Google Earth is a great place to spot curiosities in the landscape. Take this apparently abandoned BMX track located in the extremities of Dundee…
At first glance it is not immediately obvious what the snaking shape is, but it definitely warranted further exploration and, on the ground, it turned out to be a looping BMX track, around 350 metres in length, that now appears virtually abandoned.
Located on grassland between the Dundee housing estates of Whitfield and Douglas, the ground around the surfaced track is overgrown, while the asphalt track itself – said to have cost in the region of £153,000 – is pocked with holes, sprouting weeds and does not appear to have enjoyed regular use in some time. Although littered with shopping trollies and broken bikes, it does seem to be perfectly serviceable.
Graffiti art by Syke (aka Symon Mathieson) was added in 2021 as part of a community project involving local youngsters.
A raised mound at the south-west corner is clearly the starting point for races and, close by, there is a small metal shelter which has been designed to be virtually indestructable and, despite attempts to pull it apart, remains intact.
Access to the site is from Forties Road, in the neighbouring Baldovie industrial estate. The track itself is overshadowed by the Baldovie Incinerator and the wind turbines of the Michelin Dundee Innovation Parc. Alternatively, cyclists can drop in on the track from the Dundee Green Circular cycle path which skirts to the south as it follows the Dighty Water past Douglas. A grassy path which passes through a gateway designed to prevent motorcycles getting on to the track links the two.
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Secret Scotland 