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ABERDEEN
Kingswells Park and Ride (Kingswells): Steps, ledges, some good gaps and loads of space..
Westburn
Park (Westburn Road): Benches, some steps, ledges and a half pipe.
Summerhill Shopping Centre (Lang Stracht):
Steps to ledges, rails and a wall ride.
Broad Street, (City Centre): Waxed ledges and steps with rails (usually
a big spot for bladers).
Rubeslaw Playing Field, (Queens Road): Huge curved wall ride in the top
field.
Westhill Skate Park, (Westhill): Three quarterpipes, a small rail and a big funbox with a ledge
and a rail, and some homebuilt ramps
St Machar Halfpipe, (St Machar Playing Fields): Decent half pipe
Aberdeen
Skatepark - A decent park, but not the best layout. Said to open again in summer 2003
Bielside Halfpipe,
(Cults): Halfpipe right next to the BMX track. |
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ALFORD
The Alford skatepark is now open. It was designed by the locals
and is apparently as near to a proper pool as you're going to get in Scotland (are there actually any proper outdoor
pools in Scotland?). It's pretty tight and features a spine, a teardrop and even an over vert section on the vert extension.
It varies in depth between five and six feet and apparently the locals are already working on raising money for phase two,
which will probably be a load of new school stuff (boxes/rails etc), but no-one knows yet.
The park is situated next
to the dry ski slope.
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Caldercruix
Caldercruix is a small village outside of Airdrie which now has a
nice, little skatepark.
The park is pretty small, but trust me, it 's more fun to ride/skate than it looks. It consists
of a four foot mini ramp, four foot quarter, a six foot, fairly steep flatbank, a small driveway with a squared rail on one
side, a rounded grind rail and a short, but very fun metal bench.
The park is pretty hard to find, so your best bet
is to get to Airdrie and ask directions to Caldercruix, once there the park is behind the community centre, if that helps.
Like I say, it is small but it's fun, with some kick ass locals.
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Carluke Skate Park
Flat bank leading to two quarters.
Two fun boxes.
A
half pipe with hips.
As you can see, the local neds have decorated it with their caveman-style paintings ( how creative)
and then Disco (a creative skater and true redneck from the Dirtswan) decided to paint the pipe brown, giving the it its new
name: 'The S***e Pipe' |
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Cults
Concrete flat banks, rails, ledges, a quarter and a metal halfpipe. The halfpipe used
to be made of wood, but they resurfaced it with metal and there are now big kinks where the joins are.
Following a
load of complaints from skaters and BMXers, the council seem to have realised that the park is rubbish. To make it ride better,
they've put some metal plates at the bottom of the ramps to make them less steep. They have also installed the grinders (some
of which are apparently pointless as they are too short). There are also plans to cut down the halfpipe and turn it into a
quarter with a spine which leads into the side of the funbox, but this is unconfirmed. They are also
adding a concrete grindbox, and work will be starting soon to make the BMX track (hopefully) better.
Overall, the current
consensus seems to be that the park is now smoother, but still a bit duff.
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Cupar
One of the bigger Fife parks. Big double bowl with a fun box in the middle
and transfers. |
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DUMBARTON
Unit 23 is a great indoor park with a 6 ft spined mini, a street spine,
a huge jump box, an 8ft quarter, a bowled corner, wallrides, a 4ft mini and a street section with ledges and a low rail.
The
park is also supposed to getting the Red Bull Vert ramp soon and there's also talk of building a big bowl in one of the other
halls. |
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DUNDEE
Dundee's had a good skating and riding scene for years and as such, the
city has a few alright places to go. To check some out, just take your pick from those listed under 'Dundee' (duh) in the
dropdown above. |
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The Church
The church is right in the city centre and as such is a bit of a meeting
place for all sorts. It’s usually mobbed during the day but is ok later on. There are a few steps as well as loads of
waxed ledges of varying sizes. |
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The Overgate
Just outside the Overgate shopping mall, there are a few marble benches..
They are nice and smooth, and have no skate stoppers on them, but the place is usually quite busy, so you're better going
early or later on in the day.
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The Clydesdale Wallride
The wall looks a bit sketchy but
rides great. It curves round at one point and we all know how fashionable curved wallrides are at the moment. There’s
even stone flagging at the top so you can grind and stall it if you want. If you carve to the left then you'll like it more
as the drive way slopes down hill into it.
The wallride is situated behind the Clydesdale Bank on Perth Road (next
to the DCA).
