Should you be heading northeast from Glasgow towards the land of the Kelpies, with a little bit of a diversion you might discover one of Scotland's enduring mysteries - that of the little-known Blue Pool of the Tor Wood.
A little wander will bring you to a clearing in this forest just outside of Falkirk, where you'll find a magical-looking manmade brick pool.
The haunt of famous historical figures such as Sir William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, this forest has a rich history, but it's the blue pool that remains one of its most intriguing features.
The circular pool, which is rimmed with red bricks, is approximately 6.1 metres in diameter and over four metres deep. Originally known to be blue, it maintains its sapphire colouring thanks to a significant growth of algae, meaning it's perhaps worth keeping your dog away from it if you visit.
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The origin of the pool remains a mystery, with one local dedicating his life to trying to solve it, according to the Daily Record .
Nigel C Turnbull described peering into the pool as "like looking through a blue diamond".
Having first discovered the Blue Pool in 1961, as a ten-year-old child, it was until he was in his forties that he returned vowing to solve the mystery.
After researching the pool for years, taking water samples, interviewing locals who knew about it, he created a website documenting the numerous theories around its origins.
People believe it could be a pumping station or well, however one plausible theory was submitted by Turnbull himself, who sadly died in 2012 at the age of 61 before confirming the origin, with his website subsequently taken down.
It involves the remains of Quarter Colliery approximately a mile away, which at one point was part of a significantly bigger coalfield. The colliery was closed in 1910 after an explosion that killed over a dozen miners and it was flooded as a result.
Turnbull's theory was that the pool was originally an air shaft serving the Quarter Colliery, allowing it to be ventilated. He believed that the shaft was capped by concrete and that the primary shaft below experienced a collapse at its base — resulting in the pool due to groundwater seeping through the shaft wall.
If you intend to check out Torwood Blue Pool for yourself, you should be aware that it is extremely difficult to locate without the assistance of GPS. It is therefore highly recommended that travellers research before embarking on a journey to the pool.
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