It is home to beautiful open spaces, hidden gems and world-famous attractions, including the largest equine sculptures in the world and the world's only rotating boat lift.
Now a new 11.5-mile-long family friendly tourist trail has been launched in Falkirk, taking visitors past all of the town’s top tourism destinations in one loop.
The Heart of Falkirk trail starts at The Helix, home of the iconic Kelpies, past newly relaunched Rosebank Distillery, The Falkirk Wheel and Callendar House and Park.
The 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.
READ MORE: 'Iconic' Scottish tourist attraction launches new bespoke private tours
Complementing the plethora of walking and cycling route options already available at The Helix, 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.”
The Helix, which covers over 350 hectares of green space between Falkirk and Grangemouth, was originally created as a space for the communities in the Falkirk area to come together.
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.
Last week, the park was recognised in Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards for 2024, which is awarded to businesses that consistently earn great reviews, placing them among the top 10 per cent of listings around the world on Tripadvisor.
The Helix Park 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.
The launch of the Heart of Falkirk trail comes just over a month after the introduction of bespoke tours of The Kelpies. The exclusive tours, which are led by an expert guide, offer an intimate experience of the immense sculptures.
Visitors can see these striking structures up close, learn about the inspiration behind them, their significance to Scottish culture, the meticulous craftsmanship that brought them to life and the complexity of the engineering process. The bespoke tours culminate in an exclusive view of the structures from the inside.
To find out more about the Heart of Falkirk trail, please visit: www.thehelix.co.uk
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