Getting There
Southbound route only
Leave the M9 at Junction 2 and turn left, signed B8035 Forth Road Bridge. At the T-junction turn left signed A904 Bo’ness and also brown-signed to Blackness Castle and the House of the Binns.
Turn right at the brown sign to Blackness Castle (immediately after a brown sign to the House of the Binns).
At a T-junction turn right and pass a garden centre, with a coffee shop providing snacks and meals, and enter the village of Blackness. Turn left at the car park sign in the village to park in the sea-front car park by the Boat Club.
Return to M9 southbound
Leave the village on the B903 signed Linlithgow. At the T-junction turn left onto the A803 and follow this road to return to the M9 southbound.
Blackness Beach
Length of walk: 30-45 minutes
There are several walk options here, although water-loving Jem was more than happy to stay on the beach – so you may find that a swim is a more popular choice than a walk.
From the car park, a public footpath is signed to Bo'ness. We started this, but the lure of the water was too great and so we stayed on the completely deserted beach instead (it was after all Jem’s fifth walk of the day and the only chance he’d had for a swim!).
Another option is to walk from the car park towards Blackness Castle and turn right at a footpath sign next to a dog poo bin. This is signed Chapel, and is a short circular walk across headland meadows to the right of the castle complex. It’s a good space for dogs and there’s a grand view over the estuary to the Forth Bridge and around.
While you’re there
Blackness Castle, sitting squat and solid on a seafront promontory, is well worth a visit. It’s a predominantly 16th century castle, with more walls standing than many. There is an entrance charge of £4.20 for the interior. Dogs on leads are allowed in the courtyard. There is also an information centre and shop, WCs, and ice cream. We’ve been asked to point out that if you are not visiting the castle, please don’t use their car park while walking the dog as space there is very limited and people who wish to visit may not be able to do so. More castle details from:
Historic Scotland
The nearby House of the Binns doesn’t allow dogs inside or outside. More information from the National Trust of Scotland website.
Facilities
Free car park, WCs, dog poo bin. Dogs are welcome at the Blackness Inn, just by the car park.