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DUNDEE
Dundee, for years, was Scotland's only indoor park and comes from a long
lineage of 'Factorys' in Dundee.
It's got a spine, a jump box a mini and a midi ramp, and the whole thing's soon to
be torn down and replaced with a brand new park which is to be housed in a purpose-built warehouse. Rick Curran, who's helping
co-ordinate the whole thing tells us that the opening date, as it stands, is December 11th, but these things are always subject
to change, so keep your ear to the ground.
The current Factory is behind the Tay Mills student flats on 44 Blinshall
Street.
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The REP
The marble benches outside The REP theatre are quite similar to those
outside the Overgate. They are marble, have a nice run-up and two of them are even curved.
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The Uni
Dundee Uni's got a couple of alright ledges, but none of them were waxed
up last time I checked. The one pictured here is just by the dirty student union (man - it's sooo dirty). There are also a
few big sets of stairs if you like doing big gaps/drops.
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Dunfermline
Dunfermline skatepark is another new one in Fife. Obviously built
by a local contractor 'cos it's a bit bumpy in places. It has a 5ft quarter with flat bank next to it, a flat bank pyramid
with one tranny and a grind block. There's also a 7ft quarter with a roll in for the jumpbox. The 7ft quarter is bowled on
one side then around the corner it mellows out to roughly 2ft high. There is also a small spine which leads into a metal rail
then a fly-off.
This ones quite hard to find. It's near the roundabout where the police headquarters are, in a public
park. If you can't find it, ask at the police station 'cos they know all about the park. Apparently there's been some hassles
with the local neds hanging around there. Beware!
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East Kilbride
East Kilbride has a brand new skatepark that cost about a quarter
of a million quid to build. It should have been really good - good design, good location and loads of cash. Unfortunately,
the park was constructed by either idiots or just random builders with no experience of building a skatepark. There are tales
abroad of the transitions being shaped with spades. This means that park is pretty crap, which is a massive shame, because
it had everything going for it. There is talk of it getting sorted out, but we'll have to wait and see.
The park has
bowls, quarters, a spine and a street section. To get there from the train station, it's just a few minutes walk/ride straight
up the hill and can be found behind the swimming pool.
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EDINBURGH
1) Bristo Square: Bristo Square has been the meeting point for skaters
for bloody ages. The whole thing's built on a slight incline and is made up of ledges, a monument and steps . Local shops
sometimes bring ramps down and you’ll usually find some plywood or a pallet or something to make things with if you
so want. The recent skating boom has meant that the place is mobbed at the weekends.
2) The banks by the Lumiere (Royal
Scottish Museum): These things are great but they're quite steep, so BMXers tend to go there more. They’re symmetrical
and they’re hipped.
4) Fountain Park: There are two well-long concrete ledges here. They’re a bit low so
they’re good for practising stuff on. I’ve never had any bother here but Harry says that every time they’ve
been along, they get chucked off immediately.
5) Telfer Subway (down the side of Fountain Park): There’s a flat
bank here that used to be really nice: sloping run-in and even a deck of sorts. Unfortunately, some swine’s gone and
had the curb moved, so now you have to hop up onto it instead of just being able to roll up. Swines.
6) The Sheridan/Festival
Square: One of Edinburgh’s more popular street spots. This place is really open with ledges, rails and The Dragon. The
Dragon is a kinked red marble ledge which travels down a bunch of steps. Slaying the Dragon marks the passage into manhood.
There’s some steps and stuff round the back too and if you take the path that goes round the left of the building, there’s
a nice fat rail.
7) Flat bank to wallride at the Uni campus off Tollcross: Nice flat bank to wallride. It’s all
on the corner of a building, so if you want you can stall it or whatever takes your fancy.
8) Flat banks down the side
of John Lewis (BMX): These are great and are probably the nearest you’ll get to one of those flood channels that you’ll
get up here. It’s long, relatively smooth and it’s on a slope.
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Potterow Banks
These are on the other side of the road from Bristo. They're really steep, they're
hipped and they're symmetrical, but they take a fair bit of speed to get up.
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Granton Halfpipe
I don't know exactly where
this is, but there is a decent halfpipe there. It's about 12 foot high. I know it's right on the corner of a junction near
a park in Granton near Pilton. The park has a big, long path of steps going down to it and there is a
big grass hill beside it. Down the bottom is the halfpipe.
