The Falkirk area is situated right at the heart of Central Scotland, mid way between Edinburgh and Glasgow with excellent road, rail and air links. It is one of the best connected areas in the country, with easy access to both cities and countryside so you can enjoy the best of both worlds from your base in Falkirk. Whether for a day trip or longer stay, you'll find plenty to see and do in the Falkirk area.
The area is famous for its iconic Falkirk Wheel| the world's first rotating boatlift and spectacular centrepiece of the £84.5m Millennium Link, the UK's largest canal restoration project which reconnected the Union Canal with the Forth & Clyde Canal, re-establishing east to west coast transit for boats. Experience the Falkirk Wheel on a unique boat trip transporting you 115ft through the air.
Whilst in Falkirk, why not open the door and explore 600 years of history at Callendar House|?
Situated amidst magnificent park and woodland, this impressive mansion has played host to many great historical figures over the centuries, including Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie. Costumed interpreters in the 1825 kitchen bring the house to life and a changing programme of temporary exhibitions in both the house and adjacent Park Gallery ensure there's always something new to see. The beautiful Callendar Park has remains of the Antonine Wall, woodland walks, pitch and putt, crazy golf and boating.
Callendar Park also hosts Big In Falkirk| a national street arts festival held annually, usually on the first weekend of May. This award winning event, featuring music, outdoor theatre and art is free to attend and attracts 100,000 residents and visitors each year.
Bo'ness and Kinneil Steam Railway| operates between Bo'ness and Birkhill Fireclay mine|. The station at Bo'ness houses Scotland's largest collection of railway artefacts, which visitors can view before taking the nostalgic steam railway trip along the southern shores of the Forth to Birkhill Station. From here the huge caverns and 300 million year old fossils of the clay mine can be explored. Check the railway's programme of special events – youngsters will love the 'Day out with Thomas' event where they meet Thomas the Tank Engine.
Alive with history, the area has been of strategic importance since Roman times, when the Antonine Wall| was built between the Firths of Forth and Clyde to form the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. The Kinneil Estate| in Bo'ness has the best preserved section of the wall along with the foundations of a fortlet. Other parts are visible at various sites including Callendar Park and Roughcastle near The Falkirk Wheel.
The area's main towns are Falkirk, Grangemouth, Bo'ness, Denny, Larbert, Stenhousemuir and Polmont, with many other villages and rural areas. The historic town of Falkirk is the area's thriving retail centre with shopping malls, street markets, monthly Farmers' Markets with over 30 stalls and the country's longest fully pedestrianised high street.
Falkirk is twinned with the Odenwald region, a quiet, mainly rural area in the south west of Germany; and Creteil; a large, cosmopolitan town lying to the south of Paris, France. The Odenwald Association and Falkirk District Twinning Association have launched a website, Falkirk Twinning|, to promote the twin town concept.
Other attractions include:
Blackness Castle|, between Bo'ness and Linlithgow
Barbara Davidson Pottery|, Larbert
Xtreme Carting|, Larbert
Polmont Ski Centre|, Polmont
Muiravonside Country Park|, near Linlithgow
Bo'ness Motor Museum|, Bo'ness
Dunmore Pineapple|, Airth
The Falkirk Stadium|
Walking and cycling along the Forth and Clyde canal| and Union Canal|
For more information, please visit http://www.visitscottishheartlands.com/areas/stirling/falkirk.cfm|