West Of Scotland Dry Stone Walling Association

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West Of Scotland Dry Stone Walling Association

Our aim is to promote the craft of Dry Stone Walling through Training Programmes and Walling Projects

06/10/2026

As Glenarn Gardens at Rhu are now closed for the year, it was our opporchancity to continue with the rebuild and repair of sandstone walls within the estate.
The team were treated to good weather on the Saturday, however, the Sunday was a waashoot, so business ended the back of lunchtime.
One of our members, Bruce, again travelled down from Aberdeenshire to brush up on his knowledge of the craft. Bruce was on one of our training courses last year, and just canny stay away, we apologise about the weather big chap.
Anyhoo, our hosts, Mike and Sue, as ever ,took very good care of the team with lovely lunchtime spreads both days, and were delighted with the work carried out on, at times, challenging conditions.

Re our training courses, dates for 2027 should be appearing on our website roundabout the end of November, should you be so inclined.

https://www.glenarn.com/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUxkRBjbGNrBTGRB2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHBkb2YFc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeIjVPTnXNheC13Q5qu022ZSZeFYj6OxUvZ3j8cohK1usdvBhXMe0jYty-G6M_aem_W80Nt_m6H4uTzGtOdp4o9A

23/08/2026

Well here endeth our training programme for 2026, and it ended well in more glorious Renfrewshire sunshine 🌞 😁
Seventeen smiley happy peepil in attendance today, yes, we lost one from yesterday, however, this happens on occasion.
With the build more or less up to through height ,and with a wee bit more sweetening, the throughs were added this morning, then further courses were added before lunchtime.
After having plenty nutrition and fluids it was back to the build for the adding of the mighty copes.
Further instructions were given re the lifting method and the PLACING of the copes on to the wall, with much emphasis on the copes coming up to the line, not above, not below, to the line 😂😂
A crackin' enjoyable build with a very receptive team of attendees, willing and happy to listen to instructions , and asking many questions along the way. There was also time for lots of craic and laughs, hey, it's not all about the wall 😉
Hopefully we'll see some of the attendees back at future events , including next years' training courses, the dates for which should be on our website by the end of November .
Happy walling .......braw 😉💪👌

22/08/2026

Our final Introduction to Drystone Walling Training Course of the year commenced today at Auchenfoyle Farm near Klmacolm.
Seventeen participants had paid their pennies for us to give them guidence on the craft of drystone walling.
A great range of ages, late teens to way way older 😱😂 and a good mix of laydeeze and gents.
They made great progress today in the lovely Renfrewshire sunshine with the strip out of approximately 20m of tumbled, very stought wall , more or less complete by the morning break, yup, we had great, eager team onboard today 💪
Progress continued after the nosebag and the ground was prepared for the laying of the foundations, albeit a few masseeve founds remained in place, just because.
With the foundations securely in place the build began in earnest with throughstone height attained by the end of Day 1 ,very well done ALL.
Yup,to a person, I don't think theyll take much rockin' tonight 😴😴😴
Hopefully we'll see seventeen return tomorrow when it'll be onwards and upwards to complete the build 💪💪

17/08/2026

On our last visit to Auchengillan Outdoor Centre in May this year, building a memorial cairn to mark the 'Centre's centenary ,several of the Scout leaders and workers on the estate expressed a desire to learn more about the 'craft' and asked if it would possible to have an 'inhouse' Introduction to Drystone Walling Course arranged.
Wellllll, this weekend just passed (15-16/ August was the dates for that training course.
Nine trainees from the Scouts organisation at Auchengillan attended the 'course, some of whom were leaders and some were workers on the estate.
It was a hybrid wall (half retaining wall and half normal wall), next to Glengoyne Lodge which has been built with enhancements for Disabled Scouts.

The wall had a fair bit of concrete mortar in it, so it was previously knocked down with a digger to make it easier to reclaim the stone, however the retaining part of the wall was still required to be broken down on the first day.

It was a great group of participants, who picked up the basics very quickly and created a very good first wall.
The wall was on an existing grassed slope close to the front door of the lodge was kept, meaning a couple of cheek -ends had to be recreated.

Sunday was all about a standard wall,albeit smaller on the high side of the bank.
It was a delight to find that there were plenty of copes to finished the wall off, hurrahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

The Scout goup have now created a project to build the rest of the wall out to the rest of the existing wall in due course.

Indeed they should all be so very pwoud of the builds they completed and we look forward to the results of their labours in the months to come.... braw 😊 👌

We are more than happy to be contacted should any advise be required as their knowledge of the craft continues..... The End 😉

