Local groups in Lanark have joined forces to organise a weekend’s “Celebration of the Falls of Clyde” on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st August. A year after the Government’s decision to halt the proposed extension of Hyndford Quarry into the area, the organisers want to do more to promote the Falls of Clyde.

The famous waterfalls are a favourite destination for families from across Lanarkshire – and tourists from around the world.

The Falls of Clyde were formed by the meltwaters from the retreat of the ice sheets, which have also left behind the remarkable fluvio-glacial landscape whose formations are so unusual that many people do not believe they are natural. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Falls were enhanced by selective tree planting  to create a “designed landscape” which in turn attracted early tourists and became the inspiration for famous writers and artists – including the Wordsworths and Turner.  They were opened up to ordinary families from across Lanarkshire when the cheap trains were introduced in the 1850s. In the 1920s, the Falls were harnessed for the UK’s first commercial hydro-electric station. And most recently much of the area has become a reserve managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

The free drop-in event, to be held on Sunday 21 August, consists of a series of short talks, storytelling and guided walks.

Talks will be held in the New Lanark Visitor Centre at 11.00 and 14.30 and include:

• ‘The Story of Lugless Wil’l by local storyteller Allison Galbraith.
• ‘Famous Visitors to the Falls’ by author C.A. Hope
• ‘Wildlife and the Falls’ by SWT Ranger Steve Blow

The guided Walks,  also starting at the New Lanark Visitor Centre, will run at 14.00 and 15.00 and include:

• The Secrets of the Falls of Clyde – which will include Corra Linn, the View House and the Bonnington Parkland
• In Search of Lugless Will – including a visit to the ruin at Boathaugh
• The Ruins of Braxfield House – one time home to Robert Owen, and a notorious “hanging judge”
• The Big Walk – a 6 mile hike round the gorge, and taking in Alistair Gray’s mural of the Falls of Clyde at the Kirkfieldbank Restaurant.

Scottish Power has also agreed to open Bonnington Power Station providing groups of visitors with a rare opportunity to see inside this important piece of history.

Thanks to generous financial support from the Border Biscuit Trust and South Lanarkshire Council the event will be FREE.

Mark Stephens of Save Our Landscapes said: “The Falls of Clyde have so much to offer. This event provides an ideal opportunity to explore the area and to get to know more about it.”
Graham U’ren of the Friends of New Lanark said: “We are particularly keen to show how the Falls of Clyde fit into the historic story of Lanark.”

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