Kirkintilloch - Cowgate, Forth & Canal

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Spy Mission around Kirkintilloch Cowgate and the Forth and Clyde Canal, with Agents sent to explore Kirkintilloch and the canal after Dr Loco Motif and his sidekick Anna Raque plant a device under the Luggie Aqueduct - find the code and disable it before things go off the rails.

The mission covers approximately 1.7 miles and should take around 2 hours to complete. You'll start outside the Auld Kirk Museum on Cowgate, investigate the town centre, follow towpaths next to the Forth and Clyde Canal, cross the Luggie Aqueduct, search through Peel Park and loop back to the Auld Kirk Museum area for the final stage of the operation.

This Trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The route includes steps, a hill down Broadcroft, a scramble down the hill, towpaths and searching around the grounds in Peel Park.

Keep well away from the canal edge, take extra care on the towpath alongside the canal and be very careful if crossing the road near the canal, as it can get very busy.

Getting There

By car: Your mission begins outside the Auld Kirk Museum on Cowgate, at the bottom of the steps that lead onto Cowgate (G66 1HN). The nearest car park to the start is at William Patrick Library (G66 1AD). There are also smaller car parks dotted around the town centre, which are free.

By public transport: Make your way to the Auld Kirk Museum on Cowgate, then head to the bottom of the steps that lead onto Cowgate to begin the operation. The circular route loops back into the town centre and finishes at the Auld Kirk Museum area.

Need the Loo?

Public toilets can be found in the Regent Centre shopping centre near Clue 03, making this a useful early comfort stop before the mission heads further along the canal.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Agents are welcome to join the mission 🐾

The route includes town centre streets, steps, a hill, a scramble down the hill, towpaths and canal-side sections, so keep canine recruits close around traffic, near the canal edge and along the towpath.

Food & Drink Stops

The first part of the mission is in the town centre, which is the ideal time to stock up with essential provisions before following the intel towards the canal.

Peel Park adds a green space to the route later on, giving your squad a chance to pause during the operation.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Auld Kirk Museum

The mission starts outside the Auld Kirk Museum on Cowgate and later returns to its grounds for the final clue, making this key Kirkintilloch landmark a natural place to linger once the code-cracking is complete.

Luggie Aqueduct

The route crosses the Luggie Aqueduct over the River Luggie, built during the 1770s, with an additional deck added for the railway line in the 1840s. It is worth pausing here to picture the unusual sight of a canal boat passing over while a train went below - prime espionage territory for Dr Loco Motif.

Peel Park, the Antonine Wall and Kirkintilloch Castle

Peel Park is a cracking extra for Agents who like their missions with layers of history. The line of the Antonine Wall passes through the park; built between AD142 and AD154, it was for a short period the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire, and a wide range of Roman objects have been found showing that there was once a fort at this location. The park also contains plaques marking three corners of the medieval Kirkintilloch Castle, with the war memorial gate used as part of the walk out of the park.