A 25-mile walking and cycling route encircles the City of Dundee. Most of the pathway is off road and a 10-mile stretch runs along the coast. I decided to concentrate on the inland sections as I had already walked the entire waterfront. I chose Camperdown Park as a starting point and drove up there after dropping Nicole off at Abertay University.
I parked close to Camperdown House in the northwest corner of the city. The surrounding parkland is the largest area of green space in Dundee and over 100 unique species of tree can be found. The A-listed mansion - built in 1828 - is the oldest surviving Greek Revival property in Scotland and the wider grounds are listed in the national Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes. Camperdown Park was bought by the local authority in 1946 and now offers multiple leisure options, including a wildlife centre and golf course. This year the park hosted the high-profile BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend concert. The sun lit up the house nicely and I took several photographs with the impressive six-column portico to the fore. Formerly named the Lundie Estate, the lands of Camperdown came into being when the present mansion was completed. It replaced the earlier Duncan family property and the new title was a nod to the Royal Navy's success in the Battle of Camperdown, a 1797 North Sea conflict which saw the Dutch forces defeated. The British fleet was commanded by Admiral Adam Duncan, Baron of Lundie. As a reward for the success, his peerage was raised to Viscount Duncan of Camperdown. His son Robert Duncan commissioned the highly-regarded architect William Burn to design the new house. The grand building has no current use and Dundee Council has sought long-term tenants, to no apparent avail. Most recently, it hosted a vintage tearoom operated in conjunction with students from Dundee and Angus College. Proposals to convert the property to a hotel or office block have proved controversial. The Friends of Camperdown House organisation have lobbied for the establishment of a visitor experience detailing the Duncan family history and their place in Scotland's story. It would indeed be a great shame if this wonderful country residence slipped into dereliction. Finance is unfortunately in short supply among Scottish councils. I walked downhill past the wildlife centre, situated on the site of the old walled garden for Lundie House. The mini zoo contains a range of mammals and birds, some of them now rare in the wild. The best known inhabitants in recent years were the European brown bears Comet and Star. Both were in their 30s when they sadly passed away.
The Green Circular is well signed throughout and covers a range of terrain. After emerging from Camperdown Park, I walked by industrial units then paralleled the A90 for a short distance, before taking a subway below the dual carriageway. I skirted the fringes of the Charleston district and passed the remains of the Balgarthno Stone Circle. Only one of the nine boulders remains upright and the site (now a scheduled monument) has endured centuries of weathering and a more recent problem, vandalism. The walk proceeded along the course of the Dundee and Newtyle Railway. Closed to all traffic in 1967, the downhill gradient was appreciable as I skirted the residential limits of the city. Presumably the post-war housing was built right up to the transport corridor. Imagine taking possession of a trackside property, only to see trains disappear soon after. Bummer! The original system was somewhat Heath Robinson, taking a direct route through the city and incorporating two rope-worked inclines within Dundee itself, controlled by stationary steam engines. There was also a tunnel under the eastern flank of the Law. Eventually this cumbersome process was eliminated by the building of a sweeping deviation route around the city perimeter - part of which I was currently tramping. Outward trains still had to gain height however and it must have been a tough slog uphill for the steam locomotives. The line was never an economic success and there has been little call for its re-introduction. Although no physical railway infrastructure remains today, the formation of the land made it obvious I was following the path of the old tracks. I continued down to the A85 (Riverside Avenue) where modern roads have obliterated all traces of the Newtyle Railway. This location marked the point I'd previously reached on the Green Circular trail while walking the shores of the Tay. Not wishing to re-tread old ground, I turned tail and headed back up the cuttings and embankments, returning to Camperdown Park.
I passed by the mansion house and wandered through an extensive area of wild meadow. This biodiverse habitat provides food and shelter for a range of species, including key pollinators such as bees. An information panel explained how it takes at least four years to establish a meadow, with an annual cut helping to support the growth of many flower types. The official route drifted out towards the park boundary but I decided to take a short cut between the tall trees, locating the exit by the A923 that led into Templeton Woods where the Green Circular continued. Originally part of the Camperdown Estate, the woodland was planted in the 19th century and covers 60 hectares. Beyond the northern fringe of Dundee lies the rural setting of Strathmartine and the Sidlaw Hills. A gap in the trees at the far end of the plantation revealed a country scene completely at odds with the urban mass not so far behind me. The path took me past the squat features of Gallow Hill Water Tower. A security fence surrounds the concrete structure. It marks the highest point within the municipal boundaries and the tower supplies much of Dundee and a few neighbouring settlements with treated drinking water. It is connected to the massive Backwater Reservoir near Kirriemuir, a place Nicole and I had visited during the summer. The trail then led to a disused water supply. Clatto Reservoir was opened in 1874 and served as a staging point for water brought from the Loch of Lintrathen, west of Kirriemuir. This arrangement ceased in 1972 and the square embanked reservoir is now used for recreational activities such as boating and fishing. The area was designated a country park in 1979 and I headed over to the visitors centre. The toilets were open but the rest of the building was closed. The water must freeze over regularly in winter as numerous signs warned people not to walk on the ice. I doubt if that particular trait will ever be eradicated from the human make-up. Perfectly rational people have lost their lives in a vain attempt to rescue a dog that has fallen through (and inevitably gets out of its own accord). By sheer chance, the lighting conditions were conducive to an excellent photograph. I still haven't progressed beyond the automatic settings on my camera. Happy to put my faith in AI here. Beyond Clatto, the trail runs through residential territory and I walked three quarters of a mile along Laird Road to the intersection with Strathmartine Road. I felt this was a good place to stop as I would be able to reach Strathmartine Road next time around by taking a direct line from the city centre. I backtracked to Camperdown Park and had a late lunch in the car, before driving back down to the university to collect Nicole and her friend Shauna, who was travelling with us. A suitable point to sign off from this post and continue when I walk the next section.
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