Falkirk Wheel: Bonnybridge and Doctor's Pend Canal Walk

Start at the pedestrian exit of the Falkirk Wheel north public car park, reached from Millennium Wheel Drive. Take the short paved link down to the Forth and Clyde Canal towpath and turn west, with the canal on your left. Follow the long bends towards Bonnybridge, passing the fields and wooded edge below Rough Castle. Stay on the towpath as it passes beneath the Bonnybridge road bridge, then continue beside Bonnyfield towards the signed path for the Doctor's Pend. Turn around at this junction and return along the same canal path.

Allow about two and a half hours for the return walk. The route follows a mainly level, hard surfaced towpath, with a short slope between the parking area and the canal. It gives views of the Falkirk Wheel near the start, then a quieter stretch of water through a mix of countryside and town. The Doctor's Pend is a historic passage beneath the canal; this walk turns at its canal-side access and does not enter the wet, narrow underpass.

The canal edge is open in places. Keep children and dogs close, leave room for cyclists and horses, and watch for slippery surfaces in wet or icy weather. Shops and refreshments are available in Bonnybridge if you leave the towpath, and the Wheel has a cafe and visitor facilities during opening hours. Those extra visits are outside the plotted route.

Use the north public car park rather than the south-bank holiday hire boat parking. Check current parking signs on arrival. Scottish Canals lists works on the south-bank cabin path until 19 October 2026, with possible local diversions near the turning circle and swing bridge. This route stays on the north bank and does not cross to the visitor basin. The separate Falkirk Flight east of the Wheel has towpath diversions until April 2027 and is outside this walk. Recheck Scottish Canals notices before travelling.

Route information: Falkirk Council's Bonnybridge path network maps, routes 4 and 5, and Falkirk Wheel site map; parking and current works information from Falkirk Council and Scottish Canals.