which dominates the skyline of Falkirk in central Scotland. The present structure on the High Street was built in 1814, and replaced an earlier steeple dating from the late 17th century, which itself replaced a still earlier structure. The Falkirk Steeple is protected as a category A listed building. A stylised image of the steeple appears on the crest of Falkirk Football Club.

Falkirk Trinity Church

Falkirk Old & St. Modan's Parish Church also known as "Falkirk Trinity Church" is a congregation of the Church of Scotland in Falkirk, central Scotland. The medieval Old Parish Church is located in the centre of Falkirk, and may have been founded as early as the 7th century. The church was largely rebuilt in the 19th century, though the 18th-century steeple was retained. The church building is protected as a category A listed building.

Falkirk Tunnel

The Falkirk Tunnel, located just behind Falkirk High Station, was created nearly 200 years ago and was originally used for transporting coal, today it carries the Union Canal beneath Prospect Hill in Falkirk and connects Falkirk to the heart of Edinburgh. The Falkirk Tunnel is 630 meters long, 18ft-wide, 19ft-high and has a 5ft-wide towpath.

Kincardine Bridge

The Kincardine Bridge is a road bridge crossing the Firth of Forth from Falkirk council area to Kincardine, Fife, Scotland. The bridge was constructed with a swinging central section which remained in use until 1988, that would allow larger ships to sail upstream to the small port at Alloa.

Kinneil House

Kinneil House

Iconic Buildings

An impressive historic country house with some of the best examples of Rennaisance Art, open on selected days and surrounded by parkland and woodland which includes remains of a Roman Fortlet and the Antonine Wall. Kinneil Museum displays '2000 Years of History' from Roman times to the present day. The museum is 'We're Good to Go' certified.

Loch Ard

Loch Ard

Outdoors- Other

One of the 22 lochs that make up Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, Loch Ard is believed to be the source of the River Forth which flows from its eastern end. Famous Scottish author and poet, Sir Walter Scott, name checked the loch in his 1817 novel Rob Roy describing it as ‘an enchanting sheet of water.’ On the loch’s southern shores lie the ruins of a castle built by nobleman Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, executed by James I for treason in 1425.

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond and the hills and glens of the Trossachs, along with several other ranges of hills. It was the first of the two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament in 2002, the second being the Cairngorms National Park. The park extends to cover much of the western part of the southern highlands, lying to the north of the Glasgow conurbation, and contains many mountains and lochs.

Muiravonside Country Park

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.

Old Tulliallan Castle

Old Tulliallan Castle

Iconic Buildings

Tulliallan Castle is a large house in Kincardine, Fife, Scotland. It is the second structure to have the name, and is a mixture of Gothic and Italian style architecture set amid some 90 acres of parkland just north of where the Kincardine Bridge spans the Firth of Forth. It has been the home of the Scottish Police College since 1954. On 1 April 2013, Tulliallan Castle became the headquarters of Police Scotland, but in 2014 the service's headquarters temporarily relocated to nearby Stirling in th

Plean Country Park

Plean Country Park

Outdoors- Other

Parks

Plean Country Park is over 70 hectares of publicly accessible woodland, wilderness and parkland, with a network of paths for walking, cycling or horse riding. There are toilets and a new play park. Open all year during daylight hours. There is a walled garden which was previously used by residents of Plean House to grow their own fruit and vegetables but is not open at present to the public.

Scottish Wildlife Trust

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a registered charity dedicated to conserving the wildlife and natural environment of Scotland. The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well over 35,000 members. The Scottish Wildlife Trust acquired its first wildlife reserve in 1966 and now has more than 120 reserves throughout Scotland with visitor centres at Loch of the Lowes , Montrose Basin, and the Falls of Clyde. As well as providing homes for wildlife these sites are valuable places for people to interact with and e

Seabegs Wood

Seabegs Wood

Outdoors- Other

Seabegs Wood was the site of a Roman fortlet on the Antonine Wall in Scotland. At Seabegs, the outline of Antonine's Wall, has lasted. Archaeologists from previous generations recorded this and stated that the ditch was deep and waterlogged. There is an underpass under thForth and Clyde Canal nearby known locally as the Pend.

Map of attractions in Falkirk

Comments

For more information about Falkirk, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk_(council_area)