Beecraigs is a

country park A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a specific meaning. There are around 250 designated c ...

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

, approximately south of the town of

Linlithgow Linlithgow ( ; ; ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edi ...

and north-east of

Bathgate Bathgate ( or , ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston, Scotland, Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway (Scotland), M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Linlithgow, Livingston, and West Calder. A number of villages fall under ...

and is a 4 star Visitor Attraction (Visitscotland). The Park comprises around of upland forest, woodland and open country, and offers a range of amenities including walks & trails, play area, skills area & mountain bike trails, BBQ hire, caravan & camping site including 2 lodges (4 star Touring Park by VisitScotland and 4 pennant Gold award by the AA), Countryside Ranger Service, animal attraction (Red Deer, Highland Cattle, Belted Galloway Cattle, Hebridean/North Ronaldsay/Shetland Sheep), fly fishery, Visitor Centre and Cafe. In 2010 prehistoric remains were uncovered on the site of the current visitor centre. To the west of the country park is privately owned Cockleroy Hill (), which is topped by the remains of a prehistoric hillfort. Deer feeding at Beecraigs - geograph

Location

A major attraction of Beecraigs is its location high on the hills above the towns of Bathgate and Linlithgow which afford impressive views of the surrounding countryside, including the

Forth Valley The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt. The Gaelic name for the upper reach of t ...

, Linlithgow Loch, Binny Craig and

Palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

, the three Forth Bridges and the

Pentland Hills The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale. Etymology The hills take their name from the hamlet of Pe ...

. The Park does not lie on any major routes, and is from the M9 and from the M8 motorways.

Reservoir

The reservoir, now known as Beecraigs Loch, was built by German Prisoners of War. They were based in a work camp and had been sent from Stobs Camp near Hawick. Clay and stone was used to build the dam wall, this stone was quarried from Riccarton Hill and brought down the slopes to the site using a winch-powered railway. By 1918 the 8 hectare reservoir, holding 82 million gallons of water, began serving as a local water supply and continued to do so for 55 years.

References

External links

Beecraigs Country park website

West Lothian Archaeology Group {{Authority control Parks in West Lothian Country parks in Scotland