Here's a few suggestions for things to see and do in Stirling, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire & the Campsies:
Walking & Cycling
Excellent hiking and walking paths can be found around
The Ochil Hills and Campsie Fells. Enjoy the extensive
network of cycleways in Clackmannanshire.
Golf
There are numerous courses to challenge the golfer. Try
a put overlooking Stirling Castle, or drive down the fairways
in the shadow of the Ochils.
Shopping
Treat yourself or take home a souvenir from one of the
modern shopping centres in Falkirk and Stirling,
or grab a designer bargain at Tillicoultry. Simply browse
in the many country stores found in other towns and villages.
Arts & Crafts
Visit local galleries or craft shops or take in a theatrical
occasion at the MacRobert, the regional arts centre situated
on Stirling University Campus.
Indoor
Sports
A variety of different activities await the visitor. Why
not take a dip at one of the swimming pools at Alloa,
Falkirk, Grangemouth or Stirling.
Stirling, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire & the Campsies
Callender
House and Park
The Falkirk area
- right in the heart of central Scotland - has an illustrious
commercial heritage which continues today.
Alive with history, visitors to Falkirk
can explore the Roman remains of the Antonine Wall, watch
large pots steaming in the 19th century kitchens of Callendar
House. Falkirk is also home to the engineering marvel of the
Falkirk Wheel – the world’s first revolving boatlift.
From Rome to Hollywood
The Antonine Wall, awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008, dates back to the 2nd century, and marked the northern
frontier of the Roman Empire. Kinneil Estate, meaning ‘Wall’s
End’, has the best preserved sections of the wall along with
the foundations of a fortlet.
Other parts are visible at Callendar Park, Polmont Hill, Watling Lodge
and at Tamfourhill, where the defensive ditch can be seen to its best
advantage. Roughcastle, at Bonnybridge has the most complete fort
on the wall. Imagine a Latin legionnaire, looking out from the wall
into the wild land of the blue-painted Picts. Perhaps unsurprisingly,
the wall was only held for 20 years before the imperial forces retreated
further south, finding the struggle to subdue the Picts a thankless
task.
Ship-shaped
Somewhat younger, Blackness Castle is a 15th century fortress
which stands proud on the banks of the Firth of Forth near the
peaceful little village of Blackness. Its situation is most
appropriate, as the shape of its outer wall is said to resemble
a battleship.
The moody and atmospheric castle made the perfect setting for
the film version of Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson. In another
tragedy, this time real life, Falkirk also witnessed the tragic
defeat of Scotland’s national hero, Sir William Wallace,
in the battle of 1298.
Blackness Castle
The Falkirk
Wheel
Falkirk played a major role
in the growth of the industrial revolution. James Watt developed
his steam engine in the area. Carron Iron Works, which once
led the world in iron smelting, and was famous for its ‘Carronades’
cannon, which defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
The Forth & Clyde and Union Canals played a key role in
carrying raw materials and finished products.
Today, with the completion of
the Millennium Canal Link and the Falkirk Wheel at Tamfourhill
just outside Falkirk, it is possible for boats to travel across
Scotland from Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea for the first
time in over forty years.
The Falkirk Wheel is the world’s first revolving boat lift
and visitors to the Falkirk Wheel can board a vessel
for The Falkirk Wheel Experience - to view the Falkirk Wheel from land or water.
Falkirk today is a modern town of sizeable proportions, with
excellent shopping facilities in two covered centres and pedestrianised
mews. The Mariner Leisure Centre has a huge leisure pool complete
with waves children’s chutes and a beach area, all in a
tropical atmosphere.
Victorian
Flavour
The impressive mansion of Callendar House, standing in attractive
parkland in Falkirk, features an exhibition which reveals
the 900 year history of the house. Sample freshly cooked delicacies
in the restored working kitchen, visit period shops or delve
into history in the Victorian Library.
The exhibition “Forbes’s Falkirk” allows visitors
to experience life in Victorian Falkirk. The mansion’s
policies, Callendar Park, offers a wide range of leisure pursuits
- pitch and putt, crazy golf and boating, and pleasant walks.
At Barbara Davidson Pottery, near
Larbert, the pottery process can be viewed at first hand.
Look out for the unusual Dunmore Pineapple at Airth or drop
into Grangemouth Museum for a picture of social development
and industrial heritage.
Barbara
Davidson Pottery
A Steam Trip Down Memory Lane
Close
by is the fascinating Bo’ness and Kinneil Steam Railway, which
includes Scotland’s largest collection of railway artefacts.
The visitor can savour the nostalgia and romance of a bygone age by
travelling in a steam train on a seven mile round trip along the southern
shores of the Forth.
A break in the journey can be taken at Birkhill, for a stroll in the
wildflower meadow or a walk down to the Avon Gorge for a guided tour
of the Birkhill Fireclay Mine. Here you can marvel at the extensive
workings which reveal huge caverns and the 300 million year old fossils
of giant tree ferns from a pre-dinosaur age.
Kinneil Museum, in the grounds of Kinneil Estate, relates the history
of Bo’ness and has an interpretative display on the estate, from
the Roman period to modern times.
