In 2017 I'll be getting to know North Ayrshire a bit better as I travel there to paint four large murals at Dalry railway station. Dalry Station Garden Group is an impressively active group of volunteers who are doing a great deal of work to bring colour and life (and wildlife) to a very utilitarian station. There are wildlife-friendly borders, meadows of grasses and wildflowers, young trees, bird and bat nest boxes, a bee hotel...
The next stage of their project is funded by the very competitive ScotRail Foundation Cultural and Arts grants programme and will see my murals brightening the sides of a concrete bridge that spans the tracks and platforms. I'll post updates here and on Facebook and Twitter once things get started.
For now, photos of the station garden Open Day last August, then a lovely local walk along wooded stream valley.
Station Garden Open Day:
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| Opening the garden. Note the lovely BeeWorld bee hotel, and grass left long for nature. Your station or workplace or school or home can help too - make your own BeeWorld! - www.foe.co.uk/what_we_do/bee_worlds_39332 |
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| station meadow |
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| more meadow |
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| Borders full of flowers for pollinating insects. |
Project Funders:
SCOTRAIL FOUNDATION
www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/scotrail-community/scotrail-foundation
FOUNDATION SCOTLAND
www.foundationscotland.org.uk/programmes/scotrail-cultural-and-arts-fund
KEEP SCOTLAND BEAUTIFUL
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/news/keep-scotland-beautiful/stations-receive-biodiversity-funds
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Lynn Glen Walk
An approx two mile circle starting and ending in Dalry town centre. Remember to add probably fifteen minutes at each end to walk from station to town centre. More if you want time to admire the station, visit a baker... cafe... Co-op... pub...
Click this link for a .pdf map plus walk descriptions. I found I needed more than just this to easily find the start point so also take an Ordnance Survey if you aren't familiar with the area.
More info here - www.ayrshirepaths.org.uk/walkdalry.htm
And a good description on Walk Highlands - www.walkhighlands.co.uk/glasgow/lynn-glen.shtml
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| The blue one, at the bottom. |
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| Leave the town along the A737 then B714, fields on your left. |
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| Turn right after Trinity Drive but before the old bridge crosses the Caaf Water. |
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| Follow paths with the CaafWater down on your left. |
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| Rosebay Willowherb taking advantage of cleared land. Interesting facts - www.wildlifetrusts.org/species/rosebay-willowherb |
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| On your right, farmland and distant hills. |
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| Beautiful beeches, the best of trees. |
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| River crossing. |
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| Now walking downstream, river still on your left. |
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| White or light spots and splatters on river rocks often mean dippers are around. Maybe we'll see one... |
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| Flies on umbellifer. David - which species please? |
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| A dipper! |
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| A zombie one...? Oh no, it's just a normal one, blinking. (Dippers have white eyelids.) |
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| A dipper diary, with much better photos than mine - www.somersetwildlife.org/dippers.html |
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| Lots of dipper clips - www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/White-throated_Dipper Especially click right to watch the final clip, 'Dipping & Diving', underwater footage. |
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| Calm above a waterfall. Beyond that rim is a four or five (ish) metre drop. |
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| Meadow riverbank - knapweed & grasses & ragwort in the distance. |
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| Spot the Skunk-cabbage. - www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/skunk-cabbage_american_and_asian - www.nonnativespecies.org/factsheet/factsheet.cfm?speciesId=2110 |
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How to get there
Trains to Dalry take half an hour from Glasgow Central. Mon-Sat there are 3 per hour from Glasgow - 2 going to Ayr, the other to Ardrossan Harbour. Hourly on Sundays.
Double check 'Ayrshire, Inverclyde & Stranraer Timetable' and 'Buy Tickets' on ScotRail website.
Many thanks to ScotRail for enabling my Scotland by Rail work.
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| Lynn Glen beeches, Dalry |
