Tag Archives: Airdrie

Kayaking on the Monkland Canal

Posted on June 26, 2022 by jester1970

The Monkland Canal was opened in 1771 and was built to transport coal from the coal rich Monklands area to Glasgow. The coming of the railway soon rendered the canals obsolete and much of the Monkland Canal has been filled … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Springbank Quarry Drone Tour

Posted on June 26, 2022 by jester1970

The last time I wrote about Springbank Quarry was 10 years ago. At the time there was a proposal to develop the quarry and turn it in to a fishery, but a decade on there has been no progress, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Save Faskine Woodland- Update

Posted on November 25, 2017 by jester1970

In a previous post I mentioned how I felt that campaigners to save Faskine Woodland were being led up the garden path by politicians seeking to raise their profile in the local community. That post was published in this weeks … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It’s a Small World Right Enough

Posted on June 29, 2017 by jester1970

Having moved to Edinburgh earlier this year I’ve not been cycling to the same extent I was before. I was regularly cycling part of my commute from Plains to Bathgate or occasionally to Uphall or Edinburgh itself. I’ve found that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Roughrigg and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code

Posted on April 13, 2015 by jester1970

Last week I was contacted by a friend who told me that they were having difficulty in accessing the area around Roughrigg Reservoir for horse riding. The area has long had problems with landowners erecting and locking gates. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Lost Villages- Reprint

Posted on March 15, 2015 by jester1970

A book I read many years ago, The Lost Villages by Hugh Lucas, Eddie Devlin and John Reilly, has been reissued after many years out of print. It is a fascinating collection of reminisces about the now long gone villages … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Fracking in Airdrie- No Way!

Posted on December 12, 2014 by jester1970

In December 2013 the Entirely unelected House of Lords took the powers over energy back from Scotland as part of the Energy Act 2013. In July 2014 a number of licences were granted for fracking by the UK Government, something … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

River Rambling

Posted on October 22, 2014 by jester1970

I’ve been trying to break myself back in gently with short local walks. A few of these have been along the North Calder Water, which runs west from the Black Loch near Limerigg, through Hillend Reservoir, then to Caldercruix, Plains, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Seasons End

Posted on September 30, 2014 by jester1970

I’ve had little time on the hills this year. The 1st of January saw me on a snowy hillside above Loch Tay  looking at the floodwater menacing the village of Killin. A few days later and I was hobbling off … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Five Lochs Trail Trip Report

Posted on March 4, 2013 by jester1970

A number of years ago I became involved in the local access forum, a group which is composed of a combination of access officers, land users such as walkers, cyclists and anglers, and land owners. At one meeting somewhere long … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment