Home from Germany and with a free day before going back to work, it was too nice a day to just sit at home. I'm rebuilding my fitness after a bout of Covid and I reckoned half a dozen miles on flat terrain would be a worthy mission. The 7-mile railway path running between Kirkintilloch and Strathblane (via Lennoxtown) had been on my radar for a while. It sits in the shadow of the hills known as the Campsie Fells. There are no convenient transport connections between the towns and I decided to tackle half of the route, walking back to my starting point. Lennoxtown lies roughly in the middle and seemed as good as location as any to begin my outing. It promised to be a picturesque trail.
A branch line from Kirkintilloch to Lennoxtown opened in 1848 and an extension reached Killearn before the funds ran dry. It wasn't until 1882 that the line managed to hook up with the Forth & Clyde Junction Railway that ran between Stirling and Balloch. These country routes were severely hit by the introduction of the motor bus and the Campsie line saw its last passenger train in 1951. Freight traffic chuntered on as far as Lennoxtown until 1964 and the remaining tracks were lifted shortly thereafter. I arrived in Lennoxtown - which lies within the historic boundaries of Stirlingshire - and found a parking spot close to the site of the old station and goods yard. I had to skirt a football pitch to reach the footpath and I noticed a sign commemorating Campsie Black Watch FC, who were one of the leading juvenile sides in Scotland until giving up the ghost in 2017. Apparently the team was run by one man (Gerry Marley) for 60 years before he became disillusioned by the lack of commitment shown by the players. I decided to follow the trackbed to Kirkintilloch as this leg was half a mile shorter than taking the route in the opposite direction. There didn't seem to be much left of Lennoxtown Station but I found a strange relic within an overgrown walled compound on the edge of town. A trig-point style pillar stood within a circular enclosure bounded by a low stone wall. The only guess I could come up with was the possibility I was looking at the remains of an old ornamental fountain. The path took me through a quiet agricultural landscape and I caught several glimpses of the southern extent of the Campsie Fells range. After a couple of miles I encountered Milton of Campsie Station. Two lengthy platforms are extant and an old-style name board has been affixed to the road overbridge. Passing through the arch, I found further stretches of platform with well-tended flower beds, bench seats, canine sculptures and information boards. Signs pointed to an adjacent coffee shop. This seems to be a popular rest area for walkers and the railway path forms part of the famous John Muir Way - a coast-to-coast trail from Dunbar to Helensburgh that covers 134 miles. No train has called at Milton Campsie for over 70 years, with one notable exception. "Billy" was installed in 2017 as a tribute to a deceased local councillor. A metal artwork incorporating seating, young kids no doubt enjoy clambering all over him. It's heart warming to see a derelict station being transformed in this manner.
I pushed on and passed by the rump of an abandoned stone viaduct that had obviously carried a railway above the one I was walking upon. I consulted the old maps and discovered the Kelvin Valley line from Kilsyth to Glasgow had crossed over the Campsie route. This railway had also fallen victim to post-war rationalisation Frustratingly, there was no obvious way to explore the top of this unfenced viaduct as the Glazert Water blocked the way towards the other end. I soon crossed over the River Kelvin which forms the boundary between Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire around these parts. My walk came to an end 400 yards later on the edge of Kirkintilloch as the railway path met the A803. From here, urban development had taken over and the town centre was half a mile away along the pavement. I decided to turn around as I'd already twice visited the High Street when I was following the Forth & Clyde Canal. Beyond the site of the now-demolished Kirkintilloch Station, the railway formed part of a unique bridge where canal barges intersected with trains while the Luggie Water flowed below. The tracks then joined today's main Edinburgh-Glasgow corridor at the adjoining town of Lenzie. Kirkintilloch may have lost its station but at least a rail connection remains within comfortable walking distance. Many towns suffered a far worse fate in this respect. I was acutely aware of the uphill gradient on the the return trek. I think the after effects of Covid were still lingering in my bones and - coupled with travelling to Berlin airport in the middle of the night just 36 hours ago - fatigue was gaining the upper hand. But the only way to regain full walking fitness is to get out there and walk! It had been a pleasant and - as ever - educational wander.
Lennoxtown eventually hove into view and today was not the first time I had explored an aspect of the town's history. The infamous asylum at Lennoxtown Castle continues to crumble away on the western outskirts and I had sought out this location the previous year. The castle functioned as an admin block and staff quarters and is now in a precarious condition following repeated vandalism and arson. The institution shut its doors in 2002 and we now live in a completely different era regarding care of mental illness. I reached the car and drove home for a well-earned rest. Another railway path ticked off the list and I'll hopefully do the second half within a week or two. I recently ordered a book showing all the Scottish lines and stations from 1920, set against todays transport map. Brief notes are given about each closed station and there is a handy chapter dedicated to routes converted to modern walking and cycling arteries. Entitled Scottish Railway Atlas then and now, by Paul Smith & Paul Jordan, it can be found online for £15.
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