Polkemmet Country Park
Polkemmet Country Park is a popular 68 hectare (168 acre) visitor attraction near Whitburn. The Park offers beautiful woodland and riverside walks, play area and picnic areas with seating. West Lothian Leisure operate the golf course, driving range and Visitor Centre within the Park.
Storm Eowyn
Following Storm Eowyn on the 24 January 2025 and further wet and windy weather, the wooded areas within West Lothian suffered significant damage. Clearance work on forest roads and main access routes have now been completed but not all wooded areas and paths are clear of windblown damage, so we ask users to stay vigilant especially during wet and windy weather conditions.
If you visit a wooded site, we are asking all visitors to:
- Always follow signage and do not breach path closures
- Stay well away from work areas
- Choose an alternative route if your way ahead is blocked
From Saturday 1 March 2025 Beecraigs Country Park is removing the red zone restrictions but some wooded areas within the Park remain out of bounds.
Forestry clearance works will continue over the coming months across many woodlands in West Lothian; stay clear of timber stacks and do not climb on these please.
Polkemmet Country Park
As the historic home of the Baillie family, Polkemmet was once a thriving estate which boasted the grand Polkemmet House and amenities including stables, tennis courts and a golf course. In the last hundred years, the estate has been utilised for many different things, including for the war effort, and as a home for the Trefoil School. The Country Park was opened in 1981, and remnants of Polkemmet's rich history can still be seen in the Park today. The River Almond runs through the entire length of the Park and there are over 6.5km of trails, including the Blue and Red waymarked routes.
- Introductory video (opens new window)
- Polkemmet Country Park Map and Waymarkers (PDF, 358 KB)(opens new window)
Polkemmet Country Park Heritage Project Updates
In July 2024, Parks & Woodland submitted an Expression of Interest form to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Polkemmet Country Park Heritage Project, and were then invited to submit an application for funding. A public consultation was held from Tuesday 1st October - Tuesday 29th October to allow people to view and comment on the project, which consisted of an online document and accompanying survey. The consultation period has now ended, but an overview of the project is still available in the public consultation document below:
Following the recent invitation from Heritage Lottery to submit the first stage of the application, we have been working to put together an application for the development stage of the Polkemmet Country Park Heritage Project. The deadlines for Heritage Lottery applications are quarterly, and the target we were initially working towards was the November 2024 submission date. Unfortunately due to the tight turnaround, some of the necessary supporting documents required by Heritage Lottery could not be produced for this submission date. The decision has been made to submit to the next quarterly deadline instead, which will be in early 2025. In the meantime, the application will continue to be worked on.
If we receive funding, this project will help to deliver a number of improvements to Polkemmet Country Park, including path upgrades, heritage and nature trails, a restoration project for the Dardanelles and an outdoor nature learning area. It will also help to recognise the rich history of Polkemmet Estate, and local community heritage. Thank you to everyone who has shown their support for the project so far, further updates will be provided when we have them.
Visitor Centre
The Visitor Centre within the old stable complex provides a warm welcome with information, advice, snacks and refreshments, as well as also being the point of access to the Scottish Owl Centre. The reception handles bookings for the golf and driving range within the park.
Know the code before you go - Scottish Outdoor Access Code (opens new window)
Opening Hours
For opening times of the reception, please see Polkemmet Reception Opening Hours (opens new window) (details within West Lothian Leisure website - Golf in Polkemmet)
The Park is open throughout the year and admission is free. The Visitor Centre and public toilets are closed on the 25 December and 26 December and 1 and 2 January.
Accessibility Guide
Customer Satisfaction and Feedback Survey
Please help us to improve our service to you by completing our survey - Parks & Woodland Customer Evaluation (opens new window)
Within the Country Park
- The Scottish Owl Centre, which opened on the 31 March 2012, is a very popular attraction. The Scottish Owl Centre has relocated from Campbeltown in Argyll to here in West Lothian - for further information go to Scottish Owl Centre (opens new window).
