In Ruins: Waterworks & Up a Hill

Hello again! I know what you are thinking,"this is not Springburn part two! we where promised Springburn part two!". For this I must apologise. I was going to write that post, in fact I still am going to, just not today. The thing is that I'm not that happy with the pictures I took of the greenhouse in Springburn, there were some rowdy teenagers having an argument inside the building so I never got to go in and I felt as though I couldn't publish a post about a derelict greenhouse without having pictures form the inside. I'm going to go back one of these days and remedy that.

Worry not because what I have for you today is possibly even better. The story begins with me playing videogames. I had gone bouldering to the Dumbarton rock the two previous days and had woken up feeling quite beat and up for a lazy day in.  This I did until at about 1700 hours I realised that it was proper sunny outside. Whether I wanted to or not I had to take advantage of this anomaly. But I just did not know where to go. IT was too late to go to Loch Lomond and I just could not be arsed with cycling around Glasgow, been there done that. These days I feel as though I've seen everything that's nearby so my cycles take me further and further away. 

After a period of deliberation I took the bike and left the flat with no purpose or direction in mind. Like a knight errant I pedalled and found my way to Ruchill park. I had been here many times in my first year at university, the halls I stayed in were nearby. And I saw those hills in the background. Hills I had stared at many years ago and always wanted to climb. Between them and me lay a vast sprawl of suburbia. It was decided, I would cycle in the general direction of the hills and hope I got there sooner or later.

This journey took me through Maryhill into Bearsden (which is very very fancy). I must have taken the most inneficient route possible because I kept getting stuck in dead end streets. After about and hour I reached a village above cCydebank, here a ned hailed me saying "Hey Jesus!", which I take as a compliment. I blessed him and proceeded. I had lost sight of the hill and was reading to give up and return when I found a road that went up for a loooong way, so I took it. I cycled and I cycled (not very fast) until I reached a bifurcation of the road. I could see the hill now, I was there, at the foot of the hill, so close. I went left through a bumpy dirt road. And as fortune would have it I see this magnificent structure.

 What is this glorious place?

 An old water tower, and it looks abandoned. I cant take two steps these days without stumbling into an amazing derelict building.

 Definitely abandoned, not very secured either, excellent.

 I lock the bike on this fence and sneak in through a tear in the fence.

 This door is a decoy!

 Looks intriguing inside, I hope I can get in.

 Pirates!

 Windows are not even boarded up, I'm in luck.

 Looks like someone has set a convenient ramp to get in. Lets not be too hasty though, more to see outside.

 The main gate, sponsored by addiddas.

 Another way in, though a ladder for such a small height seems like overkill.

 Looks like Jack Nicholson been working on this door, might be I can squeeze through.

 Nay, too small. looks good in the pictures though.

 A glimpse of what awaits inside.

 Its clear that this place used to be a water purifying plant. The tower looms.

 More window shots, I like window shots.

 East façade with electricity post.

 Aha! A way in that doesn't not involve ladders and broken glass. I'm in luck. You can tell this area is no longer managed by Glasgow "party pooper" city council.

 The lock in intact, the door however...

 Lets go in.

 This looks safe.

 Very safe.

 From whence I came.

Now this, this looks like something special. Let us delve further in...

 The main hall, gorgeous. I love how the sunlight goes in through the roof windows.

 A catwalk, lets not go there yet.

 This could be an abandoned lab form the 40s, an abandoned Nazi lab. That's cooler than a water treatment plant.

  I love that they didn't board the windows, lets the light come in properly. So many of these places are too dark to take good pictures of them.

  A basement, that's were the top secret bio weapon experiments must have taken place.

 I just really like that gate for some reason

 The burnage adds a nice touch. Since there was no other trace of a fire on this side of the building I conclude that neds must have set it on fire and then kicked it to break it.

 The ladder from inside.

 This is probably my favourite picture form the whole set. Its got the door, the light and it transmits the eerie atmosphere of the place.

 Art.

 Another room.

A complicated electronics box

 The instructions, the paper does not look that old.

