Things to Do in Bo’ness and Blackness
Things to Do in Bo’ness and Blackness – I get satisfaction from what I do when I visit a part of Scotland that I’m not that familiar with and I’m blown away (and a bit embarrassed to find out) that there’s so much cool stuff to do that I had absolutely no idea about.
This weekend we had that exact experience visiting Blackness and Bo’ness near Falkirk, on the water’s edge. For a weekend break it’s got everything kids enjoy.
Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway
Hop aboard the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway steam train for a trip back in time. My kids adored this. It’s also popular on screen featuring in films like The 39 Steps and the much loved Outlander.
Look out for Halloween (Steam & Scream!) and Christmas specials , or upgrade with an afternoon tea onboard. A trolley onboard sells snacks, hot drinks and treats. The journey takes about 45 minutes through the v cute Birkhill Station to Manuel. At Manuel everyone can disembark (if they wish) to watch the steam engine head up the line and switch ends of the train, with commentary from one of the guardsmen.
A first class ticket gets you a cabin to yourself, and feels very Downton Abbey. I’m sure this journey could be very romantic, but my boys were so hyper and excited it was a lively journey! Check out prices and timetables here.
Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway Museum
It’s also possible to drop by the museum, which is Scotland’s largest railway museum. We spent about an hour here. My kids mainly played with toy trains, but there are lots of carriages to step aboard, from a postal wagon to part of Glasgow’s Clockwork Orange. Display boards cover everything from animals on the railway, holidays by train to clever marketing. There are several places where you’ve invited to share a selfie too (so I did!).
Blackness Castle – Things to do in Bo’ness
This was a definite highlight. Blackness Castle sits by the water, like a ship that never launched, with the Forth Bridges creating a stunning backdrop. There’s lots for little legs to explore, and its stone walls remind of Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven and Castle Gravensteen in Ghent. The tales of prisoners, both posh and v poor, worked well for my youngsters. Great walks on the castle walls and along piers that jut dramatically out to sea.
Cycling – Things to do in Bo’ness
FREE Visitors are encouraged to reach Blackness without a car due to a severe parking shortage. Thankfully a stunning stretch of the John Muir Way beckons – all off road, flat, by the water, and about 30-45 mins – so we hopped on our bikes and pedalled from Bo’ness to Blackness Castle. An absolute joy to cycle, and very easy and well signposted too.
Muiravonside Country Park
FREE Muiravonside Country Park is FREE and fabulous. First stop, visit the family friendly Newparks Farm. It’s ideal for kids with a range of animals both indoors and out, from familiar farm animals to more exotic birds and guinea pigs.
You can also hit the playground or stroll around the art sculpture trail, but the highlight for me was visiting the aqueduct. We were lucky enough to see a canal boat pass by. It’s such handsome architecture, and my boy raced the Desert Lark canal boat. I’m not sure if he noised up the tourists onboard or if they noised up him, as they egged each other on.
Hippodrome Cinema
It’s movie time! The local cinema in Bo’ness is so special, dating back to 1912. It’s supremely elegant yet it’s just the local cinema here. It’s run by the council rather than a private enterprise too so well worth supporting. Drop by to catch a flick – check out what’s screening here.
Kinneil House – Things to do in Bo’ness
A country house? Yes, the area has that ticked off too! Kinneil House is run by Historic Environment Scotland, which offers tours during the season (April – September). The tours aren’t aimed at children but youngsters are very welcome. If you want to get on your bike or walk at Kinneil Estate there several options, so take a browse here.
FREE We loved the free garden/grounds tour with The Friends of Kinneil. On this tour the kids could run around, venture in and out of the building where James Watt worked on his revolutionary steam engine ideas, learn about ghosts and motor car racing on the estate, and tap in Roman history and the Antonine Wall. There’s also a playground.
FREE The free Kinneil Museum covers local history, from the Bo’ness Children’s Fair and its annual queen, to mining and porcelain production.
One further attraction that we simply didn’t have time for was the Bo’ness Motor Museum, which may interest you. It’s said to offer a private collection of over 25 vehicles from Harry Potter, Thunderbirds, James Bond, props from Dr Who plus film memorabilia.
Food and Drink
In Bo’ness we loved McMoo’s Ice Cream Parlour with its glorious range of ice cream flavours and sauces. It also serves family friendly lunches such as kids chicken goujons.
In Blackness you must visit The Lobster Pot. My husband and I devoured two different lobster dishes (when in Rome), mine cold with mayonnaise, while he opted for lobster thermidor. And the kids menu had v decent fish goujons plus a good halloumi sticks option too. The decor is a cosy and busy and cluttered but adorable, with some v quirky artworks and a tiny shop.
Near Muiravonside Park we had lunch at the waterside Bridge 49 Cafe Bar & Bistro. While they do a range of soups and sandwiches, I went straight for the haggis and black pudding stack with peppercorn sauce. Lush. The kids tucked into pork link sausages and fishfingers.
Finally, our base was the modern Richmond Park Hotel where we had a lovely, spacious contemporary family room in Bo’Ness. The bedroom was spot on with indulgent local toiletries provided, plus still/sparkling water, biscuits and all the refreshments you need.
I had a piping hot shower at night but the hot water had run out in the morning. The staff were very helpful, friendly and down to earth. In terms of food, we didn’t dine at the hotel for lunch or dinner, but had a relaxed couple of drinks in the bar. At breakfast the early bird catches the worm. We had to ask for virtually all the buffet to be restocked, which was done for us from coffee and milk, to pastries and yogurt. I’m sure if you turned up bright and early our experience would have been different, but we certainly weren’t late. A bit of a mixed review for Richmond Park.
Overall, we had a total blast. The Falkirk area is understandably renowned for the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel, but please give Blackness and Bo’ness a try. Best memory = cycling to the castle with the sound of waves lapping the shore. For more inspiration on things to do get ideas from the Visit Falkirk website.
You may also find these articles helpful:-
Things to Do in Falkirk with Kids
A Guide to Visiting the Kelpies
A Guide to Visiting the Falkirk Wheel
Things to do in West Lothian with Kids
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