Heart of Falkirk Tourism Trail including Kelpies, Falkirk Wheel and more!
A new 11.5 mile family friendly tourist trail has been launched in Falkirk, taking visitors past all of the town’s top tourism destinations in one loop.
Starting at The Helix, home of the iconic Kelpies, past newly relaunched Rosebank Distillery, The Falkirk Wheel, the world’s only rotating boat lift, and four-star visitor attraction, Callendar House and Park.
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The Heart of Falkirk trail is a circular route and is accessible on foot or bike by cycleway, towpath and woodland trail. Described as a medium difficulty route, it runs mostly on traffic free paths and tracks although there are one or two short on-road sections and four road crossings to be aware of.
The new Heart of Falkirk route is an opportunity for visitors to enjoy the natural world, running alongside the River Carron and through Abbotshaugh Woods where the impressive Love and Kisses sculpture can be found.
The route also runs beside historical industrial sites that have helped place Falkirk at the heart of Scotland’s industrial revolution, including the old Carron Works, once home to the largest iron works in Europe.
The trail continues past the newly restored Rosebank Distillery and the famous Falkirk Wheel, following two canals through to Falkirk’s principal park, Callendar Park. At Callendar Park, visitors can enjoy the historic Callendar House or try the new beginners’ mountain bike track.
Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, Leader of Falkirk Council said: “We already have a fantastic path network across the entire area and this new addition has been designed to show off the best visitor attractions we have. We are confident the trail will appeal to residents and visitors alike and can be explored on foot or bike as a whole or in stages.
“Tourism is vital to the economic vitality of the Falkirk area and by improving what we have to offer, we can ensure that visitors will continue to enjoy our attractions and help generate income for local businesses.”
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The Helix Park, originally created as a space for the communities in the Falkirk area to come together, has a Green Tourism Gold award and is free for visitors. It was awarded five-star visitor attraction status by Visit Scotland and won the ‘Best Visitor Attraction Experience’ at the 2023 Visit Scotland National Thistle Awards.
It offers significant amounts of green space and a wealth of things to do, including 27km paths for walking, running, or cycling, an adventure zone playpark, splash play area and sensory play area.
After exploring the Park, visitors can warm up in the Visitor Centre and take time to explore the gift shop. The Helix is also home to The Kelpies, designed by Andy Scott, which are the world’s largest equine sculptures.
To find out more about the Heart of Falkirk trail, please visit: www.thehelix.co.uk
Map of the Heart of Falkirk Trail
Emma
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I am Emma and with my husband Mark write Foodie Explorers, which is a food and travel website.
I am a member of the Guild of Food Writers and British Guild of Travel Writers.
We have a wide range of judging experience covering products, hotels and have judged, for example, for Great Taste Awards and Scottish Baker of the Year.
Along the way Mark gained WSET Level 2 in Wine and I have WSET Level 2 in Spirits as well as picking up an award with The Scotsman Food and Drink Awards.
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