March 1 2019

Page\Park Architects have completed a new wayfinding initiative for the start of the West Highland Way in Milngavie, transforming the unceremonious beginnings of the famous walk with an attractive mix of corten steel and timber.

The project includes large format Corten steel panels interspersed with 96 individual timber posts, one for each mile of the subsequent route, to provide a warmer welcome to the thousands of walkers who pass through each year who previously made do with a service yard, tarmac and blank gable wall.

In a statement the architects wrote: The proposal enhances the setting-off point for the walk, by offering photo opportunities and glimpses of the landmarks and vistas populating the route. The scheme is comprised of three elements: at the top of the ramp is a large ‘welcome panel’, with two walkers pointing the way.

“Then, as the ramp crosses the Allander Water, the key element of the installation is revealed: a 25m long artwork in a restrained palette of corten steel and timber, screening the existing gable from view. Ninety-six timber posts, representing the total mileage to Fort William, are grouped into sections of the walk. Between each cluster, 750x2000mm demountable corten panels have been routered and layered with illustrations and milestones.”

The project was led by community group Milngavie BID and complicated by the private ownership of adjacent property, necessitating a discreet fixing strategy into a concrete upstand.

3 Comments

#1 Posted by Architecture101 on 1 Mar 2019 at 15:40 PM

Tremendous. A simple yet elegant approach to design, what a great way to start the walk!

#2 Posted by David on 1 Mar 2019 at 22:41 PM

Doing this walk again next year; really looking forward to seeing this new start!

#3 Posted by Andrew Mills on 4 Mar 2019 at 23:14 PM

It is fair to have a marker for a route such as the West Highland Way. I would however question the use of corten. Corten is known to create harmful run off. It is an attractive aesthetic which conjures rusty red bracken etc but surely a more environmentally sensitive material should have been considered here.

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