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Bristo Square
Bristo Square has been the meeting point for skaters for bloody ages. The whole thing's built
on a slight incline and is made up of ledges, a monument and steps . Local shops sometimes bring ramps down and you’ll
usually find some plywood or a pallet or something to make things with if you so want. The recent skating boom has meant that
the place is mobbed at the weekends. |
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Dynamic Earth
Dynamic Earth is a great place to skate. There are waxed up ledges of all shapes and sizes
all over the place. Security is quite tight, though, so make so keep an eye out or go very early in the morning/late at night. |
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The Sheraton Hotel/Festival Square
One of Edinburgh’s more popular street spots, featuring
ledges, rails and The Dragon (see pic). The Dragon is a kinked red marble ledge which travels down a bunch of steps. 'Slaying
the Dragon' marks the passage into manhood.
If you go to the far back-left of Festival Square, there's
a path that goes round the back, where you'll find the rail. Bit of a rocky landing on the other side but, hey - chicks dig
scars!
Festival Square is near the bottom of Lothian Road in the centre of the city - you can't miss it.
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Fountainbridge Leisure Complex
There are low concrete ledges here that stretch off for miles. Nice and easy
for learning grinds on - some of them may even be waxed! I've never been thrown off, but I've heard of lots of people who
have.
If you head towards the far side and go down under the underpass, you'll also find a big flat bank with a deck
on top of it and also the ledge pictured above.
Just ask for the UGC Cinema - it's about 30 mins walk from the city
centre.
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The Museum of Scotland
This little beauty can be found opposite Greyfriars Bobby on the side of the Museum
of Scotland.
It's on the way to Bristo.
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Sighthill Skatepark
The Sighthill Skatepark has just opened. It's all metal ramps, but it's
actually not that bad and there's some kind of surface on them so that they aren't super-slippy. The park comprises of a 6ft
mini (which could do with some cross braces to stiffen it up), a hip and some nibbly street obstacles.
The park is,
unsurprisingly, located in Sighthill. |
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FALKIRK
New park just opened that looks much the same as a load of the other, lesser, newer concrete parks.
Hips, banks and ledges. The council have (yet again) failed to turf over or seed the remaining excavated, surrounding soil,
so this skatepark is another possible dusty place. |
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GLASGOW
Being Scotland's biggest city, Glasgow has got a fair few places to ride.
Click on the dropdown above for some choice spots with nice pictures - ahhhh.
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Blantyre
Blantyre is one of the newest additions to Scotland's list of skateparks.
It's well-made and includes a new school, street type area (rails and banks etc) as well as a really nice bowled area which
incorporates a spine and a large (about 8ft high) midi ramp. Unfortunately, there are loads of neds who like to hang around
the park and throw stones/glass at the riders/skaters so either go when they won't be there (ie early in the morning) or take
a minder.
To get there, take a train from Glasgow Central to Blantyre. When you come out of the station take a left
until you come to a T-junction, take another left and it's just up the road, on the left, opposite ASDA and behind the sports
centre. |
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Buchannan Street Bus Station Bench
What is there to say? This thing's outside the bus station, is made of
granite (or marble - dead fast, anyway) and is nice and smooth to grind. |
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The Cally
The Cally, or the Glasgow Caledonian University, as it is also known,
features some nice, waxed ledges as well as some scary rails. This place can be a bit of a bust.
The Cally is situated
behind the Buchanan Street Bus Station in the city centre - you can't miss it. |
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City Centre
By some stroke of luck, pretty much all of the benches in the city
centre are made out of nice black marble and there’s not a skate stopper in sight. They’re all pretty small but
there’s some really long, curved ones outside the St Enoch Centre. They’re not too big/not too small, and they’re
symmetrical, so you can either practise your opposite grinds or just pick your side and enjoy. The Buchanan Street Underground
station also has some nice edges. There are two: one’s low enough to just roll onto, while the other one requires a
hefty pop to get up.
Keep an eye out when in the city centre as there’s often a bunch of sketchy characters
kicking about at night, especially at weekends. |
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The car park behind the St Enoch Centre
I'm sure this thing has a proper name,
but I don't know what it is, so I'm just calling it the car park behind the St Enoch centre (which is what it is). There are
rails all the way around it with mellow flat banks leading up to some of them. |
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Kelvingrove Park
The new Kelvingrove skatepark is now opened. It features a spine, a shallow
kidney-bowl, ledges, rails and hunnars of steps.
It's absolutely packed during the after school hours and there are
various opinions on how the park should have been built, but it's still nice to have a sizeable park in the city once more.
The
park is situated in the West End of the city behind the Kelvingrove Museum (where they have an original stormtrooper suit!)
