Falkirk

Understand

Falkirk's name comes from "faw-kirk" which means "multi-coloured church" but that medieval building has been lost. The straight-line route between Edinburgh and Glasgow passes ten miles (16 km) south of Falkirk, over the hills around Shotts. These are no barrier to modern vehicles so the A8 and later the M8 went that way, but you wouldn't want to struggle over them with a horse and cart. The traditional route was therefore an arc through Linlithgow and Falkirk, leaving the Forth via the Carron valley then descending the Kelvin valley via Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch to the Clyde. The road to the central Highlands also branched off at Falkirk, for Stirling, Perth and beyond. These routes have existed since prehistory, with the earliest surviving structure being the 2nd-century Antonine Wall. Traders, pilgrims, armies and cattle drovers all came this way, and later so did the canal and the railways. Falkirk grew from the 18th century when the canal made it easier to shift heavy goods, iron ore was mined locally, and coal could be made into coke to blast the ore into steel. The Carron Iron Works two miles north of town was renowned for its armaments: the "carronade" was a stubby light cannon for naval battles at close quarters. There was also the world's first oil industry a few miles east, extracting paraffin oil from shale, creating a huddle of orange spoil heaps. Also made in Falkirk are Britain's distinctive red postboxes and telephone boxes, and Dennis trucks and buses. Traditional heavy industry waned in the 20th century but Falkirk became involved with petrochemicals: oil and gas is refined at nearby Grangemouth. Light industry and the service sector developed, and the town as centre of a metropolis has council and similar public jobs. It's also within easy commuting distance of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Getting there

By plane Edinburgh Airport (EDI IATA) is 19 miles east. Take the tram to Haymarket then train towards Glasgow Queen Street for Falkirk. Glasgow Airport (GLA IATA) is 34 miles west, far side of that city. Take the airport bus to Buchanan station then the train from Queen Street towards Edinburgh for Falkirk.

By train 1 Falkirk High is south edge of town but has the fastest service. Hourly trains from Edinburgh take 30 min via Haymarket, Linlithgow and Polmont, and continue west to Croy and Glasgow Queen Street, another 25 min. 2 Falkirk Grahamston is more central, but is on a slower loop of the Edinburgh-Glasgow line. Westbound from Edinburgh these trains run hourly via Haymarket, Edinburgh Park, Linlithgow, Polmont, Falkirk Grahamston, Camelon, Cumbernauld, Greenfauld, Gartcosh, Stepps, Robroyston, Springburn and Glasgow Queen Street. Trains also run hourly from Edinburgh via Grahamston to Camelon, Larbert, Stirling and Dunblane. The minor station of Camelon might be more convenient for the west edge of town.

By road From Edinburgh follow M9, from Glasgow follow M80 onto M876. Cyclists can follow the canal towpath.

By bus

Buses to Falkirk are operated by First. No bus station but they mostly stop along Vicar St in town centre, ADSA a block west, and the Community Hospital half a mile southwest. Bus X37 runs hourly from Glasgow Buchanan Station via Cumbernauld, taking 70 min to Falkirk. Bus X38 runs from Edinburgh every 30 min via Kirkliston, Linlithgow and Polmont, taking 1 hr 45 min. Bus 38 runs every 20 min from Stirling via Bannockburn, and Bus 16 hourly via Airth, both taking 50 min. Bus 3 / 4 runs from Grangemouth every 10 min, and Bus 2 runs from Bo'ness via Grangemouth every 30 min.

By boat The Forth and Clyde Canal and the Union Canal meet at Falkirk Wheel and have good towpaths. The Union Canal is navigable to Edinburgh: there are two locks just above the Wheel but thereafter it winds along the contours. The Forth and Clyde is also naviga

Getting around

Falkirk town centre is fairly small and walkable. The Wheel is 2.5 miles (4 km) west of town centre: Bus 6 runs there every 30 min, or walk along the canal towpath, which passes Falkirk High railway station. Turn east instead to enter the long spooky canal tunnel. Taxi firms are Express (☏ +44 1324 638000) and Five Star (☏ +44 1324 61933). The taxi rank is on Lower Newmarket Street.

See

1 Falkirk Wheel, Lime Rd FK1 4RS. W-Su 10:00-15:30. The Forth and Clyde Canal was completed in 1790 and its eastern extension the Union Canal reached Edinburgh in 1822. The Union ascended from the Forth and Clyde by a flight of 11 locks, which took barges a whole day to traverse and drained 3500 tonnes of water per passage. It couldn't compete with the railways, fell into disrepair, and was closed and culverted in several places. It was re-opened in stages from the 1990s but the biggest challenge was the 115-ft (35-m) drop to the canal junction. The Wheel, opened in 2002, was the ingenious solution: a rotating boat lift. Boats sail out over an elegant aqueduct into a gondola, which seals then sinks as the counter-gondola rises. By Archimedes Principle, there's no weight difference between the sides, and scant loss of water. The top aqueduct leads into Roughcastle Tunnel (575 ft / 175 m), which is modern, built along with the Wheel to connect with the original Union Canal. There are two locks on the far side, then it's plain sailing. Free. (updated Feb 2022) 2 Rough Castle Fort, Tamfourhill FK1 4RR. 24 hrs. Earthwork remains of a Roman fort on the Antonine Wall, built 142 AD and garrisoned by the Nervii, a 500-strong cohort of Belgian recruits. A distinctive feature at this fort is its "lilias", pits of sharpened stakes by the gate through the wall. The deep ditch ran the length of the north side of the wall, and you can follow it for some way before it disappears under later structures. East it parallels Tamfourhill Rd, with the next fort Watling Lodge lost beneath Lock 16 of the Forth and Clyde Canal. West it heads through Seabegs Wood, where Seabegs fort has disappeared, then on towards Castle Cary on the outskirts of Cumbernauld. Free. (updated Feb 2022) 3 Bantaskine is a woodland park a mile west of town. It's the site of the 1746 Battle of Falkirk Muir, and there are plans for a visitor centre, but nothing's come of this. The Jacobites had advanced as far sout

Do

What's on? For local events listen to Central FM on 103.1 FM or read Falkirk Herald, published weekly. Football: 1 Falkirk FC, 4 Stadium Way, Falkirk FK2 9EE (a mile east of centre near jcn of M9 and A904), ☏ +44 1324 624121. "The Bairns" play soccer in the Scottish Premiership, the top tier. Their home ground is Falkirk Stadium, capacity 8000. (updated May 2025) 2 Stenhousemuir FC were promoted in 2026 so they play in the Championship, the second tier, at Ochilview Park, capacity 3700. East Stirlingshire FC share Falkirk Stadium and play in Lowland League East, the fifth tier. Rugby: Falkirk RFC play in National League 2, the amateur game's third tier in Scotland. They play at Dorrator Rd Camelon, north edge of town. Canal boat trips tour the Wheel. Private boat owners