Somewhere between Stirling and Falkirk council areas lies Grangemouth. We are pretty sure that people who live there know where they are. The rest of the country is not so sure. Technically, they are in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk county council jurisdictions. We don’t feel that really helps much.
Truly though: you will find Grangemouth four miles to the east of Falkirk town, on the banks of the Firth of Forth. Nearby the Forth Road Bridge, whose infamous building cost many lives. In fact, when it opened in the sixties the Forth Road Bridge was the longest bridge in the world outside of America… that legend did not last long.
Still An Industrial Town
Image: dvlcom/Shutterstock.com
Grangemouth was once a bustling port town but today it is best known for petrochemicals, although as you can see even these industrial complexes can look good in the right light. Anyway we are not here tom discuss chemicals, no we are going to show you that this lesser-known town is well-deserving of a visit if you happen to be in the area even if we are not quite sure which area we should classify it in. So let’s start with a brief overview.
Founded by the Dundas Clan In 1768
Grangemouth was founded by clan Dundas (of Dundee) in the 18th century. It was originally a rural area but the town was deliberately built up here as a link between the Forth and Clyde Canal and the River Forth. As a result, it became the biggest shipping port in the UK and even the biggest deepwater port. If some product has been shipped to Scotland from the East then it probably came in through Grangemouth.
Since Grangemouth was a late founded town there aren’t really any specific clans that fought over it. You will find that nearby Falkirk is home to the oldest sett tartan in the world though, so there is no doubt that the ancients definitely roamed the land.
What else to tell you about Grangemouth? It’s pretty heavily industrialised and still sees heavy port activity. There are lots of lorries. When you think of Grangemouth you definitely think of shipping containers and trucks. There are some attractions though. Let’s take a closer look at what they are.
Grangemouth Attractions At-a-Glance
So if you were just passing through and needed to kill an afternoon or so, what would you do in Grangemouth? Here are some of our favourite sights to see if you happen to be in town…
Get the Outlander Tour
Yes, OK… so this isn’t a traditional Scottish heritage type attraction… It turns out that more and more Outlander fans are flocking to our wild countryside to capture a glimpse of some of the locations used in the show. As it turns out, Grangemouth is full of those locations and you can take the tour if you like. You can book it through Trip Advisor by following this link.
Visit the Grangemouth Heritage Trust
If you want to learn more about the comparatively short history of Grangemouth then this is the place to do so. The Heritage Trust was established in 1992 when the town was roughly 200 years old. It is mostly run by volunteers and exists as a trust, so please do give freely if you happen to visit. If you wanted to track down relatives or ancestry in the area then this would be a natural starting point. They also have lots of information about the town’s more industrial type of heritage.
The Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre
You really ought to pay a visit to this place if you are looking for something to do in Grangemouth. This group is run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and is open all year round. They provide world-class advice on how to turn your garden into a wildlife-friendly zone. This is great for the kiddies as it teaches them how to make little hedgehog houses and why insects are important. It’s really fantastic. Engage with the project and keep it going… we need more like them.
Attractions Near Grangemouth
Visit the Kelpies
The Kelpie is a Scottish mythological creature that is akin to a black horse. These are not-so-pleasant creatures that live in the deeper rivers, lochs, and burns up here. Asides from the fact that anyone who sees one is usually a notorious drunk; an artist recreated their wild and free likeness in sculpture form that you can go visit.
Anyone who knows their horse breeds will know what a Clydesdale is. Although this breed is largely on the decline, they were the strong-legged horses that dragged our canal boats, turned our mills, and generally powered the beginning of the industrial revolution north of the border. The Kelpies are a sort of dual-symbol of what we owe to horses and water.
Besides any of this they are free to visit. You can spend some cash at the visitor centre but you don’t have to. You can actually see these from the motorway if you are driving east of Glasgow. They are spectacular when lit up at night.
The Forth and Clyde Canal network
This network of canals is easy enough to follow and nowhere near intricate enough to get lost it. It’s a great place to take a walk, although we recommend keeping the dog on the lead. Along this canal towards Falkirk, you will have access to the Falkirk Wheel and its visitor centre. You can fish in it although you may need to pick up a permit; there are several play park areas along it to keep your children amused.
The canal is filled with boats and that is the main attraction. The Scots are notoriously friendly towards strangers so if you ask nicely you can probably get a tour. You can even hire a boat for yourself for a few days and live on a houseboat for a change… the world is your oyster… or at least the canal is.
Other Notable Grangemouth Attractions
There are a few other things you should try to see in Grangemouth; if you have the time try to cover these:
- The Spitfire Memorial – a testament that reminds us of the pilots who flew these in WW2. This life-sized Spitfire is a sight to see.
- Grangemouth Sports Complex is where you go to hire a space, play five-a-side, and swim.
- Grangemouth Golf Course – where you go to play tennis… just kidding.
So get out and about and get stuck into Grangemouth. You won’t regret it!
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