27/07/2026

The weekend just past saw us descend on the National Trust for Scotland's (NTS) Threave Nature Reserve for our annual walling get together organised by the NTS in conjunction with the Scotland's South West branch.
Twenty or so wallers travelled from Scotland's east and The Borders, Cumbria and .... Herefordshire, oh aye,and only two Weegies from the West' this year 😁
Threave's Head Ranger, Dave Thompson, had tasks and stone arranged for us.
However, before anyone set off for the builds ,we all had the experience of the excellent catering provided by the South West's Linda Wilson. Absolutely plentiful fantastic fayre was provided throughout the weekend for everyone in attendance, aye, we couldnt have completed the tasks without you, thank you.
Anyhoo, the builds ?
The main build was a low level curved wall around an existing carved wooden bench.
However, with over 20 in attendance , not everyone was required for the 'bench build', so a team of 7 were given cheekends to build with associated strip outs and rebuilds elsewhere on the 'Reserve.
The weather was very kind to us and all tasks set were completed to the great satisfaction of all involved.
Aye,a braw weekend indeed amongst likeminded souls, priceless 💪💪👌

18/07/2026

Well this weekend was in our diary as a 'Member Practise day(s) and Kilsyth Site Tidy Up - 18/19 July', however, as is the way of these things, only committee members + 1 turned up this morning.
Yes, school holidays, and holidays in general ,do impact on events we put in our 'website diary of events' at this time of year, however, we always like to offer up the opporchancity.
Anyhoo,as our test site at Kilsyth had not seen much action recently ,there was plenty of tidying up to engage in.
We had also recently received a delivery of 30 tonne of sandstone, 'dropped' at the entrance to the site which had to 'moved aboot' to permit easier access.
Aswell ,as a large tree branch had landed on one of out test walls causing damage, so a wee repair was made.
We then got on with strimming part of the site of nettles and thistles that were obscuring the sight of, and from, our memorial bench.
Then we got on with 'rearranging ' the sandstone delivery.
Yup, no wall building today, however , a very fruitful day that saw our Chair'
John, join us ,the first time in a while due to a recent 'procedure', aye much craic was had .....Priceless 😉

05/07/2026

Well you'll be oh so glad to read that our post on Day 2 of our Community Project at Kilmaronock Old Kirk will not be as wordy as that of Day1 😂
Day 2 consisted of getting the levels right, sweetening off for copes, thereafter adding the copes....
that we had 💪💪💪💪
The weather ? Much the same as yesterday, a wee bit drier, and still not much midgie activity, pricless.
It was an absolute delight to be involved in this weekend project which was very well supported by Trust members and the local community, all making it the enjoyable and interesting build that it was.
We wish you well in all your future endeavours and would be delighted to carry out any more drystone walling projects that you discover in future years.
All the best
West if Scotland Drystone Walling Association
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04/07/2026

This weekend's community project was at Kilmaronock Kirk two miles east of Gartocharn in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.
It was built in 1813 and served the local community until its doors finally closed in May 2017.
Kilmaronock Old Kirk Trust (KOKT)are now the owners of Kilmaronock Church, carpark and glebe.....oh aye, and the drystone walls that surround the graveyard,the walls were most likely built a short time after the kirk's construction, aye,you do the sums 🤔
Anyhoo, they asked us if it would be possible to reinstate approximately 35 metres of tumbled retaining wall and possibly construct some steps through the wall inorder to allow easier access to the land beyond,as they have plans for that area.
Well,it would be rude not to oblige.
So today a number of our team, augmented by some trustees and a healthy number of peeps from the local community set to work 💪💪💪
Excellent progress was made in challenging conditions, we had a constant drizzle, however, with the slight breeze, the midgies left us in peace .Several sections had to be fully stripped out, other sections only required a few unstable courses removed. The strip out was not made easy with the existence of very invasive ivy and tree roots.
Good progress was also made on the steps ,which had been a last minute request to us only yesterday,and had not been part of the original request, however, we are never the ones to shun from a challenge ,no siree 😊

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07/06/2026

Day 2 of our weekend Introduction to Drystone Walling Training Course and the weather was not as fair as it was yesterday, however, our hard core of trainees cared not a jot. 'Bring on the masseeeeeve throughs and mighty copes ', they were heard to cry in unison after the morning briefing 😊
Yeah, some showers throughout the day, however, we had finished and cleared off from the site afore the later deluge arrived, phew 😅
Yup, the 18 peeps who attended, some having travelled a fair distance, Aberdeenshire, Arran, Glasgow and Edinburgh ,to enjoy playing with the Auchenfoyle whinstone, should be very proud of themselves for the wall that they transformed 💪💪💪👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

06/06/2026

Today was our second ,two day Introduction to Drystone Walling Training Course of our 2026 at Auchenfoyle, near Kilmacolm, and the weather was set fair, hurrahhhhhhh 😁
A group of 18 were in attendance today, champing at the bit to get stuck in to the large unforgiving whinstone .
After an introduction into what the principles were of the 'craft', we then began the strip out.
We had two sections of wall to work on today, one being the access gap used on the March 'course build , the other work site was the section that was the intended to be the March site,however, due to flooding ,it was deemed insafe to work on.
Today we had no such safety concerns, the ground was so dry that participants were able to park their vehicles in the we were working in, a first for our training courses.
Anyhoo,after about two hours the strip outs were almost complete, so it was an ideal time for a short break.
A grand day's work all the part being very receptive to instructions given during the build.
Day 1 concluded with more or less attaining throughstone height, so very well done all. They most certainly won't take much rocking tonight...😴

Address

Helensburgh
G847EW

Website

http://www.wsdswa.org.uk/

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