Linlithgow Avonside Circular

Morley Sewell

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Starting on Linlithgow High Street, the route climbs up past the station and under the railway to reach the basin on the Union Canal. It then follows the canal towpath for 800 yards before descending a narrow flight of steps into a quiet cul-de-sac. Having crossed the main road at the bottom of the cul-de-sac, the route returns under the main railway line and goes round the back of a cricket pavilion, where there is a convenient parking place. The route then follows a footpath along the end of the cricket pitch, through a gate in a high fence and so into a modern housing estate. A short distance on the pavements along the quiet roads through the estate leads to another off-road footpath, followed by an area of trees and grass that runs down to the main road to the east from Linlithgow to the M9. After immediately crossing this road and going a short distance down a rural road, the walk follows the well-frequented footpath for almost a mile along the north bank of Linlithgow Loch, with its abundant wildlife and excellent views of the palace and St Michael's Church.

Leaving the park at the west side of the loch, the route crosses another main road and follows a gravel path through the trees for about 400 yards alongside the small river which drains the loch. This path ends in a further modern housing estate and the route then follows a series of pavements and paths through the estate, crossing three footbridges over burns and running along the edge of a playing-field to reach an older housing estate in Linlithgow Bridge. Still mainly following off-road paths, the route reaches and crosses two main roads, with an option to use the traffic-lights at a nearby crossroads instead. It then runs down a quiet cul-de-sac in front of an impressive railway viaduct and into the valley of the River Avon. In the valley, the walk follows the waymarked footpath along the SE bank of the river for over a mile before climbing back up to the canal about 100 yards short of the Avon Aqueduct. Finally, the route follows the canal towpath for almost two miles back into Linlithgow.

Scotland - Central Scotland - West Lothian - Bathgate Hills