Callendar Wood – An Old Wood Behind a Grand House in Falkirk
Callendar House stands in its own park on the edge of Falkirk's town centre, a long turreted mansion looking over lawns and a small loch.
Behind it an old wood climbs the hill, once part of the house's gardens and now looked after by Forestry and Land Scotland. Two waymarked trails of two and three miles wind up through it on broad paths, past a family tomb hidden in a great ring wall.
- Time
- An hour on the Yew Trail, 2 miles or 3.4 km, or an hour and a half on the High Road, 3 miles or 4.7 km.
- The path
- The Yew Trail is wide, firm and smooth tarmac and gravel with long moderate slopes. The High Road has some slightly uneven stretches and slopes of up to 600 metres.
- Where to start
- The main car park at Callendar House, signposted along Seaton Place off Estate Avenue. No charge.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. Forest operations in the wood since 24 August: follow the signs. From November to January set off by 1.30pm.
- Children
- Broad paths and a Roman-themed play area in the park.
- Toilets
- Public toilets, with accessible ones, at Callendar House.
- Before you set out
- Forest operations since Monday 24 August: follow the safety signs and diversions. The Black Hole Ride is blocked by fallen trees. Look at Forestry and Land Scotland's Callendar Wood alerts page.
The walk
Park in the main car park at Callendar House, signposted along Seaton Place off Estate Avenue. There's no charge. Callendar House has a café and public toilets, with accessible ones, and the house itself is a free museum, so check its days on Falkirk's own page before counting on any of them. Forestry and Land Scotland marks two trails through Callendar Wood from here. The Yew Trail is two miles, or 3.4 km, and takes about an hour on wide, firm tarmac and gravel with long, moderate slopes.
The High Road is three miles, or 4.7 km, and an hour and a half, a little rougher and with a longer climb. Both go up through oak, yew and sweet chestnut in a wood said to be at least 500 years old. Above Callendar Loch a vast circular wall hides the mausoleum of the Forbes family. The park below has a play area with a Roman theme. Foresters have been working in the wood since Monday 24 August, so follow the safety signs and any diversions you meet.
And one path, the Black Hole Ride, is blocked by fallen trees. Forestry and Land Scotland posts both on its Callendar Wood alerts page, so look there before you go. From November to January, set off by 1.30pm.
If it rains
The Yew Trail is firm tarmac and gravel under trees, so it's still a walk in the rain, and Callendar House is at the foot of it.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Meindert Meinsma via Google