Greenock Cut & Shielhill Glen

This is another walk taken from the pathfinder guide Glasgow, Clyde Valley, Ayrshire & Arran book (walk 24) The walk is 9 miles - and listed as 4hrs 30 mins but it is a fairly easy walk and can be done in a lot less.
It starts at the Cornaless Bridge Vistor Centre next to Loch Thom and the Reservior, with ample parking and a handy cafe & toilets for the way back. It seems that the reservoir is quite a popular fishing spot (permit only)
and you start climbing the hill next the reservoir past rows of fisherman. The road leads uphill towards a further 2 small reservoirs before running back downhill towards Greenock (this is the only slight incline until you get to the Glen towards the end of the walk.

Once you get closer to Greenock you get a great view of the local area and further afield out towards Dunoon and the islands. The path throughout the walk is very starightforward and easy to follow, you just have to negotiate a large number of kissing gates along the way. After you have descended past the small reservoirs you come to the Waterman's cottage and the cut, at this point your turn left to follow the run of the Greenock cut for over half of the walk. You may think this is boring but in fact it offers some great photo opportunities and some great views along the way.

The Greenock Cut was an aqueduct constructed by Robert Thom and opened in 1827 to take water from the reservoir to Greenock, providing both power and drinking water to the town and local mills.
Not all the reservoirs currently have water in them though, as you will see

Along the way there is an abundance of wildlife and an awful lot of sheep, and of course from May an awful lot of cute lambs too.

As you continue westwards along the cut the views open out and you loose the house of Greencok in the distance. Along the way there are also a lot of attractive stone bridges which come in useful as a place to stop for a rest or lunch and offer protection from the wind too.

Unfortunatley the cut is strewn with beer cans and bottles which detract from the natural beauty, but this aside it would be interesting to know what lurks at the bottom of the silt. The next building you come to is Shielhill farm, at this point cross the road and continue along the cut behind the farm for about 300 yds. At this point you turn right and head downhill into Sheilhill Glenn. This is a delightful change to the last 5 miles and the Glen enchanting.

And of course once you reach the bottom you have to come back up, the way back up is over a series of boardwalks which make it steep but easy going.



Once you get to the top of the boardwalks you reach Kelly Cut built in 1845 as a supplement to the Greenock Cut. Turn left back towards the starting point and more sheep!!

A thoroughly well deserved cold drink and ice cream finished off the walk nicely..........on a Baaalmy day!



Chatelherault - Green Bridge Trail

Good afternoon from a very cold and windy East Kilbride - Spring what Spring!
For those of you waiting for the walk at Ben An this will follow shortly

In the meantime I want to take you round the Green Bridge trail
There are 6 trails to choose from at Chatelherault, I decided to choose the longest route which is listed as 8km and 3 hrs in reality most people wouldn't take anything like that long. It took me a couple of hrs and that was with numerous stops for photo opportunities. The other trails are 2km & 3.5km

The route follows the Avon river down to Green Bridge, but most of the walk is at the top of the gorge on either side and only briefly on the river itself.

Starting off from in front of the Visitor centre follow the signs left towards green bridge and just keep on following the Riccarton path for about a mile with the golf course on your left, until you reach the turn of for White Bridge, however ignore that path and follow round to the left still towards Green Bridge underneath the electricity pylons.

The path now becomes the Claybank Braes path and continues to edge the golf course on the left and woods on the right. When you start to descend towards the bridge the steps are steep and muddy so take great care on your way down, and avoid being run over by bmx bikers as you go. Once at the bottom you are greeted with a fantastic view up river and the steps to Green Bridge directly ahead. Off to the left is the path to Fairholm Bridge which you can see in the distance. Cross the bridge and take in the views both up and down stream. 

Looking down from the bridge you can see the river bed through the peat tinted water and if you are lucky some of the trout swimming by, it is also a popular fishing spot. Once over the bridge, you turn right up the other side of the gorge, this path is a little steep but soon flattens out again. The gorge and the river are frequented by various wildlife, but not always very visible, but I did come across a rather large piece of funghi.

Carry on until you reach Divoty Glen (A lovely name I thought) and take the path down and back up again and admire the beautiful surroundings. Therafter you reach the turn off for the White Bridge again, but ignore the turn off and continue on towards the Cadzow Oaks which are coming up ahead

The Cadzow Oaks are as old as 500 years and lie just South of the Duke's castle and several sit on a small mound just along the Oaks path. They are an impressive sight to behold although some are clearly not as mighty as they once were. Also along this route there is a carved log (see picture below) which bears the inscription "As soon as we take one thing by itself we find it hitched to everything in the universe"

Just beyond the oaks we come to the Cadzow Castle and Duke's Bridge with the high line of fir trees on either side and the drop down to the river below. Unfortuantely like most histroic buildings the castle is under repair and unsightly scaffolding surrounds most of the walls, however part of the castle can still be seen from the bridge. Once over the bridge the path bears left back up to the Visitor centre and a welcome cup of tea and cake in the cafe.

