Small groups of our members completed 3 walks this week as part of NWR’s Big Walk Activity. These included 2 rural walks in the spring countryside in the west of Scotland and another was a self-guided walk following one of the Women’s Heritage walking trails published by Glasgow Women’s Library which guided the group around the east end of Glasgow and ended with a short litter pick.
One rural walk was led by one of our members and began and ended in Kilbarchan village via Dampton Pad. Other members joined a guided walk around rural Renfrewshire around Linwood Moss that headed our urban Linwood and into the countryside. The farthest point of the Antonine Wall was nearby and the also spotted a possible Beaver’s dam. All all walks were lucky with mostly sunny weather – if a bit chilly. The countryside was very appealing in the welcome spring sunshine after the deluges of the past months and the 2nd group of walkers were able to catch a glimpse of snow capped Ben Lomond (the most southerly Munro) in the distance. Passing a large dairy farm whose cows were still in the byre the smell, although said to be ‘healthy’, was quite strong! Our intrepid photographer had to get up close and personal for the photo below.
Another group completed a self-guided walk around the east of Glasgow. The walk focussed on the achievements of women who had lived in that part of the city and the necessity for their industriousness and resourcefulness – just to survive. The walk focussed on some of their achievements and and also the struggles of the women who had lived there. Their walk started at Bridgeton Cross which was an important centre for Chartism in the mid 19th century and ended at Glasgow Green close to the People’s Palace and the Winter Gardens. It was a fascinating walk which took in some well known landmarks ( e.g. the famous Barras and the Barrowland Ballroom) and also lesser known ones including Glasgow Cross – an old marketplace from medieval times but also a site of punishment where spiked head-cages ‘scolds’ were used to punish women, St Andrews in the Square where Agnes Craig (1759-1841) was married but later when separated enjoyed a platonic relationship with Robert Burns (unusual for Burns), the Temperance Fountain (commemorating early women campaigners who abstained from spirits) where early suffragettes rallied at their first meeting in 1872 and also Nelson’s Column (erected before the one in London).
This group ended their walk with a short Litter Pick which harvested a half empty bottle of Buckfast Tonic Wine – needless to say unsampled. 3 more Big walks registered to be completed over the coming days.
