A former mining village in South Lanarkshire, Forth lies 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Lanark at an elevation of 274m (900 feet). It developed in the 19th Century in association with the Wilsontown Ironworks (which closed in 1842) and coal mines, together with housing developments in the 20th century.
Nearby are the villages of Climpy, Rootpark and Stobwood, with the Springfield Reservoir lying 3 miles (5 km) to the southwest.