As the summer holiday season gets under way, the Friends of Kinneil volunteers will continue to offer a free weekly guided outdoor tour at 2pm on Saturday afternoons until further notice at Kinneil Estate in Bo’ness.
Ian Shearer, Chairman of the Friends, said: “Kinneil Estate is among the most impressive attractions in the Forth Valley. It has so much to offer in its 200 acres of parkland, with over 2,000 years of history.
“We think that those arriving to discover this unique place, and wealth of history, should be made welcome with regular guided tours.
“In Scotland’s Year of Stories, come along to hear some of Kinneil’s many stories. 2022-23 is also the Centenary of the process of Kinneil Estate and House first becoming a much-loved park and public heritage asset.”
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) recently opened Kinneil House itself for only its second open day since 2019 on Saturday 25 June. Tours of its interiors were fully booked, but the next scheduled open date is currently not until late August.
Essential visitor information – please read carefully:
* The free outdoor walking tours will be offered every Saturday until further notice at 2pm. PLEASE NOTE: There will no outdoor tour on Saturday 27 August (when Kinneil House itself will be open for indoor tours by Historic Environment Scotland).
* There is no need to book, just turn up – meet outside Kinneil Museum (itself open free, usually daily except Tuesdays, 12.30-4pm), where a toilet is also located and may be available, although visitors may wish to use other facilities elsewhere before arrival.
* The tour will last around an hour. Tours will feature some of the history and heritage of Kinneil House and Estate, and in some weeks may feature a special theme (keep an eye out for updates). All ages welcome. The walk on Saturday 20 August will feature the story of the Kinneil Hill Climb motor-racing event, and will follow a different route from usual.
* Kinneil House itself is generally closed. It will be opened by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) only for a limited number of special open days. Among other things, it contains what are considered to be Scotland’s finest domestic wall paintings of the mid-16th and 17th Centuries. Further details of those open days with guided tours of the interiors (early booking essential – limited availability) may be found on the HES web page for Kinneil House and on this Friends of Kinneil web site too.
* On arrival at the estate, please park in either the Museum or woodland car parks, or outside the estate, and not on grass verges, in the area in front of Kinneil House, nor in front of residents’ houses. Assemble for the tour just outside Kinneil Museum.
* The walk will mostly be along sound footpaths with minimal trip/slip hazards. All ages welcome – adults and children. Regrettably those who are infirm and/or in wheelchairs are respectfully advised not to join the walk, or only to take part in its initial stage next to Kinneil Museum and up to the front of Kinneil House.
* The route is usually short (Kinneil Museum – Kinneil House – James Watt Cottage – Kinneil Kirk – Kinneil Museum) but will take around one hour as the guide explains the history on view and responds to questions. Roman-themed walks may be slightly longer, as the route extends to Kinneil Fortlet. The walk on 20 August will also follow a different route – the course of the Kinneil Hill Climb car race – and will not go via Kinneil House or Kirk. During or after wet weather, some paths may be muddy and/or slippy: please wear suitable clothing and footwear for the conditions.
* If bringing a dog, please keep the dog away from other walkers, well-behaved, under control and on a lead at all times.
* The walk is free of charge and no booking is required, but donations to support the Friends of Kinneil, a registered charity, may be made at the end.
* Please check the Friends of Kinneil Facebook page or Twitter page before coming, to check for any announcements about cancellation or changes due to adverse weather conditions or other factors. We would do our best to post such announcements before 12 noon on the morning of any particular walk, which may otherwise be assumed to be going ahead although we cannot be held responsible for any unforeseen last-minute circumstances/cancellation.
* The main areas of Kinneil Estate also form part of the Antonine Wall World Heritage Site. Visitors may wish to continue with their own walk to explore Kinneil Roman Fortlet, and many other paths around the 200 acres of woods and historic parkland, or down the John Muir Way to Kinneil Foreshore towards Bo’ness and other attractions. A free leaflet about the estate’s ‘Hidden Heritage’ trail can be picked up in Kinneil Museum, and free audio tours are also available.
Our guides look forward to welcoming you, or welcoming you back, to Kinneil!
Assemble outside the free Kinneil Museum 
Discover the test-bed of one of history’s most significant inventions – James Watt’s steam engine – standing right on the line of the Roman Antonine Wall World Heritage Site 
See the ruin of the 12th-Century Kinneil Kirk and hear about the mediaeval village which once surrounded it
Kinneil 
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