The following is a brief summary of the key details for the route Kirkintilloch to the FalKirk Wheel (NCN 754).
DISTANCE : 28 mls. linear
TERRAIN : Flat
TOTAL ASCENT : 948 ft.
START &FINISH : Barleybank car park in Kirkintilloch.
This route is one of the cycle routes in Scotland that I have cycled over the years. Some of the other routes I have cycled over the years are listed in the page “Cycle Routes in Scotland”. (Click here to go to this page.)
Route Map
Route map for Kirkintilloch - Falkirk Wheel (NCN 754) by E-Bike Cyclist.scot on plotaroute.com
The map above is an interactive map so if you press “Play” (click on the white triangle in the middle of the screen) you can zoom in or out by pressing the buttons that appear in the top left of the screen, and you can move the map by dragging it. Once you press Play the hills profile of the route will appear at the bottom of the map. You can get further comprehensive detailed analysis of the hill profile by clicking on “More Detailed Profile” at the top left of the hills profile section. You can also select full screen mode by clicking on the icon in the top right corner of the map.
Route Details -
Kirkintilloch to the FalKirk Wheel (NCN 754)
The Falkirk Wheel
The Falkirk Wheel is a large canal engineering structure. It lifts barges from the Union Canal above down to the Forth & Clyde Canal below, and vice versa. It is the first and only rotating boat lift in the world.
Previously barges transferring between the two canals would take half a day to negotiate the 11 locks between the canals. Now they take just 15 minutes on The Falkirk Wheel.
Start Point
The route starts at the Barleybank car park in Kirkintilloch. This is in the centre of Kirkintilloch, on the A806 New Lairdsland Road. (For satnav use the post code of this car park is G66 1JB)
This car park is a Pay & Display car park and it costs £5.00 to park for over four hours (Mar. 2022).
The car park is right next to the cycle path on the banks of the Forth & Clyde Canal.
The car park is adjacent to the main shopping street in Kirkintilloch.
Kirkintilloch - Craigmarloch Bridge
From the car park drop down to the canal towpath, which is part of the NCN 754 cycle route. Turn left along the path.
With the path being flat it is a nice gentle start to the day.
Continue cycling along the path to the village of Twechar.
At Twechar there is a canal lock and the cycle path continues on the pavement for a short distance. It then returns to the tow path after passing the lock.
Continue cycling along the tow path and soon you will came to Auchinstarry. Here there is berthing for many barges and yachts.
Continue on the canal tow path until you reach Craigmarloch Bridge. Here the tow path crosses over a road to a small car park on the other side of the road.
Craigmarloch Bridge - Wyndford Lock
Continue cycling alongside the canal, passing Wynford Lock on the way.
Just past Wyndford Lock there is a sign to remind you of the canal name.
Wyndford Lock - Bonnybridge
Cycle on alongside the canal, passing the small town of Bonnybridge on the way.
At Bonnybridge there is another canal lock.
Bonnybridge - The Falkirk Wheel
A short distance after passing by Bonnybridge the Falkirk Wheel comes into view on the other side of the canal. Cycle across the small wooden bridge and up the path on the other side to get to the visitors centre.
The Visitors Centre is in front of the Falkirk Wheel, overlooking the canal basin.
In the centre there is a shop, a cafe and toilets. There are also video displays about the Falkirk Wheel.
In front of the centre there are outdoor tables & chairs immediately in front of the Wheel. There are also picnic tables in front of the canal basin and some further up on the path that winds it’s way round the basin.
It is worth walking all the way round this path to get views of the Wheel from different perspectives.
Outside the centre there is a tourist barge that people pay to get on to experience a journey on the Falkirk Wheel.
It takes them on the Wheel as it slowly rotates up to the docking station at the Union Canal above.
Route Alternatives -
Kirkintilloch to the FalKirk Wheel (NCN 754)
This being a linear route you could do it in reverse. You could park at the Falkirk Wheel and cycle to and from Kirkintilloch.
To shorten the route you could start it at any point along the route that is convenient.
One example of a shorter route would be to start and finish at the small car park at Craigmarloch Bridge. This would reduce the round trip distance from 28 miles to about 15 miles.
Cafe / Toilet Stops -
Kirkintilloch to the FalKirk Wheel (NCN 754)
In Kirkintilloch there are many cafes, bar/restaurants and shops in the busy street called Cowgate that is next to the start point in Barleybank car park.
Along to the right when you come out of the car park onto Cowgate there are several cafes, etc. There is also a cafe and public toilets in the indoor shopping centre called the Regent Centre that is accessed from Cowgate.
At the Falkirk Wheel in the visitors centre there is a cafe, a shop and public toilets.
Train Options -
Kirkintilloch to the FalKirk Wheel (NCN 754)
Unfortunately there are no train lines direct to the start point in Kirkintilloch.
If you want to get the train to near the start point in Kirkintilloch one option would be to get a train to Lenzie. This is about two miles by road from Kirkintilloch.
Another option would be to get a train to Bishopbriggs, where you can pick up the NCN 754 cycle track that leads to the centre of Kirkintilloch, right past the start point of the route at the Barleybank car park. This would add about 5 miles each way to the length of the route.
There is an option to take the train if you decide to do the route in reverse by starting at Falkirk. There are two train stations in Falkirk – Falkirk Grahamston and Falkirk High. Falkirk High is close by the Union Canal.
If you want to access the start of the route by train your options to do so will of course depend on where you live and what train lines are nearby and where they run to, which each person will need to investigate for themselves. For a website that can help with this click on the following website address : https://www.thetrainline.com.