Those of you seeking a fun walk outside of the city should consider heading west to the land of the Kelpies, where you'll discover one of Scotland's enduring mysteries - the Blue Pool of the Tor Wood.
Lying just an hour from the capital in a forest clearing just outside of Falkirk lies this mysterious circular sapphire blue pool.
The forest of Tor Wood has a rich history with iconic Scottish figures such as Sir William Wallace and Robert the Bruce having both spent time there, but it's this man-made brick pool that remains one of its most notable features.
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The origin of the pool remains a mystery, with one local dedicating his life to trying to solve it, reports the Daily Record.
Nigel C Turnbull once described peering into the pool as "like looking through a blue diamond".
And the circular pool, which is rimmed with red bricks and approximately 6.1 metres in diameter and over four metres deep, captivated him in his childhood when he came across it as a ten-year-old in 1961.
It wasn't until he was in his forties, however, that he returned to try to solve the enduring mystery of its origins.
Named for its vibrant blue waters, it is thought the cobalt colouring comes from a significant growth of algae, meaning that if you take any four-legged friends along it's worth keeping them on a leash around the pool so they don't drink any of its waters.
After researching the pool for years, interviewing locals who knew about it and taking water samples, Nigel eventually created a website documenting his findings and the numerous theories around its origins.
Many believe it could have been a pumping station or well, however one plausible theory was submitted by Nigel himself.
It involves the remains of Quarter Colliery approximately a mile away, which at one point was part of a significantly bigger coalfield. The colliery was closed in 1910 after an explosion that killed over a dozen miners and it was flooded as a result.
Nigel's theory was that the pool was originally an air shaft serving the Quarter Colliery, allowing it to be ventilated. He believed that the shaft was capped by concrete and that the primary shaft below experienced a collapse at its base — resulting in the pool due to groundwater seeping through the shaft wall.
Sadly though, Nigel died in 2012 at the age of 61 before confirming the origin, with his website subsequently taken down.
Getting to the pool
If you intend to check out Torwood Blue Pool for yourself, you should be aware that it is extremely difficult to locate without the assistance of GPS. It is therefore highly recommended that travellers research before embarking on a journey to the pool.
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