A return to Dumbarton to look at major improvements that are turning the town into a very desirable tourist destination. Dumbarton has always been a great tourist destination, especially as it has a castle; but the castle and the town centre have always been separate, and to get from one to the other has meant an unpleasant walk along a busy road between Dumbarton central and Dumbarton east. Indeed, it may well have been the case that some visitors to Dumbarton just visited the castle and did not venture into the town centre. But all that may be about to change. On an area that was once given over to industry, like shipbuilding and the distilling of whisky, housing and riverside walkways are being created, and visitors can now walk by the River Leven on ground that was at one time inaccessible. In the past I have described Dumbarton as feeling a bit miserable. Given the loss of so much industry, it would not be surprising for a town to struggle under the weight of so much unemployment and feel a tad miserable to visitors. Dumbarton's past industries have included shipbuilding (it is here in Dumbarton that the world-famed sailing-ship 'Cutty Sark' was launched), glass-making (in addition to a bottle-works, at one time Dumbarton's glassworks made most of the high-quality glass used in Scotland), whisky distilling, and the manufacture of aircraft at Blackburn's Aircraft Factory. Dumbarton Rock, on which sits the castle, is said to look like an elephant, and in this video we will look at the town's elephant and castle coat of arms, and follow the new riverside walkway for a bit. The walkway is not yet complete, but when finished Dumbarton will have completed its post-industrial transformation and truly become one of Scotland's desirable tourist destinations.
17 мар 2022