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The Glasgow Uni Medical building
This place opened last summer and is a nice little
addition to Glasgow street riding. There’s a smooth forecourt that’s on a slight slope and a whole load of nice,
flat, waxed stone benches with no skate stoppers (some of which are a bit chipped now). On the University Avenue side of the
building, there’re also some great stone ledges that stay level as the road dips down which are perfect for grinding
on your left hand side. Security are well-jumpy here and you are pretty much guaranteed to get chucked off, so make the most
of it while you can.
The Medical building is situated in the West End on University Avenue. |
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The Mitchell
The Mitchell’s good if you like grinding. There are a bunch
of waxed stone ledges on both sides as well as the Mitchell rail round the side. There’s also a mild flat bank and a
small flight of steps if you want something to nibble on.
The Mitchell is situated at the end of Bath street, near
Charing Cross. |
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The Museum of Modern Art
There’s a few things to nibble on here - some stone
ledges to do small grinds/blunts etc on. Round the back there are also some kerbs and during the week they put out bin bags
that you can jump over, but the place is usually SWARMING with neds of all shapes and sizes who’ll get in your way and
generally irritate you. Security’s also dead jumpy
The MMA is situated in the city centre on Queen's Street,
behind the statue of the horsey man who wears a cone on his heid.
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The Daily Record/Daily Mirror
There’s a couple of nice, long waxed ledges
here as well as kinked rails if you’re man enough. Security will eventually boot you off:
The Daily Record building
is on the The Broomielaw (Clyde Street), just passed the Kingston overpass. |
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Fat Red Rails
These things are all over the city. As the name suggests, they're
fat and reddish and fairly low. Good for learning stuff on.
This one’s in the West End on Queen Margaret Drive
near the student bit. |
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St George's Cross
These are two of the most popular rails in Glasgow for inline
skaters. They're just through the underpass at St George's Cross tube station and one has a flat bank on the other side.
Good
length, nice and smooth - what more could you ask?
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Glenrothes
One of the bigger Fife parks. No news yet apart from there being one
there. If you live in Fife and would be good enough to take a photo or two and/or write us a description of the park, we'd
be very grateful.
In the meantime...watch this space.
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Inverurie:
'Lego' concrete park - mellow quarters, hip/jump box combo.
Good fun. Located in the old tennis courts at the top of Kellands Park, opposite the cricket club.
Bowling rail
- kinked rail and kerb islands. Located in the DSA/indoor bowling car park, Harlaw Industrial Estate.
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Kemnay
Awesome new park that's just opened about 20 mins from Aberdeen. Review
coming very soon. |
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Kinross
Kinross is a super smooth bowl with perfect corners. It's really slippery
on the platform bit, but it's really fun for it's size - same transitions as Perth too, but the coping is level with the platform
so grinds are a bit sticky. |
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Kirkcaldy
Kirkcaldy skatepark was the first of the new concrete parks to be built
in Fife this year. It was made by Clachan Construction (the guys who did Perth skatepark), so you know it's smooth.
It
has a 5ft mini at one end with a transitioned hip on one side and a flat bank hip on the other. The flat bank side leads to
an 8ft long grind block and a metal bench after that. The tranny side leads to a 3ft high pyramid box with a grind ledge on
one side and after that you have a 10ft wide, 4ft high flat bank with a platform and a hip.
It's pretty easy to find.
It's in the aptly named Beveridge Park, which is a couple of minutes from both the bus and train stations. If you can't find
it, just follow any of the Slipknot crew, as they're guaranteed to be heading there. |
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Leven
One of the bigger Fife parks. No news yet apart from there being one there.
If you live in Fife and would be good enough to take a photo or two and/or write us a description of the park, we'd be very
grateful.
In the meantime...watch this space. |
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LIVINGSTON
Livingston's one of the most best skateparks in the world. The place
is amazing but really hard to find becasue Livingston has a substance abuse problem with roundabouts: they're EVERYWHERE!
Anyway, the park is full of hips, trannies and bowls. It's class. |
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PAISLEY
In Paisley town centre, if you go up to the high street, there's a statue
of a guy with a spear, on a horse - the ledges going up to it are nice and waxed and are brilliant for grinding. If you mind
the grannies, then you won't get chucked off.
The Lagoon Leisure Centre car park has a few skateable flat banks.
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PERTH
Perth was one of the first of the 'new school' of Scottish skateparks and
it's a winner. It has a bowl, an eight foot vert wall, a jump box, two spines, a teardrop and more.
To get there from
the train station, come out of the station, turn right and head down the road for ages until you come to a skatepark.
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