Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
The fried green tomato sandwich comes on jalapeño cornbread toast.
Café Reconcile
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
15 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
16 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
17 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
18 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom Scotland Falkirk Torwood Blue Pool

Torwood Blue Pool

The mystery of this small, brick pond eluded its possibly only investigator until his death.

Falkirk, Scotland

Added By
Stevie Douglas
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Torwood Blue Pool   geograph.org.uk
Torwood Blue Pool   geograph.org.uk
Torwood Blue Pool   geograph.org.uk
Torwood Blue Pool   geograph.org.uk
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Follow this wire fence.   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Turn right here   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Tarroch Broch   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Torwood Blue Pool in Winter   hellodave / Atlas Obscura User
Torwood Castle   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Hidden in a clearing in Scotland's Tor Wood Forest, the Torwood Blue Pool is a man-made brick pool of unknown purpose that fascinated a local man until his dying day.

The pool itself is 20-feet in diameter and filled with a varying level of what was once, surprisingly blue water. At only about 12 feet deep, the brick and mortar pool is not a bottomless conundrum, but its builders and original use are seemingly lost to the (fairly recent) ages. Enter local blue pool investigator Nigel C. Turnbull who would devote much of his later personal life to delving into the spot's origin.

Turnbull first saw the pool in 1961 when he was only 10 years old. When he rediscovered the spot at the age of 45, its secrets got their hooks in him. Over the next few years, Turnbull would look into every facet of the pool from the make-up of its water, to the debris at the bottom, to its ever-changing liquid volume. He collected eyewitness accounts of the pool and tried to link it to other industrial works nearby, each step recorded in detail on his website. Unfortunately Turnbull passed away in 2012 at the age of 61, never truly confirming the purpose of the pool.

Known by locals as the 'Blue Pool' or 'Torwood Blue Pool' This sub-structure has been a local mystery for many years. It is actually a redundant break pressure chamber and valve house, it was built c.1910 and was part of the Grangemouth Town Council water supply from North Thirds Reservoir to the town of Grangemouth. The original Building Warrant for this is held in Falkirk Archive, Callender House, under Planning Dept/Stirling County Council/Local Authorities Group Yellow Series. Where is titled 'Quarter House Break Pressure Chamber'.

 

Related Tags

Water Geological Oddities Architectural Oddities Mystery Mystery Spots And Gravity Hills Architecture Geology

Know Before You Go

This is virtually impossible to locate without the assistance of a GPS device. Larbert rail station is the closest train depot. A car will only get you so far, there is a 10-20 minute walk through Torwood.

The path is uneven, muddy, and at times hard to follow. There is limited signage, none of which directs you to the pool specifically. It would appear the area is used for off road cycling.

Wear sensible shoes and choose a dry day. Glen Road is a gravel lane that will take you past Torwood Castle and eventually to a path to the pool. There are private residences here and no parking.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Scotland: Beyond the Haggis

Smoked seafood, single malt whisky, and warm hospitality.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

stevied

Edited By

Rachel, SEANETTA, robertmurray15804, EricGrundhauser...

  • Rachel
  • SEANETTA
  • robertmurray15804
  • EricGrundhauser
  • hellodave

Published

December 22, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/TorwoodBluePool
  • http://torwoodbluepool.co.uk/
  • http://www.ntgraphics.co.uk/
Torwood Blue Pool
Falkirk, Scotland, FK5 4TB
United Kingdom
56.042759, -3.864397

Nearby Places

Falkirk Wheel

Falkirk, Scotland

miles away

The Dunmore Pineapple House

Dunmore, Scotland

miles away

Dunmore Park House

Dunmore, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Falkirk

Falkirk

Scotland

Places 4

Nearby Places

Falkirk Wheel

Falkirk, Scotland

miles away

The Dunmore Pineapple House

Dunmore, Scotland

miles away

Dunmore Park House

Dunmore, Scotland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Falkirk

Falkirk

Scotland

Places 4

Related Places

  • The pools at Leça da Palmeira.

    Leça da Palmeira, Portugal

    Tidal Pools of Leça da Palmeira

    An early work of the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, these swimming pools blend into the beach.

  • Felsenkirche, the “crag church.”

    Idar-Oberstein, Germany

    Felsenkirche (Crag Church)

    A tiny chapel clings to a precipice above Germany’s gemstone capital.

  • Stone House - South wall looking towards doorway

    Halifax, Nova Scotia

    Bayers Lake Mystery Walls

    No one knows the origins of the mysterious stone ruins discovered on a hillside in Halifax.

  • Civita, Italy

    Civita di Bagnoregio

    This quaint Italian town keeps losing ground as the sides of its plateau slowly erode.

  • Catherine Palace

    Pushkin, Russia

    The Amber Room

    An 18th century wonder of the world, lost in WWII, re-created at the Catherine Palace.

  • A typical SubTropolis building.

    Kansas City, Missouri

    SubTropolis

    The "World's Largest Underground Business Complex," a 55,000,000-square-foot city underneath Missouri.

  • Sagrat Cor, the church at the very top of Tibidabo. (Wikimedia Commons)

    Barcelona, Spain

    Tibidabo

    Mountain where Jesus was first tempted by the Devil.

  • Entrance to PJ’s B and B, White Cliffs, New South Wales. (Wikimedia Commons)

    White Cliffs, Australia

    White Cliffs

    Australia's first opal field led to a mining rush in the 1890s.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.