The Inner Forth landscape area encompasses the river, estuary and inter-tidal zone, the floodplain and coastal margins. It includes the settlements on both sides of the Forth, from the historic Old Stirling Bridge to Blackness Castle and Rosyth.

The landscape has suffered from industry decline and large areas remained undiscovered by locals and visitors alike. This four-year project led by RSPB Scotland aims to reveal the hidden cultural, historical and natural wealth of the landscape. It will restore and conserve important features, open up access, provide skills training and ultimately leave a legacy of a richer landscape and new facilities for all.

I’ve been shown practical ways of recording that up until now I hadn’t thought of and actually doing it on a real site makes sense.

Kinneil Estate Church Trainee

Work on the 50 individual projects is well under way, with Clackmannan Tower made safer for public access and planting of new wildflower meadows. A project to record and consolidate what remains of an important 12th-century church building in Kinneil Estate is now complete. Local community groups were supported on tasks to investigate old photographs, repoint walls and excavate the nave, developing key skills in documenting and conserving historic buildings.

For more information visit the Inner Forth Landscape Initiative website.