New calendar showcases the best walks across Falkirk area

The Falkirk Explored Calendar, now on sale, began with people sending in photographs of their favourite places to Falkirk Council’s Ranger Service via its popular Facebook page, Falkirk Explored.

Each month the rangers – Fiona Wishart and Lesley Sweeney – chose a favourite from the hundreds sent in until, in November, they managed to select just 13.

It’s just part of the team’s work to help people discover the amazing wildlife and history that are found in the district.

They also run guided walks which are so popular they are often fully booked within hours.

Fiona said: “The walkers are great company and the banter is good.

“Everyone is super friendly and lots of people have made new friends from our walks.”

The walks are full of information about often undiscovered places and usually the rangers bring something along for the walkers to eat or drink – from elderflower champagne to hawthorn jerky, wild garlic pesto, nettle soup or dandelion honey, depending on the season.

Fiona said: “Walkers have also brought amazing treats along such as home smoked trout pate – they caught the trout – and tablet to name a couple of things.”

One walk was so popular that another one had to be arranged for this Sunday, although it’s also fully booked.

The walk to the Pineapple in Dunmore, near Airth, takes in the unique, fruit-shaped house as well as Elphinstone Tower and graveyard and the historic ruins of Dunmore House.

In Dunmore village’s bowling hut, ladies from the village serve homemade tea, cakes and even tablet as they tell the walkers more about the village’s history.

One of their recent Autumn walks, from Skinflats, takes in “big skies, history and hedgerows”.

Fiona said: “We walked down to the Forth Estuary and spoke about the amazing wildlife you can see.”

They then went through the woodlands to the old mines, adding a bit of local history, before foraging in the amazing, ancient hedgerows.

“Its great for wildlife with wintering geese and wildfowl, deer, and hares and great views of the Ochil hills and the Forth,” said Fiona.

The next walk, on November 24, is to Blackness and follows the flat path along the Forth from Bo’ness – looking at the oyster industry on the Forth and some historic ruins – before reaching Blackness Castle.

Fiona said: “We also forage for wild food on the shores, including the wild horseradish that grows there.”

The last walk of the year, planned for December, goes through the amazing Falkirk Tunnel then heads up through several of Falkirk’s best woodlands.

From Little Cleuch with its waterfall, then Fox Covert, it goes down to the Battle of Falkirk Trail and into Canada Wood before heading back to Bantaskine.

Fiona said: “We will be stopping off for tea and scones in the Milk Barn on this walk – there will be a little bit of history and a lot of nature.”

The Falkirk Explored Calendar is available by emailing [email protected].

It costs £9 including P&P.

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