Home Report Alva

Alva is a small town in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland with roughly 4,700 residents. It is located between Tillicoultry to the east and Menstrie to the west. Both are just a couple of miles away. It is also roughly 3 ½ miles north of Alloa and 7 miles northeast of Stirling. It is immediately to the south of the Ochil Hills, part of a collective set of settlements referred to as the Hillfoots Villages or simply The Hillfoots. It is a quiet town with a feeling of being more remote than it actually is, with plenty of amenities and services within easy reach.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, textiles were the main industry of the town. Today it is known for its brewery as well as acting as a service centre for the area. It is predominantly a commuting town with residents travelling to work in Stirling, Alloa, Tullibody, Tillicoultry, Bridge of Allan, and other towns and villages in the nearby area. Residents can travel fairly easily by road with the A91 effectively bisecting the town and offering quick travel east to Tillicoultry and west to Stirling. The B908 road allows for travel south to Alloa. The town has no railway line or station of its own, but Alloa and Stirling railway stations are a short journey away offering travel to wider Scotland. Bus services are frequent and allow residents to travel to the nearby towns and villages in the Hillfoots area, as well as Alloa and Stirling again, where wider bus services and routes can be found.

In terms of amenities and things to do, Alva has the usual array of independent and chain stores dotted along the main street. It doesn’t have too much besides, but then residents benefit from close proximity to Tillicoultry, Alloa and Stirling for other amenities and services. It does have its own golf course: the Alva Golf Club, known locally for being quite challenging but with spectacular views of the Ochil Hills. Woodhill Wood Park is just a short journey to the east of the town that is great for walkers, dog walkers, cyclists and nature spotters. Then the Ochil Hills are but a stone’s throw from the main street and are fantastic for walkers, offering spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, as well as plenty of points of interest on the Hills themselves. Alva Glen, the old Alva Silver Mine and the Smuggler’s Cave are particularly popular points, and Ben Cleuch is a popular munro.

In terms of local schooling then, the town has both a primary school: Alva Primary School, and a secondary school: Alva Academy. Alva Academy takes pupils from several primary schools in the Hillfoots area. The school was relocated to a new campus early in 2009.