Helen Rose Hillwalking Diary.

Helen Rose Outdoors – April 2021     As lockdown continues due to the virus, I am still limited to my home area and mainly parks in and around Glasgow. Over the winter, the Glasgow Ramblers organised a project to walk in all of the parks and open spaces in and around Glasgow. One of […]

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Helen Rose Outdoor Diary – Blantyre Circuit

  Blantyre We continue in lockdown due to Covid 19 pandemic so opportunities are limited for walks as we are required to stay near home. The town of Blantyre in South Lanarkshire is near Glasgow.  It is bounded by the River Clyde to the north, the Rotten Calder to the west, the Park Burn to […]

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North Calder Heritage Trail. February 2021

Helen Rose Outdoors During the lockdown due to the Covid 19 Virus, my walks have been fairly local but there is much interesting history near Glasgow and in the countryside near small towns. The lowlands of Scotland have an interesting industrial history and one such walk was the North Calder Heritage Trail organised by the […]

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Helen Rose Outdoor Diary: Kilpatricks. January 2021

Happy New Year! As lockdown continues due to the Covid 19 Virus, I am still keen to do weekly walks as being out in the fresh air is good for the mind and body. This walk in the Kilpatrick Hills, near Glasgow, was with the walking club Glasgow HF outdoors  The Kilpatrick Hills are a […]

Read the full article: Helen Rose Outdoor Diary: Kilpatricks. January 2021

Rouken Glen Park. December 2020

Helen Rose Outdoor Diary As the Covid 19 virus continues to affect our communities, we are still restricted in travel and advised not to go far from home. I have another local park to write about just when you thought I had finished parks in and around Glasgow! There are still more to come over […]

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River Clyde. November 2020

Helen Rose Outdoors –  River Clyde The River Clyde is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second-longest in Scotland at 105 miles. Travelling through Glasgow it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire. The Romans called it Ciota and in early medieval Cumbric it was known as […]

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Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary: The Whangie October 2020

The Whangie  As lockdown continues due to the Covid 19 virus, it has been fortunate that walking clubs can continue to programme walks as being outdoors in the fresh air is so important during these terrible times including for both mental and physical health. The HF Outdoor Club organised a walk to the Whangie and […]

Read the full article: Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary: The Whangie October 2020

Helen Rose Outdoors Diary: Dunblane

Dunblane, September, 2020 We are still in lockdown due to Covid 19 virus but the walking club continues to programme  walks with limited numbers.  We can travel on public transport provided we wear a face covering and the number of people on the bus is limited to allow social distancing. This means I could now […]

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Helen Rose Outdoors: Victoria Park August 2020

Victoria Park Victoria Park is located in the West End of Glasgow and is within walking distance of my house. The Glasgow Parks have been a life saver for me during the Covid 19 virus pandemic lockdown. On Sunday afternoons I have walked around them discovering the historical connections and enjoying the outdoor beauty. The […]

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Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary, Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow. July 2020

Kelvinbridge We continue in lockdown here in Scotland due to the Covid 19 virus but it has given an opportunity to discover the wonderful parks in Glasgow and to write on another of my favourite local parks at Kelvingrove. Glasgow is known as the ‘Dear Green Place’ and the coat of arms of the City […]

Read the full article: Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary, Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow. July 2020

Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary – Glasgow Botanic Gardens

In the lockdown during the Covid-19 virus, we have been lucky to have a spell of prolonged dry, sunny weather. Very unusual for Scotland and even facing a drought. My friend, who lives in rural Perthshire was concerned that her private water supply was running low. Anyway, I am writing about my visits to the […]

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Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary: Binghams Pond and Dawsholm Park

We are still in lockdown from Covid 19 virus and I have to limit my walks to local parks in the hour per day we are permitted to exercise. Fortunately we have several parks in Glasgow’s West End. Glasgow is known as the Dear Green Place as it has so many beautiful parks – around […]

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Helen Rose Outdoor Diary Renton to Balloch. April 2020

Covid 19 Virus Lockdown Renton to Balloch is the last walk I did with a small group before the lockdown in Scotland from the Coronavirus pandemic. I travelled by train to Renton to meet the others at Renton Station. The train was empty but I was very careful wearing gloves at all times and avoiding […]

Read the full article: Helen Rose Outdoor Diary Renton to Balloch. April 2020

Rivers Almond and Avon. March 2020

Helen Rose Outdoor Diary I write this as we are in lockdown in the UK due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic. The walk I am going to describe was done a few weeks before the virus was confirmed in Scotland. Within the next few months or even longer it will be difficult to go anywhere […]

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Dunkeld and Birnam, Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary February 2020

Train from Glasgow Birnam and Dunkeld are twin villages situated north east of Glasgow in Perthshire – 2hours 40 minute train journey from Queen Street Station in Glasgow to Dunkeld and Birnam Station. Although I have been there in the past, I have never really explored the area. However, recently, I had the opportunity to […]

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Largs and Knock Hill January 2020

Helen Rose Outdoor Diary Largs On a crisp January day I went to Largs with the Bearsden and Milngavie Ramblers to climb the hill above it called Knock Hill. Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland, about 33 miles from Glasgow. The original name […]

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Helen Rose Outdoor Diary River Seine and Normandy Part 2

River Seine and Normandy Part 2 – December 2019 Following on from the last blog in November on the Seine Cruise, this is part two. Bayeux Tapestry I have always wanted to see the Bayeux Tapestry which is housed in its own Gallery in the little town of Bayeux. In fact, it is not a […]

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River Seine and Normandy Part One. November 2019.

