Mixing Past & Present: A Day Out To Linlithgow, Falkirk & Stirling

From Edinburgh, there are so many day trip options, whether you want a beach destination, to check out the famous bridges, nip over to a loch or a forest, or head down to the Borders for a fix of historic houses and abbeys. There’s an easy one I always recommend to people though: heading inland to West Lothian – and beyond – to check out a lovely town with a scenic palace on a loch, and a landmark sculpture of giant horse heads. And, while you could make a day out of the two destinations, you might as well go a bit further to explore Stirling.

We’ve done this a lot with visitors, so I thought I’d put together an itinerary so you can make it work for your trip – or just a day out from Edinburgh!

(In fact, you could do this from Glasgow, too!)

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Linlithgow

Linlithgow is an easy twenty minute train ride from Edinburgh, making this an ideal place to start. Linlithgow is a lovely town set on a small loch, and its piece de resistance is Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.

My favourite thing to do is simply walk around the perimeter of the loch, taking in the views and spotting dragonflies. It’s also the perfect place for a picnic, although there are plenty of cafés along the high street that offer up breakfast.

For the purpose of this itinerary, I’d skip going into the palace itself, and just walk part of the lochside path.

Do make sure to stop by the Black Bitch statue – it’s a dog, before you ask. She’s a symbol of Linlithgow, with a legendary tale to match (or tail?). The story goes that her owner was condemned to starve on an island in the loch (not sure what he did to deserve that), and his faithful greyhound would swim across with food. Authorities caught on and put a stop to it, but not before the dog became the talk of the town.

There was also a pub along the road from the statue called The Black Bitch, which made me do such a double-take on our first ever visit that I almost got whiplash. Sadly, it’s been renamed in the past couple of years, to much local outrage. (Actually, it’s been renamed to The Willow Tree, but Much Local Outrage would have been a better name, imo.)

Linlithgow is one of my favourite wee towns in Scotland, and often missed in favour of the Kelpies and Stirling despite being so accessible and despite its historical importance.

Parking: there are a couple of free car parks off the high street next to Linlithgow Loch.

Read more: Things To Do In South Queensferry – A Local’s Guide

Falkirk: the Kelpies & the Falkirk Wheel

Next up is Falkirk, a 20 minute drive from Linlithgow or just 7 minutes on the train. Being completely honest I don’t love the town, however it’s home to two very iconic structures (that aren’t even in the town centre): the Falkirk Wheel, and the Kelpies.

I recommend at the very least checking out the Kelpies.

The Kelpies have recently celebrated their 10th birthday, which to me seems insane, as it feels like they’ve been there forever. In that brief time, they’ve become a Scottish landmark, and being such a short distance from the capital, it deserves a trip out.

The kelpie is a mythological creature in Scotland – it may look like a humble horse, but they are actually water spirits which will lure you to your watery death. These ones won’t though, don’t worry.

You don’t need too long here, so if you have time, it’s also worth heading over to the Falkirk Wheel, a phenomenal piece of modern engineering. If you’re picturing a ferris wheel right now, you couldn’t be more wrong.

This wheel was built as a world first, to carry canal boats from one canal to another to continue the journey between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

I have to admit… I was never bothered about seeing this. But watching it in action really is impressive. It does take a while to lift the canal boats, so you could spend a bit of time watching it. If it’s something you’re interested in, it’s definitely worth checking out! You can even take a boat trip on it, though I’d say if you’re doing this whole post in a day, there wouldn’t really be time.

Both of these attractions have dedicated parking, though for the Kelpies I’d recommend seeing if there’s space in the first small car park you pass before the main one, as it’s free*! It’s then a really nice short walk through Helix Park to the Kelpies themselves. If it’s full, just carry on to the main one.

*it appears charges now apply from 10am – 2pm from July to September… we got caught out with this in September 2025!

In all honesty, it’s easier to visit these with a car, but if you’re on public transport you could take taxis between the station and the attractions.

FYI – my favourite fun fact about Falkirk is that there’s a road sign that points towards “St’nh’s’m’r”. Short for Stenhousemuir, obviously. If you know of any with more apostrophes than that, please do let me know.

Read more: How To Spend Two Days In The Trossachs: An Alternative to Loch Lomond

Stirling

It’s probably lunchtime by now, which gives you the rest of the afternoon and evening in Stirling. I would recommend this as a minimum, though Stirling is a great day trip destination by itself. I’m surprised I haven’t written a dedicated post yet, as it’s one of my favourite places to visit in Scotland!

First of all, pop into a café to fill up for lunch, because you’ve got an afternoon of walking! My choice would be Mint Café about half way up the hill, or Bob & Bert’s near the train station.

