Skinflats Loop

Length: 17 miles

Route type: Loop

Difficulty: Medium

This 27km, medium difficulty loop takes you through some of the lesser-known areas around Falkirk. Allow a full day so that you can stop and enjoy all the sites along the way. 

After starting at the beautiful Zetland Park and passing through nearby Grangemouth town centre, you’ll reach an area known as Skinflats. Its unusual name is said to come from the Dutch engineers who helped reclaim the land back in the seventeenth century. Now predominantly an agricultural area, the route follows the National Cycle Network through farmland before circling back through the villages of Larbert, Stenhousemuir and along the River Carron. Along the way, you’ll pass Larbert Lido and Larbert Old Parish Church and the Grahamston Ironworks Gate, once the biggest iron gate in the world which still stands in Stenhousemuir. 

As you peddle towards The Kelpies, you’ll reach the woodland of Cobblebrae and Abbotshaugh where you’ll find interactive art installations and a series of sculptures. Look out for the huge Love & Kisses sculpture, a tribute to the Roman history of the area. Make sure to stop and let your children tell the time at the Human Sun Clock, a working, interactive sundial. 

From there, you’ll visit the largest and most famous sculpture of them all, the majestic Kelpies in the Helix Park. Marvel at the sheer scale of this amazing equine sculpture as you cycle underneath them. Then turn left to go under the M9 motorway and follow the Charlotte Dundas trail, celebrating the world’s first practical steamship, which was built in Grangemouth and head back to Zetland Park.   

 

Map location: FK3 9JD

View route (external website)