Bonfal one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Bonfal here.

This is a great route except that it is inaccurate in a couple of places. As Wellchoughed pointed out, the route between the canal and the A803 in Falkirk is not passable and will mislead the walker. Additionally, where the canal goes under the railway at Falkirk, there is no towpath, and it is necessary to go up steps to the road, cross the railway, and go back down steps to reach the towpath again. I’ve corrected these with BonFal Two.

Review of Slow Ways route Bonfal one (Bonnybridge to Falkirk)
I walked this route in February 2023 and found it easy to follow and full of points of interest. The route leaves Bonnybridge via a tunnel under the canal and heads out of town along a quiet country road. Good views open out to the south as the town is left behind. The road ends at a small car park which gives access to Rough Castle, the site of a fort on the Antonine Wall. The route follows the wall for a short distance and there are explanatory signs which give plenty of information about the site. The surface of the route now changes from tarmac to packed earth and/or mown turf, which may present a barrier to some travellers. After some winding paths through the woods, the tracks get wider as the Falkirk Wheel is approached. On the day I visited, heavy machinery had caused some of the track surfaces to be extremely muddy, but hopefully this will only be a temporary situation. At this point the route provides excellent views of another fascinating piece of engineering, this time much more recent. Most of the remainder of the route is a pleasant and interesting wander along the towpath of the Forth and Clyde Canal (with a steep, stepped section at one point). Once close to the centre of Falkirk, the route reaches an intersection of three roads (Kilns Place, Tophill Entry and Bleachfield) at NS87988053. The route map suggests taking a track immediately ahead through high gates into a small industrial and residential compound. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS NO WAY THROUGH TO THE TOWN CENTRE BY ENTERING THIS COMPOUND. Instead the traveller should follow Bleachfield (an excellent, mostly traffic-free lane) which re-joins the intended route at Dollar Park (NS88138024). Another few streets along good pavements and the centre of Falkirk is reached. All in all, a fascinating route, easy to follow and well-suited to the walker (but less so to people using road bikes or buggies and unsuitable for wheelchairs). It is important to be aware of the apparent error in mapping pointed out here, although the "work-around" was fairly easy to find.

Bonnybridge to Falkirk (Bonfal 1) review.

An attractive walk through a park with Roman ruins, visiting the Falkirk Wheel, and beside the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Note: I walked from Falkirk to Bonnybridge.

The walk out of Falkirk leaves the main road for a lane by a park, to reach the Forth and Clyde Canal.

The canal towpath is well maintained (Photo 1). The Slow Way leaves the canal at the Falkirk Wheel (Photo 2). The visitor centre has a café.

The route takes a footpath through woods (Photo 3). This becomes a grassy path by Rough Castle Fort (Roman fort) and along a stretch of the Antonian Wall (Photo 4). This was muddy and uneven in places.

Bonnybridge Lane crosses the railway and canal, and then continues to the end of the Slow Way in Bonnybridge.

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