Far back in the mists of time, when we had the national shortage of
letters and surfeit of apostrophes that saw pubs like the Auld Hole In
The Wall in Linlithgow shortened to Th' Auld Hole I' Th' Wa', Bo'ness
did not go unscathed. For it used to be called Borrowstouness, or some
such thing, until someone came along, ripped out a few unnecessary
letters, and stuck an apostrophe in there. Personally, I'm not sure why
they stopped, because I reckon Bo' has a certain ring to it, as in, 'I'm chist aff tae Bo' my dear.'
In recent years Bo'ness has struggled. It has struggled in the same
way that many Scottish towns have done through the decline, and at times
loss, of industries like
coal-mining and iron-founding. But it's fighting back. For amidst the
boarded up shops and pubs there are good things to see, as there are
everywhere, if you know where to look.
You don't have to look very far in the town, because it's quite small.
One of the main things in its favour is that it sits by the wide River
Forth, and views from the water's edge are stunning.
The fact that
there
are also steam trains and old
mines under
the ground is simply icing
on
a delightful cake.