Outdoor 1 Day Itinerary

Before starting this itinerary, please check the COVID-19 Information page for the latest information on closures.

This one day tour will take in some of most scenic sites Falkirk and West Lothian have to offer. You'll see The Kelpies  (two giant horses’ heads, spectacularly lit up at night), Falkirk Wheel as well as the historic Linlithgow Palace and Callendar House. Between them they feature in an array of Films and TV Shows such as Outlander, Outlaw King, Mary Queen of Scots and many more. 

This tour allows you to stay outdoors as much as possible, supporting social distancing at this time. 

Look out for the Good to Go logo on the individual attractions below to see which are part of the scheme. You can see more about the measures the individual attractions are taking on our dedicated COVID-19 Information page.

What you can expect

  • Easy ground which is suitable for all abilities
  • Outdoor locations to make social distancing easy
  • Most locations are also pet friendly

 

  • Linlithgow Palace and Town

    Queensferry Adult: £7.20 Child: £4.30*

    Please note Linlithgow Palace is currently closed to allow for a safety inspection to take place. Alternative nearby sites include Beecraigs Country Park and Hopetoun House.

    Birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, the historic Royal Burgh of Linlithgow is well worth spending a morning.  The magnificent ruins of Linlithgow Palace sit in beautiful parkland, by Linlithgow Loch, right in the centre of the town. Wander through The Palace and hear the tales of the Stuart Kings and Queens through the ages (new for 2020- audio guide).

    Sitting next to The Palace is the beautiful St Michael’s Parish church, built at the same time as the Palace, one of the largest Parish churches in Scotland, and still a very active Parish church today.

     As featured in ….

    Outlander fans will recognise the entrance to The Palace as the entrance to Wentworth Prison, and some filming took place in the corridors inside too as Claire and Murtagh searched for Jamie.

    The Palace and surroundings feature in the Outlaw King, as Perth Castle and the setting for the crowning of Robert the Bruce which was filmed on a glorious September evening making for a beautiful shot.

    St Michael’s Church had all its pews stripped out for the setting for Robert The Bruce’s wedding and his father’s funeral, go inside and see the stunning stained glass windows. Leaving The Palace, walk down the hill to the traditional market cross. The period legal drama Garrow’s Law was filmed here.

    Take time for a wander along the traditional High Street, with its independent shops and heritage sites and pop into the local museum. Have some lunch before heading off to your afternoon sites.

  • 10 Minutes

    Beecraigs Country Park is a short 10 minute drive from Linlithgow Town Centre.

    • 10 Minutes
    • 20 Minutes

  • Beecraigs Country Park

    Linlithgow, West Lothian Free

    Beecraigs is 370 hectares of exciting and beautiful Country Park. You’ll find it nestled high in the Bathgate Hills near the historic town of Linlithgow. The park offers miles of woodland paths and trails to explore by foot, bike or horse as well as a super playground and café.

    As featured in…

    Season 1, the final episode and Season 4, episode 3 of Outlander where Claire gets lost in the woods during a storm.

  • Beecraigs Country Park to Callendar House
    • 25 Minutes
    • 45 Minutes
    • n/a
  • Callendar House Falkirk

    Callendar House and Gardens

    Falkirk Free

    Over the years, Callendar House has hosted illustrious visitors such as Mary Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell and Queen Victoria. Callendar House is a 5 star visitor attraction, a stunning 14th century, French chateau styled house                                                         

    Free to access, visit the permanent exhibition telling ‘The Story of Callendar House’ from the 11th to the 19th century to find out more about the house, its owners and their guests. Other exhibitions include ‘The Antonine Wall, Rome's Northern Frontier’, and ‘Falkirk: Crucible of Revolution 1750-1850’, which tells how the local area was transformed in the industrial era. There’s also a working Georgian kitchen offering visitors samples of early 19th-century food, the Park Gallery art exhibition space, a gift shop and Callendar House Tea Room serving hot drinks and refreshments.

    Set in beautiful gardens the nationally important historic landscape of Callendar Park contains a section of the Roman Antonine Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

    As Featured in…

    Callendar House was the location for one of the most memorable scenes in Outlander. Dare if you will to enter the Duke of Sandringham’s kitchen, fans will remember that a bloody encounter took place here!

  • Callendar House to The Falkirk Wheel
    • 10 Minutes
    • 20 Minutes
    • 25 Minutes

  • Falkirk Wheel

    Falkirk Adult £9.95 / Child (5-15 yrs) £6.95

    Scotland's most exciting example of 21st century engineering, The Falkirk Wheel is the World's only rotating boat lift - lifting boats 115 ft which links the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal.

    Designed to replace a series of lock gates built in the 19th century The Wheel is the showpiece of the Millennium Link project where coast-to-coast navigation of the canals has been re-established for the first time in over 40 years. This fabulous journey was showcased on the very popular TV series Great Canal Journeys, with Timothy West and Prunella Scales.

    The star of many a You Tube video – watch the rotating lift in action.

    A short walk from The Falkirk Wheel, you can visit Rough Castle Roman Fort, on the Antonine Wall – one of the best preserved sections of this UNESCO World Heritage site.

    The Falkirk Wheel is only a short ten minute drive or bus trip from the historic Falkirk Town Centre where you will find a great range of independent retailers, shopping centres and a fine selection of cafes and restaurants.

    As featured in:

    Great Canal Journeys

  • Falkirk Wheel to The Kelpies
    • 15 Minutes
    • 25 Minutes
    • 40 Minutes

  • The Kelpies

    Falkirk Free to view, Tours from £7.50 (adult)

    The Kelpies, two giant horses’ heads, tower a colossal 30 metres above the Forth and Clyde Canal. The centrepiece of The Helix park, Falkirk, they form a dramatic gateway to the canal entrance on the East Coast of Scotland. Created by Scotland's leading sculptor Andy Scott, The Kelpies are a monument to horse powered heritage across Central Scotland.  

    Kelpies are mythical water horses and their tales feature in the Diana Gabaldon book, Outlander.

    Come and see the world's largest equine sculptures up close - and even go inside to marvel at the complexity and the engineering which created these fantastic pieces of art.

    As featured in:  

    Great Canal Journeys

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Getting to Falkirk and West Lothian

The historic areas of Falkirk and West Lothian take just 15 minutes to reach from the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland's Capital City. With frequent public transport and roads, you'll be here in no time. 

Getting Here

Looking to extend your trip?

Don't miss the other famous sites in the area, such as the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway and Hopetoun House. Have a look at our longer three day tours to extend your stay where you'll be able to see these, and plenty more.

3 Day Inspired by Outlander

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