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A community woodland on the edge of Airdrie, with panoramic views and an amazing sculpture

Rawyards

Roam the woodland of Rawyards

This new woodland, at the heart of the local community, is a great place for a picnic, wildlife watching or just relaxing and enjoying the views over Airdrie. Stroll, cycle or run the short network of paths to explore the flourishing new woodland. Local primary school children helped to plant the colourful native trees, including rowan, birch and oak. They were also involved in developing the stunning Skytower sculpture here.

Parking Walking Viewpoint

Parking at Rawyards

There is a small car park off Airdriehill Street with room for just four cars. If the car park is full, there is on-street parking nearby.

Life’s essentials

You’ll find plenty of places to eat, drink and shop, and public toilets, in the centre of Airdrie.

Walking trails


Cycling trails


Mountain biking trails


Spectacular ‘Skytower’

The striking Skytower sculpture at Rawyards is a truly collaborative project. It was created by artist Rob Mulholland with the help of children from two local primary schools, Clarkston and St Serf’s. It’s made from thousands of individually shaped and welded pieces representing sticks and willow. It took nearly a mile of steel rod and 6,000 separate welds to build the impressive 20 foot (6 metre) high piece.

Rob was struck by the commanding views and the scale of the landscape at Rawyards, and wanted to create a piece that suggests the battle between a man-made structure and the elemental forces of nature. It seems to be frozen at the moment when a sudden gust of wind – an unseen and unstoppable force of nature – has ripped through the fragile structure, scattering the branches and re-shaping it.

Commonwealth Woods

Old Mine Nature Park was one of fourteen Commonwealth Woods, designated as part of the legacy of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, that provide outdoor spaces where you can enjoy free events and activities, get active or just go for a walk in the fresh air. The network of green spaces around the city includes a mix of well-established and newly-planted woods, and a new riverside park created out of derelict land opposite the Commonwealth Games athletes’ village.

Contact: Scottish Lowlands Forest District

Address: Five Sisters House, Five Sisters Business Park, West Calder

Postcode: EH55 8PN

Telephone: 0300 067 6700

Email: scottishlowlands@forestry.gsi.gov.uk


How to get here

Rawyards Wood lies to the north west of Airdrie, just off the A73.

Take the B8058 off the A73 at Rawyards roundabout onto Airdriehill Street. The small car park is about 100 yards (100 metres) along this road on the right hand side, just after the junction with Burnhead Road. There is only room for four cars in the parking area, but plenty of on-street parking nearby.

The car park is at grid reference NS 772 665.

Using SatNav?

ML6 7HX is the nearest postcode.

Public transport

There are regular trains from Glasgow and Bathgate to Airdrie. Find details at Traveline Scotland.

Nearby places

Enjoy a scenic stretch of the North Calder Heritage Trail at Wester Moffat, a peaceful woodland in the tree-lined North Calder valley just east of Airdrie.

Explore a network of easy-going paths at secluded Limerigg for views of a thriving working forest in a fascinating old industrial landscape.

Take a short, easy stroll to nearby Black Loch – it’s a great place for spotting waterfowl and woodland birds, and there’s fishing available on the loch.


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