A short walk from Inverurie station to a new community park
Rudy visited Inverurie in the middle of July on a very warm day. Not wanting to go far in case it started to get too hot for us we just took a little walk to Ury Riverside Park which lies alongside the railway line – and beside the River Ury of course! This is a very new community park that until recently was part of a farm. There are now good new accessible paths winding through the area between river & railway.
Rudy at Ury Riverside Park River Ury Ury Riverside Park The River Urie
Wildflowers
When we visited the park was mostly wild flower meadow with some newly planted immature woodland only just started. Information panels & signs make it clear that the park is an important area of the River Ury’s floodplain and is managed to naturally hold water when needed so some path’s may become seasonally inaccessible.
Thistle Wildflower meadow.
The Railway’s Influence
Ury Riverside Park lies between the River Ury and the Aberdeen-Inverness train line. Local Aberdeenshire trains terminate at Inverurie and can often be seen waiting in the sidings over-looking the park but that’s not the main influence of the railway here! Until 1966 a branch line to Oldmeldrum crossed the River Ury at what is now the northwest corner of the park. The viaduct to cross over the Ury was built in 1856 and soon after engineers straightened part of the river to better accommodate the railway infrastructure.
Last remains of the old railway viaduct. A class 158 train passes Inverurie Sidings.
Cocoworks: Coffee, chocolate & trains
Being a good railway dog Rudy had to stop and have a fly cuppie & fancy piece at Cocoworks. With tables outside right on the platform at Inverurie station it was an ideal spot to sit and wait for his train home.
River Ury or River Urie?
Historically the spelling was always Ury. Inverury means mouth (or confluence) of the River Ury. The town changed the spelling of it’s name to Inverurie in 1866 due to mail often ending up far away in Inverary on the West coast of Scotland!
As only the town changed it’s name the local spelling of the river remains Ury despite various map makers changing the river we trust the local spelling.