Almondell and Calderwood Country Park is a

Country Park A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised coun ...

Mid Calder Mid Calder ( sco, Mid Calder; gd, Caladar Mheadhain) is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. It is located on a steep hill overlooking the River Almond and Calder Wood, around west of Edinburgh. The settlement has been on a major crossroads s ...

and

East Calder East Calder is a village located in West Lothian, Scotland, about a mile east of Mid Calder and a mile west of Wilkieston. It forms part of 'the Calders (together with Mid and West Calder), three small neighbouring communities situated west o ...

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It is a 4 star Visitor Attraction (Visitscotland). The Park is split into two main areas, Almondell Park which comprises the Almondell estate which originally belonged to the Erskine family of

Broxburn Broxburn ( gd, Srath Bhroc, IPA: �s̪ɾaˈvɾɔʰk is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the A89 road, from the West End of Edinburgh, from Edinburgh Airport and to the north of Livingston. Etymology The name Broxburn is a corruption of " ...

and the Calderwood estate which once belonged to the Barons of Torphichen.

History

Almondell House and its estate dates to the 18th century. The House was erected in 1786, designed by its owner Henry Erksine, a lawyer. The house was the historic home of the Earls of Buchan (it is now

Newnham House Newnham may refer to: Places In England *Newnham, Bedford, an area in the town of Bedford *Newnham, Cambridgeshire *Newnham, Gloucestershire (also known as Newnham on Severn) * Newnham, Hampshire * Newnham, Hertfordshire * Newnham, Kent *Newnham, ...

in England). Almondell House was demolished in 1969. The coach house and stable buildings of the house were converted into a visitor centre when the country park opened in the 1970s. The Park also contains the

Nasmyth Bridge The Nasmyth Bridge (also known as the Almondell Bridge) is a Category A Listed historic bridge and local landmark in East Calder, Scotland. Located within the Almondell and Calderwood Country Park, it was designed by Scottish painter, architec ...

, spanning over the Almond from the

entrance. The bridge was originally constructed in 1810 to a design by

Alexander Nasmyth Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

. It was later completely restored in 1997/1998 following its partial collapse in 1973. The

Almondell Viaduct The Almondell Viaduct, also known as the Camps Viaduct, is a viaduct spanning the gorge of the River Almond in Scotland, located in East Calder, West Lothian, as well as the main canal feeder taking water from the Almond to the Union Canal ...

, also known as the Camps Viaduct, in the park, was built in 1885 to carry an industrial railway over the River Almond between

Pumpherston Pumpherston is a village in West Lothian, Scotland. Originally a small industrial village housing works for the nearby shale mine and works, it now forms the eastern part of the new town of Livingston, which was constructed to the west of Pumphe ...

and East Calder. The railway is now disused but the viaduct is in use as a path in the park. Near to the viaduct is the Canal Feeder Aqueduct, a replica of the famous Iron Bridge in Shropshire. It carries water through a cast-iron trough to the

Union Canal Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

at Lin’s Mill (

Almond Aqueduct The Almond Aqueduct, also known as the Lin's Mill Aqueduct, is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Union Canal over the River Almond in Scotland, west of Ratho, Edinburgh. History The aqueduct was built to a design by Hugh Baird, with advi ...

). A pedestrian suspension bridge was built in the park in 1970. It was renamed the

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

Bridge in 1985.

Facilities and layout

The Almondell Estate follows the line of the River Almond, with paths and trails crisscrossing the river over a variety of bridges. It is a popular location with walkers and families. The Calderwood Estate nearby has paths and trails to explore. The two estates are separated by Mid Calder town centre but are linked together by a path following the line of the Murieston Water. The Park is served with ample space for visitors’ cars, served by four main car parks. These are situated near Broxburn, Livingston, Mid Calder and East Calder. The North car park is closest to the Visitor Centre (EH52 5PE) which is housed in the former stable block of the Almondell Estate, vending drinks/snacks/gifts, aquarium. exhibition room and function room facilities, Countryside Ranger Service. There are many woodland and riverside walks, BBQ hire, toilet facilities and children's play area.

References

External links

www.westlothian.gov.uk

{{Authority control Country parks in Scotland Parks in West Lothian