After your well earned rejuvination it is worth a look at the front of Chatelerhault in all it's spleandour and particluarly the Duke of Hamiltons plaque behind the circlular gate. The building was built over 250 years ago for the Duke of Hamilton as a hunting lodge and summer house, it also offers great views out across Motherwell and the Lanarkshire countryside.

http://www.visitlanarkshire.com/attractions/child-friendly/Chatelherault-Country-Park/

Calderwood Trail

Hello again to my folllowers....

Today I want to extend the Calderglen walk to the North on the Calderwood trail.
This route is not used as much as the main walks within the Glen itself and is a little more demanding and the terrain as little more dense in places, but none the less a pleasant walk. I did this walk recently for the first time with my hoofing buddy at the route was just over 5 miles there and back, but you can walk a little further for another mile or so to the castle falls (one of several waterfalls along the way).

The starting point is from the Vistitor Centre heading down towards the river again and turning left towards the North. One of the first landmarks you pass is Torrance Linn, which is pictured above, the path follows the river all the way so it is almost impossible to get lost. Once passed the Linn the river bends round to the left, there are a few steps to negotiate along this part so just watch your footing in wet weather. It can also be somewhat boggy underfoot so don't be surpised when you get mud splashed up your trousers.
In heavy rainfall there are some fast flowing sections with soft banks so watch your footing too.

The path and river bends around in a U shape until you reach the Kingfisher bridge and the road bridge that takes you over the Newhousemill Road. Cross the road and the bridge but take great care as the path is very narrow and you may come in contact with the traffic if not careful. Once over the road the path continues on the otherside and again follow the river. The way is signposted with a red castle and arrows so just follow along the way, after a short while the woods start to get more enclosed and the path undulating in places, you are now heading towards the next landmark of Trough & Black Linn

There is a fair amount of subsidence along the river bank and the fence is heading towards the river, so take care again if close to the edge. Once you have taken a few snaps of the scenic waterfalls take up the path again and keep heading North towards Fred's Pond and the Castle Falls. When we went last week there were a fair number of trees down after the recent high winds and as the path is not as popular the trees may be blocking the path either partially or completely as was the case at Fred's Pond, but you can easily navigate around them. The woodland canopy provides a greatenvironment for the squirrel's and birds and you can see them leaping from tree to tree with great agility (the squirrels not the birds).
This is Fred's pond which provides a great reflection of the woodland surroundings.

Whether you return from here or carry on to the end past the next falls it is a great short walk, even if somewhat muddy underfoot. Return by the same route back to the Visitor Centre and if you are feeling cold or peckish then pop into the cafe in the square for a quick pick me up. Parking couldn't be easier as it is adjacent to the cafe. Happy Hoofing.....Next time we will take a trip North to Ben 'An and a short but streneous walk in the Trossachs.

Calderglen Country Park - East Kilbride Continued

Setting sun on another lovely walk

The wooded section is easy to follow as it only splits on a couple of occassions and forms a circular route between the two bridges. There are plenty of opportunites to take photos down into the Glen and I have added a couple more Winter and Autumn shots. The Torrance golf course runs along the left hand side of the walk from here, but there is little chance of being hit by stray balls.

Once you reach the North Bridge you have several options, you eiether retrace your steps, return over the bridge on the circular route or carry on towards the visitor centre. Whichever you choose I am sure you will enjoy the Calderglen Country Park walk.
Until next time - Happy Hoofing to you all!

Calderglen Country Park - East Kilbride Continued

After about another ten minutes you will reach the bridge where the road heads South to Strathaven, watch out just before the bridge where the path is eroded and there is a big hole on the riverbank. Pass under the bridge and head over the raised platform alongside the river.

Once you go through the tunnel of the 2nd bridge you enter the wooded glen and the path rises up to the left above the Calder with amazing views all the way along.There is a small waterfall here and an opporunity to get some great shots

.

The path is well defined and has a hand rail and fencing on the right and a number of steps on the left, after a while you again come out of the glen and gain some more height through a more steps and then return back into the wooded section.

The Walk

The path is very easy to follow most of the way with only a few options for different routes along the way
The path starts between 2 rows of trees and then bears left, off to the right behind the trees are the wind turbines at the Whitelees wind farm. The path is easy most of the way with a few moderate sections depending on the weather conditons, and can easily be covered in a strong pair of walking shoes except in really wet weather when boots or wellies are the order of the day. Keep following the path and you will soon pick up the river Calder which is with you the whole way depending which route you take.

The walk is popular with dog walkers and joggers and is about 3.5 miles and takes about an hour on the short route. In Autumn and winter it is not that busy, but in the spring and summer the central wooded section nearer the visitor centre is much more popular. After about 15 minutes you will reach a signpost where the route splits with a path leading up to the left to Langlands Moss. Ignore this path and continue down past sign and over a wooden bridge towards the Visitor Centre, the path then comes closer to the river.

Back later with more

Calderglen Country Park - East Kilbride

Over the coming weeks and months I will be sharing pictures and posting information on some of my favourite walks in Scotland and tomorrow I will kick off with the Glen in East Kilbride.

The country park is on the outskirts of the town out towards Strathaven and my normal starting point is just beyond Sainsbury's distribution depot and wind turbine on Langlands drive. This is a picture of the start on a recent snowy afternoon.
Parking just along road on left and small parking bay available (currently suspended)