Linwin one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

This is a pleasant straightforward walk, almost entirely off-road, with no issues or concerns, and some pleasant scenery. I walked this route from West to East on a blustery Friday in March 2024, with sunny spells alternating with ninja showers.

Linlithgow is an attractive and historic town, with several points of interest, also plenty of cafes and shops. I spent a while pottering around the town before heading off to the canal. Having read about the steps on this route, I took a look at Pollin one to see if it offers a step-free route to the canal - it doesn't, but I think Back Station Road is the answer for step-free access. The towpath itself is smooth tarmac all the way into Winchburgh, with a handful of short cobbled sections as it passes under bridges.

Canal towpaths seem to me to be the very epitome of Slow Ways, I really like walking them and imagining their previous life as Victorian motorways. Although they were built in order to speed up transport, nowadays they offer a chance to step away from the usual speed of motorised travel whilst still making (slow) progress from A to B. This particular stretch of canal does the job well - it's remarkably straight (although that changes dramatically if you follow the canal beyond Winchburgh towards Edinburgh), but also remarkably quiet. I met only a handful of other towpath users, passed only moored boats, and saw very little wildlife - a pair each of ducks and swans. For the first part of the walk, the canal is somewhat higher than the surrounding countryside, leading to sweeping views of rolling West Lothian farmland. The second part is more enclosed, passing through woods and under the shadow of a shale mine slag heap (which I have just discovered are known as "bings").

Winchburgh until recently was a small village, but is growing rapidly with new developments. The construction closure that Wellchoughed mentions in the first review of this route has gone, so the whole route is accessible now. I didn't stop long in Winchburgh as a determined rain squall was passing through when I arrived, but I found a shop, two takeaway restaurants ... and a bus back to Edinburgh.

Overall, 5 stars, it's an ideal Slow Ways route.

Review of Linwin one (Linlithgow to Winchburgh)
I walked this route in reverse (i.e. Winchburgh to Linlithgow) in March 2023. It is normally entirely along the towpath of the Union Canal. However on the day I walked it, the first few hundred metres north of Winchburgh were inaccessible due to construction of a new “canal quarter”. A well-signposted diversion had been set up. The remainder of the route was straightforward with no navigation problems, no access issues and plenty of interest along the way. The final descent into Linlithgow is down a fairly steep flight of steps but there are plenty of alternative routes from the canal down to the town centre.

Very good route along the canal. Off road, level, tarmaced surface - good for walking, running or cycling.

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