Crawick Multiverse NEAR SANQUHAR

Crawick Multiverse is the latest project From there you can see the full scale of from landscape architect Charles Jencks. the Multiverse and the careful yet An old open-cast mine near Sanquhar in playful arrangement of its various Dumfries and Galloway has been components. Grasslands, mountains, transformed into an artistic cosmic- water and deserts are all represented, themed landscape. Lines of boulders, leading to perpetual contrasts between sculptural shelters and spiral grassy low and high, grass and gravel, organic mounds form an intriguing park where and geometric, all divided by a perfectly intrepid visitors can travel from the straight north-south line. The sun centre of the earth to the outer limits of Amphitheatre and the lines of stones space without leaving the ground. that surround it have the air of When you arrive, you can choose the somewhere much more ancient. With gentle Low Road or the more space for 5000 people there is plenty of challenging Comet Walk which takes room for sun worshippers. you to the Belvedere – a grand From the Belvedere wander down viewpoint at the top of a gravel hill. past the banks of coal to the Multiverse,

18 19 a spiral of standing stones representing scientific or mathematical bent. It is only the whole collection of universes. open to the public one day a year, so Just past the grassy hillocks of the this permanent attraction is a welcome Supercluster lie the twin spiral mounds addition. A trip here is out of this world. of the Milky Way and Andromeda. Beyond them, outside the bounds of Access and opening times the Multiverse, black coal tips (known Crawick Multiverse is situated just off in Scotland as ‘bings’) pepper the the A76 (Dumfries to Kilmarnock road), horizon. Their shape echoes the 44km north of Dumfries, and is pointed mounds of the galaxies. 24km from the M74 (at Abington). The transformation of this former mine There is an entry fee and car parking at is a small step for nature, and a giant the entrance. Walks are suitable for leap for the imagination. children but not buggies or wheelchairs. This is Jencks’ second garden in the Paths are mostly gravel. They can be area. His Garden of Cosmic Speculation steep and muddy in places so wear at Portrack House near Dumfries is a suitable footwear. beautiful area full of landforms with a www.crawickmultiverse.co.uk

20 Cultybraggan Camp COMRIE, PERTHSHIRE

Nestled in scenic Glenartney, south doors marked ’Ablutions’ or ’Officers of Comrie, Cultybraggan Camp was Mess’. It’s hard not to go a little bit built in 1941, one of roughly 600 Dad’s Army as you wander around, prisoner of war camps in the UK at the crouching at corners and looking out for time. Unlike the others, it has survived imaginary snipers. If playing soldiers is pretty much intact, making a little spot your bag, there’s a whole firing range to of living history. These buildings weren’t run about in. Thankfully it’s perfectly built to last, but here they are 75 years safe, with not a gun in sight. later, a vital part of Comrie’s past and Work on Cultybraggan began in May of its future. 1941 and finished later that year, weeks From the gates, the camp stretches out before the Japanese attack on Pearl as far as the eye can see. There are more Harbour. Initially, it was meant to be a than 100 Nissen huts and accompanying labour camp for Italian prisoners, but it buildings, enough to hold 4500 men. became a transit camp for German Even though the soldiers are long gone, prisoners and ultimately one of the two many of the buildings still have the maximum security camps in Britain. trimmings of their military lives with Camp 21, or Nazi 2 as it was known,

21 held some of the fiercest or ’black’ Nazis 1970s). In the 1980s, as the Cold War (the others were interned at Watten near hotted up, a Royal Observer Corps Post Wick). Despite its fearsome reputation, and nuclear bunker earmarked to many of the prisoners enjoyed their time become the Regional Government HQ in such a beautiful location and settled were added. Thankfully they were never locally after the war had ended. put to use. Disbanded as a prisoner of war camp By 2004, the political climate had in 1947, the Ministry of Defence kept changed and Cultybraggan was sold off Cultybraggan in use until 2004. It has as the MOD slimmed down their been a British Army training camp and a estates. This could easily have been the Ministry of Defence training centre (the end of the story, but Comrie firing range was only added in the Development Trust bought the land for

22 the community in 2007. Today it is Access and opening times springing back to life with busy Cultybraggan Camp is south of Comrie, allotments, a small number of Nissen off the B827 in Glen Artney. The grounds huts redeveloped into business units are open to the public daily 9am-6pm and other tenants moving in around the and there are information boards at the site. The long-term aim of the trust is to entrance, as well as a visitor centre – the develop the area into a sustainable best way to visit is through one of the resource for the community with more heritage tours, which run around once a business, education and sports facilities. month in summer. As 26 of the huts have been category www.comriedevelopmenttrust.org.uk A-listed by Historic Scotland, it looks like Cultybraggan is here to stay.

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