Frankfield Loch

I grew up in Frankfield Road, Cardowan (near Stepps, Glasgow). Cardowan was the site of a colliery and the land round about us was mostly scrubland. Occasionally, as children, we would play on or near Frankfield Loch, but it was neither pleasant nor safe, so visits were an infrequent occurrence. The pit closed in 1983, a couple of years after I moved away from Cardowan, and the site was abandoned in 1984.

In the past few years the area has seen a resurgence in house-building and in 2014 the Heritage Lottery Fund gave a £250,000 grant towards the development of the Seven Lochs Wetland Park, which includes Frankfield Loch.

Already there are the signs of walks and trails being developed and the whole area looks completely different from how I remember it as a child.

I was visiting friends in Stepps on Monday night and made a slight detour to take a this photo, otherwise it would have been a blank Blip-day - and we can't have that, can we?