 More electronics.

 I should check out the second floor.

 There.

This art is even better than the one before.

 Ferns grow in what must have once been a pool of chlorinated water.

 How's that for an artistic photograph.

 I will give this grpah some credit, in comparison its pretty stellar.

 Light and dark, and glass.

 More wheel things.

 Some guy had to go and ruin my perfectly nice photograph with a penis.

 The world below.

 Lets go into the main hall, form above.

 You can appreciate the scale of the place. It was so awesome.

 Judging by the size of this tree, the place must have been abandoned for at least a decade.

 Basin after basin.

 Stained glass, or graphed window.

 The killswitch.

 And of course, there has to be cans, there is always cans.

 Machinery.

 And another room.

 Wont be going up that way...

 Bigger machines.

 Still not going up.

 Fine craftmaship.

 Nowhere else to go here, lets go back.

 Insignia on the floor.

 The main gate as seen from the basement. The basement was too dark to take any good pictures.

 Time to leave, I head back to the burnt wing of the building.

Someone made well sure these wouldn't be working.

 Through the burnt roof.

 And back outside.

The water tower, would be sweet to go in. Unlikely to happen though.

 Looking into the burnt room from outside.

 The base of the water tower.

 If I had my rope and a buddy and a lack of judgemnt we could totally go up there.

 From under the tower.

 More of the building, with a huge tank of something.

 Place look quite castle like.

 And that's a pool and a half.

 Bastards severed the ladder.

 Pizza oven.

 These guys gave me a heart attack. Earlier when I had just walked in to the building for the first time they were hiding in the ceiling, as I approached I could hear weird sounds, pretty scary in a palce like that, and suddenly BAM! Pigeons flying on my face.

I had seen all that there was to see so I decided to head back. As I turned a corner I saw a man in black climbing over one of the windows (the one with the ladder actually). I was about to shout "Hello! there an open door right here" when I noticed that the guy was wearing a body armour that said POLICE. Lucky for me hand't seen me and he got inside the building. Surprisingly I felt perfectly calm (unlike with the pigeons). I decided not to run, I walked by the window he had just gone through. My plan was to be friendly and apologetic if they caught me. They didn't. When I got to the fence I saw their car parked right next to my locked bike. I casually unlocked it and left. That was close.

 They must have been there for me. The alternative is that they were bored and they too like exploring derelict buildings. I don;t think I would have been in too much trouble if they caught me though. IT should be allowed for people to go into places liek this and take pictures, the buildings are asking for it.

 A final picture of the entire complex before I leave. The cops are there looking for me.

 The journey was not over though, there was still a hill to climb. Meanwhile: cows.

 I look back, Im not being followed.

 Glasgow in the back, sheep in the front.

 I keep going up and up, You can really appreciate the size of Glasgow from up here, though the picture doesn't really do it justice.

Run shadowfax! Show us the meaning of haste.

 After a strenuous climb I reach the top. I can see Glasgow behind me, but before me it feels like I'm deep in the Highlands.

 Trailing up high.

 And at last, a loch, I found out that this is the loch that used to feed the water plant. Makes for a good all round end to the journey. I also took two panoramic pictures of the views.

One of Glasgow.

And one of the Loch

This was the most fun ride I've had in a long time. I left the flat half heartedly, unsure of where to go. Only because I felt guilty about being inside with such good weather. I ended up cycling over 50km, finding and awesome derelict water plant, the best ruin I have found so far; and mountain biking on some amazing hills with gorgeous views. Couldn't have had a better ride if I had planned it.

I absolutely recommend these hills. I believe they are called "the Killpatrick Hills". They make for some excellent hillwalking/mountain biking and they are very close to Glasgow. I leave you with a map so you know how to find the waterworks plant. The hills are just above it, to the North and Northwest.

View Larger Map

Stay tuned for more ruin exploration stories. These days I cant take two steps without stumbling onto something awesome. Today I casually found a sot that is even more impressive than the water plant. Photos will come soon, as will the Springburn park greenhouse ones.