The West Highland Way

The problem
Scotland's famous 96 mile walk, "The West Highland Way" required a true send off that would resist the Scottish climate!

The challenge
SIGNARAMA Glasgow North was approached by East Dunbartonshire Council to design, manufacture and install a sign that would be recognised as a landmark, pinpointing the start of Scotland's breathtaking walk, resistant to the test of time.

Having completed the West Highland Walk himself, Marc Burley, owner of SIGNARAMA Glasgow North, was delighted to take on the challenge: "Having an impressive start to this amazing 96 mile journey has been needed for a long time. We were delighted to be asked to provide it. The location for the sign presented us with a construction challenge, as it was situated on a sloping bridge spanning Allander Water that meant it was more likely to be subject to severe weather conditions, but we knew we had the right team and equipment to create the landmark required."

Solution
SIGNARAMA Glasgow North set to with vigour creating a design reflecting the beauty of the walk that would stand up to weather beatings! Based on a British Racing Green background which features fret-cut Scottish thistles in stainless steel, the team created built-up text from brushed stainless steel. The thistle motif provided the Scottish stamp of identity, making it a landmark sure to be photographed for years to come.

To protect against severe weather conditions, everything for the sign including the fixings and internal structure was constructed from stainless steel. The sign spans 12.5 metres broken into three sections. The centre section is 5.6 metres wide and features a broad curve. To give the curved section added strength, SIGNARAMA used 40mm stainless steel square section supports in this part of the sign. The supporting posts for the sign were made from 5mm thick 150mm square sections of stainless steel, welded to 20mm thick base plates.

Marc is delighted with the result: "Feedback from walkers is fantastic. They love the sign, as it has spotlighted one of the UK's most spectacular walks, making it a geographical talking point, sure to be here for decades ahead."

Posted Date: 04th Dec 2009