Glentana Mill, West Stirling Street, Alva - 01259 769 696 info@visitscotland.com

Alva is a small town in Clackmannanshire, and is one of a number of towns situated immediately to the south of the Ochil Hills, collectively referred to as the Hillfoots Villages or simply The Hillfoots. Alva had a resident population of 5,181 at the 2001 census but has since been revised to 4,960 in 2006.

During the Industrial Revolution, Alva developed as a textile manufacturing centre, with the, originally water-powered, woollen mills providing employment for locals and migrant workers to the area. The Mill Trail Centre is situated next to the Cochrane park and housed in the old Glentana Mill built in 1887. It houses permanent exhibitions about the history of the old woollen industry and the experiences of the many people employed in the industry. The Dalmore Works was built in 1874 for Wilson Brothers who produced textile products including tweed, woollen novelty fabrics and mohair and woollen rugs. The works were operated by Wilsons until 1964, when the failure of a joint company, Wilson Bros (Alva) Ltd, set up with McBean and Bishop Ltd caused the firm to lose the works.