Helen Rose Outdoors Paris by Night There are some places on the River Seine in France I have been keen to see for some time. The best way to include all of them was on a river cruise departing from Paris to Normandy. Fortunately, the boat we were on was small enough to cruise up […]

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Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary: Strathpeffer. October 2019

Strathpeffer Spa The Glasgow HF outdoor club organised a weekend of low level walks at Strathpeffer, an enchanting Victorian spa village located only 4 miles from Dingwall in Easter Ross in the north east of Scotland. The spa was based around the Victorian obsession with healing waters but this picturesque village is unlike any other […]

Read the full article: Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary: Strathpeffer. October 2019

Helen Rose Outdoor Diary: Languedoc

September 2019 I have been to the Languedoc in France many times on visits but never when it has been so hot. This summer they had several heatwaves or Canicules as they are called there. This part of France is so steeped in history that there are always new places to explore with lovely little […]

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Norway, Rondane. August 2019.

Helen Rose Outdoor Diary Venabu We were on a trip to Norway to Venabu which is north of Lillehammer on the edge of the Rondane National Park. We flew to Oslo and took the train direct from the Airport to Lillehammer and then on to Venabu by coach, a total distance of 230 kilometres. We […]

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Harris. July 2019

Helen Rose Outdoor Diary. Outer Hebrides. The last time I went to Harris was ten years ago and I decided it was my favourite island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Situated on Europe’s Atlantic edge, the Scottish Western Isles of the Outer Hebrides are a diverse chain of inter-connected islands with their own unique […]

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Melrose. June 2019

Helen Rose Outdoors Diary Tweedbank Train. The last time I was in Melrose was many years ago to do St Cuthbert’s Way walking from Melrose to Lindisfarne. Recently, I went with the Glasgow HF Outdoor Club www.meetup.com/Glasgow-HF-Outdoor-Club/ for a walking weekend based in Melrose. We were staying at the very comfortable Waverley Castle Hotel just […]

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Colorado and the Rockies. May 2019

Helen Rose Outdoor Diary Colorado During the Spring break I made a family visit to Colorado. This was my first visit to the environs of Denver which is a ten hour flight from London. I was aware that it was six thousand feet above sea level and there may be a period of acclimatisation. On […]

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Ben A’an April 2019

Helen Rose Outdoors Diary It is twenty years since I last climbed Ben A’an in the Trossachs. It is a short sharp climb but well worth the effort as there are outstanding views from the top. When I was last there there was a lot of forestation on the lower slopes but this has now […]

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Glen Nevis – March 2019

Helen Rose Outdoors Diary Corran It is some years since the HF Walking Club ran a weekend to the Corran Bunkhouse. This year it was decided to revive it as it had been so successful in the past. However, Corran Bunkhouse is a misnomer as it is very upmarket accommodation and does not have any bunks! […]

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Danube, Austria. February 2019

Helen Rose Outdoors Diary River Danube Locks The second part of the Danube river cruise was in Austria. Throughout its length the Danube has locks like a canal. In the region of Vienna there is a braided river system on a floodplain and since the 17th century there have been efforts to control the Danube, […]

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The Danube. Hungary and Slovakia. January 2019.

Helen Rose Outdoor Diary River Cruise on the Danube River cruising only gives the traveller a taster particularly of cities and time on shore is limited. However, it is very  enjoyable drifting along past settlements and watching people on the banks. The cruise was from Budapest, in the eastern part of the river, to Linz […]

Read the full article: The Danube. Hungary and Slovakia. January 2019.

The Steeple. Lochgoilhead. December 2018

Helen Rose. Outdoor Diary Tempting Fate My last visit to this area was seven years ago when I broke my leg in an accident coming down from a col on the other side of the village. I was concerned at returning to the same area to climb a hill with the same club and with the […]

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Berwick on Tweed Again. November 2018.

Helen Rose Outdoors Ramblers Weekend I was last in Berwick on Tweed seven years ago but was limited in walking as it was not long after I had broken my leg. This autumn I went with the Glasgow Ramblers and we had a great weekend with good, sunny and dry weather. It was well organised by […]

Read the full article: Berwick on Tweed Again. November 2018.