I ran a Tcl course near Falkirk (halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh) and was struck be some of the surprising beauty and places around - things you wouldn't normally call "beautiful".

Map locator - Falkirk

Here's Linlithgow Palace, a ruin where Mary, Queen of Scots was born and occasionally lived.

Linlithgow Palace

Down at Borrowstounness - shortened to Bo'ness - on the Forth is the preserved Bo'ness and Kinneil railway. It was closed when I passed by (business trips aren't timed to suit the tourist attractions) but the buildings looked beautifully preserved and the coaches int he platform looked in pristine condition.


The Royal Scotsman in Borrowstouness Station

Just to the West of Falkirk, the Union canal ends at its junction with the Forth and Clyde canal. Disused for many years, the Union Canal's lock flight was built over. Never mind, innovative engineers replaced the lock flight with the Falkirk Wheel as a modern alternative when it was being reconnected as a Millennium project.


The Falkirk Wheel

Beside the Forth is Grangemouth - dominated by the oil refinery and other sundry chemical works. Even they have a beauty - here's a view taken one April evening after training


Grangemouth - pretty in the sunshine

The ancient city of Stirling is just a few miles from Falkirk

See Linlithgow and Boness for more pictures