The Falkirk area is situated right at the heart of central of Scotland. It is one of the best connected areas in Scotland – mid way between Edinburgh and Glasgow, just 20 minutes drive from Edinburgh airport and with excellent road and rail links for both day visits and longer stays.
The area is home to The Falkirk Wheel|, the world’s first rotating boatlift and the spectacular centrepiece of the £84.5 million ‘Millennium Link’, the UK’s largest canal restoration project to reconnect the Union Canal with the Forth & Clyde Canal, re-establishing east to west coast transit for boats. Experience The Falkirk Wheel on a boat trip.
Why not open the door and explore 600 years of history at Callendar House, this impressive mansion has many stories to tell and secrets to share. Enjoy a tour of one of Scotland’s finest country houses, experience the daily routines of the past in the restored working kitchen or visit the exhibitions – ‘William Forbes’s Falkirk’ and ‘The Story of Callendar House’. Each Spring the grounds host Big in Falkirk|, Scotland’s national street arts festival, this year over 100,000 residents and visitors attended the spectacular two day event.
Close by Bo’ness and Kinneil Steam Railway|, houses Scotland’s largest collections of railway artefacts. Visitors can savour the nostalgia and romance of a bygone age by travelling in a steam train on a trip along the sourthern shores of the Forth to Birkhill Station where you can alight and explore the Birkhill Caverns. Young enthusiasts can enjoy a Day out with Thomas and other special event trains
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.
The area 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 Falkirk Twinning |to promote the twin town concept.
Other attractions - Blackness Castle, Barbara Davidson Pottery, Birkhill Carverns, Xtreme Karting, Polmont Ski Slope, Muiravonside Country Park, Bo’ness Motor Museum, Dunmore Pinapple, The Falkirk Stadium and walking/cycling on canal towpaths.
For more information please visit www.scottish.heartlands.org|