Torwood Blue Pool - 13 Things to Know Before Visiting

Near to the more popular Torwood Castle and the Tappoch Broch(to the outsiders), Torwood Blue Pool lies hidden in a clearing. It is a mysterious man-made circular brick structure that is full of blue water. And where locals used to swim for generations.

The pool for most of the year doesn't look at its most pristine. The water that is described as crystal clear will be fairly smoky. The surface might also be covered in pine needles and larger debris from the trees. But still, it is indisputably blue and very mysterious.

The Torwood Blue Pool is 6.1 meters in diameter and around 4 meters deep. The beautifully circular wall is three bricks thick and has an external lining of waterproof clay. There is a brick-lined arch below water level on one side that is the start of a brick tunnel running slightly downhill for around 30ft but it is very hard to see it unless the water is really crystal clear.

The general areas around the pool are used for off-road bicycling and camping.

There has been no shortage of theories about the purpose and origin of Torwood Blue Pool. What the mainstream world know about this place is contributed almost entirely by the local man Nigel Turnbull, who died in 2012.

Turnbull first saw the pool in 1961 when he was only 10 years old. When he discovered the spot again at 45, he started to uncover the pools secrets. His uncle, also a local, remembered the pool from his youth(late 1930s). As per Turnbull, his uncle remembered it to be exactly the same.

Over few years, Turnbull looked 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. Unfortunately Turnbull passed away in 2012 at the age of 61, never truly confirming the purpose of the pool.

There remain a number of active theories about the origin of the shaft that contains the pool. The most convincing explanation revolves around the presence of a spoil heap that is all that remains of Quarter Colliery. Once part of a much larger coalfield, this was initially sunk in 1865 to mine ironstone, before turning to coal production in 1880.

In 1895, thirteen miners were killed in a explosion. The colliery shut down in 1910 and subsequently flooded. It seems highly likely that the blue pool is what is left of a colliery air shaft intended to allow the workings Quarter Colliery to be ventilated. Remote air shafts for collieries were often constructed to a "dog-leg" design that involved a short vertical shaft descending from the surface, linked to a horizontal tunnel that then connected to a much longer vertical shaft descending to the mine workings. The purpose of the "dog-leg" was to avoid anything being thrown into the top of the shaft dropping down to the mine workings and causing damage or injury.

To fit with the normal pattern of shafts like this, the brickwork would initially have extended some distance above ground level, to help avoid objects being thrown or people falling into the shaft. This ties in with a story from one local resident of there being a five-foot high brick wall around the shaft in 1954. And Nigel Turnbull's own memories from his first visit in 1962 of a partial wall of rather lower height.

It is fine to visit Torwood Blue Pool on any day of the year as long as it is a dry day. If it is raining the days before, the trail will be very muddy.

1. The pool is impossible to locate without a GPS device.
2. The path is uneven and muddy and hard to follow at times. There is limited signage and none to direct specifically to the pool.
3. Wear shoes keeping in mind the muddiness of the trail.
4. Locals do swim in the pool but it can be filled with debris and tree barks while you visit.
5. Do not through waste into the pool. Visitors seem to through all kinds of waste into the pool.
6. There are no warning signs near the pool and you might spot abruptly in the ground. Don't accidentally fall!

1. The name Torwood Blue Pool comes from the tremendous blue colour of the water. Even though the pool remains blue-coloured, the water can be a lot murky and not as crystal clear as it used to be.

Torwood Blue Pool can be explored in 1 to 1.5 hours.

From Glasgow:

Torwood Blue Pool is about 30 minutes of drive(35 km). If you plan to visit with public transportation, take bus X24 from Buchanan Bus Station (Stance 4) in the direction of St Andrews and alight at Old Denny Road. From Old Denny Road, take bus 38 towards Stirling and alight at Glen Road. Torwood Blue Pool is at a walkable distance. The journey will, all in all, take about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

From Edinburgh:

50 minutes of drive(53 km). You can also take ScotRail from Edinburgh Waverley to Dunblane and alight at Camelon. From Camelon, take bus 38 from Forth Valley Sensory Centre towards Stirling and alight at Glen Road. Torwood Blue Pool is at a walkable distance. The journey will, all in all, take about 1 hour and 50 minutes.

In any travel mode, as soon as you reach the destination, ask locals for directions to the pool. It can be a little hard to find. The use of maps is highly recommended.

There is no entrance fee to visit Torwood Blue Pool.

Torwood Blue Pool does not have any entrance time restriction. As the pool is not very noticeable in dark, avoid exploring at night.