Muiravonside – A Riverside Walk to the Avon Aqueduct
About 1.2 miles on foot.
Muiravonside Country Park lies in the wooded valley of the River Avon between Whitecross and Linlithgow, with a small farm by the car park and paths down to the water.
Follow the river to the Avon Aqueduct, which carries the Union Canal high over the valley on tall stone arches, and climb the wooden stairs to the towpath on top. It's a gentle walk there and back, with lunch or a homemade scone at the park's own café to finish.
- Time
- About a quarter of an hour on the towpath, out to the middle and back.
- The path
- The way up from the river path is by wooden stairs.
- Where to start
- Reached on foot from the Muiravonside car park, about 800 metres by the river path and the stairs.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. The park opens at 8am and shuts at 5pm from October to March and at 8pm from April to September; the café opens from 10am, its kitchen until 4pm.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs close on the towpath, beside open water.
- Children
- Open canal water beside the towpath and a high drop beyond the railings: hold small hands.
- Toilets
- None on the aqueduct; the nearest are in the park's courtyard, 10am to 4pm.
- Before you set out
- A canal towpath high over the river: iron railings on the outer edge, open water on the other, and cyclists on it too.
The walk
Park in the main car park beside Newparks Farm, signposted off the B825 between Whitecross and Linlithgow. It's £2 for up to 90 minutes or £4.50 for the day. The park opens at 8am every day and shuts at 5pm from October to March and at 8pm from April to September.
Muiravonside is Falkirk's only country park, 170 acres of woods and parkland on the River Avon, with Highland cattle, Clydesdale horses and alpacas at the farm by the car park. From the car park a path leads through the trees to the river and along its bank to the aqueduct, about 800 metres or 12 minutes' walk. The whole walk, out onto the aqueduct and back to the café, is about 1.2 miles, or half an hour's walking.
The courtyard toilets are open from 10am to 4pm, with an accessible toilet and baby changing. Dogs are welcome, kept under control.
If it rains
The river path runs under trees, but the wooden stairs and the cobbled towpath are slippery after rain, so take them slowly, or see the arches from the river path below and skip the climb. The café is indoors.
Along the way
About 12 min on foot
The Avon Aqueduct
From the river path, wooden stairs climb to the towpath of the Union Canal where it crosses the valley on the Avon Aqueduct. It was built between 1819 and 1821 to a design by Hugh Baird, with advice from Thomas Telford, and the canal runs in a cast-iron trough on top of the stone arches. At 247 metres long and 26 metres above the river, it's the longest and tallest aqueduct in Scotland. Walk out to the middle for the view down into the wooded valley, then come back down the stairs and return by the river path the way you came. The towpath has iron railings on the outer edge and open water on the other, and cyclists use it too, so keep children and dogs close. This part is reached by stairs, so it suits walkers rather than wheelchairs or pushchairs.
About 14 min on foot
The Wee Coffee Cabin
Coffee and cake
The Wee Coffee Cabin is the park's own café, about 14 minutes back by the river path, past the car park, and it opens every day from 10am, with the kitchen open until 4pm. Stop for lunch, a homemade scone with tea or coffee, or an ice cream on a sunny day. If it's shut, Coffee Neuk at the Cross in Linlithgow, a short drive east, does breakfasts, rolls and cakes and usually opens every day from 10am to 4pm. Over Christmas and New Year, check before going.
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.
Photographs by Billy Roberts, Pixel Imager and Wee Coffee Cabin via Google