Whilst I was already in the area for Winterstorm 2023 I took the short hop by train from Glasgow to Helensburgh for the day to visit where I was born some number of years ago! I don’t get to go there very often, and to be fair, there’s not really much to see, if you’re going up that way you’re better off bypassing the town and visiting Loch Lomond instead, much prettier. Helensburgh is essentially a small seaside town where the Clyde joins the Firth of Clyde. Some nice shops and cafes, but not much else, especially in the middle of November!
The building that used to bet the Maternity Hospital, Braeholm, where I was born is a little tricky to find, the last time I came to visit it was no longer a hospital but an old people’s home (possibly for retired sailors?), and now it’s a suite of luxury flats. As I was taking some photos a resident decided to take a long time taking their dog for a walk on the front lawn to keep an eye on me, not very trusting!
Other landmarks Helensburgh Parish Church, the main station (for a small town there are inexplicably several train stations) and a couple of monuments, one to John Logie Baird, inventor of the television, who was born here (1888) and Henry Bell, a pioneer in the introduction of steamships, who died here (1830).
And, that’s about it! Still nice to visit though, I think your birthplace always holds a draw for you, even if it was somewhere you only lived for 6 months.
