Avon Aqueduct

Name: Avon Aqueduct
Address: Manse Road Basin, Linlithgow, EH49 6AJ, GB

Linlithgow

Courtesy of Avon Aqueduct

WHERE

Linlithgow

What it’s like

Boat trips along the canal to a Roman-era aqueduct, plus a canal museum, running weekend afternoons through spring and summer.

The boat trip is the main event here, gliding along the canal with the aqueduct itself the thing everyone's come to see. Afterwards there's the Canal Museum to wander round, which is a decent way to fill the rest of the afternoon without needing to plan much else. It's a pretty low-key setup, no big rides or queues, just the water, the boats and a bit of local history.

You've only got a narrow window to catch it: weekends between 4 April and 27 September, 1.30pm to 4.30pm. Miss that afternoon slot and you're out of luck, so it's worth building the day around it rather than treating it as a drop-in extra. The short town trips are first come, first served, which is handy if you're not the planning type, but anything more than that needs booking ahead.

If you time it right you might catch the Canal Fun Day, which kicks off at 1pm and builds to a cardboard boat race at 3pm, a proper laugh for kids and adults alike. Just note that on the day of the fun day itself, the aqueduct cruises, town cruises and any self-hire or charter boats are off. There's a café with indoor seating if the Scottish weather does what it usually does.

Facilities

Café

Indoor seating

Need to know

Booking: Short town trips first come, first served

The whole thing only runs on weekend afternoons between April and September.
Town trips are walk-up, but bigger cruises need booking in advance.
If you're aiming for the Canal Fun Day, remember the regular boat trips are cancelled that day.

Plan your visit

Do we need to book?

The short town trips are first come, first served, so you can just turn up. Anything else, like the aqueduct cruises, needs booking ahead.

What times is it open?

Weekends only, from 4 April to 27 September, 1.30pm to 4.30pm. Outside that window there's nothing running.

Is there anywhere to eat?

There's a café with indoor seating on site, useful if you need a warm-up or the weather turns.

What's the Canal Fun Day?

It runs from 1pm with a cardboard boat race at 3pm, a fun one for kids to watch or even take part in. On that day the usual aqueduct and town cruises don't run.