The star of the city is the dominating Stirling Castle, which is one of my favourite castles and well worth the entrance fee. Dedicate at least a couple of hours to this, if not the rest of the afternoon.

Like Edinburgh, Stirling Castle is perched on top of a huge impenetrable rock, making it very picturesque in the surrounding area. Unlike Edinburgh, it’s not only a fortress but has also been used as royal residences, so it has plenty of living quarters rather than just military areas.

As well as the castle rooms, there’s also a beautiful garden and a military museum which is fascinating. There are also fabulous views across towards Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and over to the Ochil Hills and the Wallace Monument. I actually prefer it to Edinburgh Castle as there’s a lot to see – and it’s slightly cheaper! Entry is £18.50 (versus Edinburgh Castle which is £21.50) and I’d recommend booking online, both to avoid the queues and to save money, as the walk-up price is higher.

Once the castle is shut, or you’ve had your fill, I recommend a walk around the kirkyard – or cemetery – next door. If that’s your sort of thing. Perhaps I’m strange enjoying things like this!

This whole area of Stirling is beautiful and truly feels like you’ve stepped back in time, with every building and cobblestone steeped in history. I really enjoy just wandering down the hill from the castle into the main city centre. Stirling isn’t a big city at all, so it doesn’t actually take long to explore.

If you are driving, definitely try to head out to Wallace Monument, which you will have spotted from Stirling Castle. This striking monument is an iconic landmark visible for miles – often visible long before the castle is. Even if you don’t pay to go in, it’s a stunning place for a sunset.

To get there, you also have to go past the Old Stirling Bridge, the site of the famous Battle Of Stirling Bridge. This was a huge victory for William Wallace against the English in 1297, and marked the start of his legendary status. It’s possible to stop on the other side and walk over the bridge, but be aware that it’s residential so please take care when parking.

There are a few other things you could do in Stirling, such as:

• Stirling Jail. Apparently this is really good, although I haven’t actually done it myself yet.
• Take a walk below the castle for a great vantage point – or you could at least stop in the layby underneath the castle. (That’s where the first Stirling photo in this post is taken from.)
• Bannockburn. This is one of Scotland’s most famous battles, where Robert the Bruce defeated the English in 1314. There’s a visitor centre and the battlefield, though it’s on the outskirts of Stirling so I’d save this for another day, or come here if you’re dedicating the whole day to Stirling.
• If you’re a photographer, find the spot where the photo below is taken. It’s on a small hill next to the McGill’s bus depot. It’s my favourite Stirling photo point, and is quite often accused of being fake! So if you’re NOT into photography, I wouldn’t bother coming here as it only really looks like that with a zoom lens.

For dinner, there are plenty of options in Stirling. My go-to casual establishment is Monterey Jack’s, or if you want a pub dinner then The Golden Lion is good, or Nicky Tam’s. For good Scottish food, Brea is a great place to go.

FYI – The Golden Lion has a piece of Robert Burns history, as he stayed there and etched a verse into a window pane!

For more Rabbie Burns places of interest, check out this post:
A Burns-Themed Literary Weekend In Dumfries and Ayrshire

This makes for a fabulous and full day out from Edinburgh, mixing modern engineering with historic castles, palaces and legends. Stirling is worth a day trip alone, and in fact you could easily split this into two days and go into Linlithgow Palace as well as the boat trip on the Falkirk Wheel, but if you’re short on time and want to see all of these places, this is actually a really good trip to do and it packs in a lot of attractions.

Another thing you could do is swing by the Kelpies on the way back from Stirling instead – they are arguably even cooler at night!

If you want longer in Stirling, it would also be a great base for exploring places like Loch Lomond and even going further afield to Glencoe. I’m sure I’ll write more about Stirling at some point, as it’s a fantastic place to visit and a perfect alternative to Edinburgh.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to navigate public transport and you’re not driving, there are a few tours that take you to the Kelpies and Stirling Castle in one day, and a lot of these also go to Loch Lomond. If you want one that includes a distillery tour, check this one out.

Overall, this is my top choice for a day trip from Edinburgh – although I’m planning to put together guides for plenty more of those.

In the meantime, check out more of my Scotland guides:
⭐ How To Spend The Perfect Sunday In Edinburgh
⭐ Things To Do In South Queensferry – A Local’s Guide
⭐ Exploring The Cute Coastal Towns Of Fife, Scotland
⭐ How To Spend Two Days In The Trossachs: An Alternative to Loch Lomond
⭐ Glasgow: Scotland’s “Second City” That Shouldn’t Be Missed
⭐ 10 Short Hikes With Spectacular Views In Scotland