Ancient Woodland Flowers

Today I had my first glimpse of a small number of Bluebell growing in Strathclyde Park in Motherwell. These are beautiful blue flowers which are found in damp woodland areas. Other areas in Lanarkshire where Bluebells are found are at Chatelherault Country Park in Hamilton and Baron’s Haugh in Motherwell.

Bluebells Very Common in the UK

Over 50% of the world’s Bluebells are native to the UK.They tend to bloom in Scotland in May and provide a carpet of blue flowers which is quite spectacular.

The Bluebells I saw today covered a small area so I will wait for more Bluebells to come into bloom in the next few weeks to get a more spectacular view of them.

Bluebells grow in ancient woodland which is defined as woodland which has been in existence since 1750 in Scotland and 1600 in England.

Close-up of Bluebells

Small area with Bluebells

Ancient Woodland

Bluebells are a good indication that the area is ancient woodland. Since 1998, bluebells have been protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act (WCA). It is illegal to collect wild bluebells and sell them for profit. 

Wild Garlic (Ramsons)

Wild Garlic is another common plant found at this time of year, also in damp woodland. It can be identified by the strong smell of garlic and has been popular as an ingredient in cooking since Richard Mabey first wrote about it in his book “Food for Free” in the 1972. 

I have the Collins Gem version of the book and have collected a few ingredients on my walks to use in cooking without poisoning myself!

Wild Garlic

Wild Garlic

Cuckoo Flower

The Cuckoo Flower

The Cuckoo Flower (also called Lady’s Smock in reference to the Virgin Mary) is so called because its flowers come out at the same time of year as the cuckoo calls. Both the flowers and leaves are edible and contain large amounts of vitamin C. It is also a flower found in ancient woodland.

Butterflies

While looking at the Cuckoo Flowers we caught sight of two types of butterflies – Red Admiral and Orange-tipped. Unfortunately, they were flying too fast to get a photograph of them.

Our walk around Strathclyde Park and along the banks of the River Clyde did not produce any other interesting flowers.

Greylag Geese and Goslings

On the way back, there an open-air pop concert being held in the Park and the loud music did not deter the youngsters below from exploring the area. 

Greylag Geese and Goslings

The goslings above were swimming about in the water under the watchful eyes of both parents. They seem to nest in the small island which houses the observation tower used in sailing and rowing events on Strathclyde Loch.

The geese did attract a lot of attention from adults and children and they did not seem afraid of people.

It had been a good day out. 

Further Information

Strathclyde Park:
366 Hamilton Road
Motherwell
ML1 3ED
http://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=6760 

Grid Reference: NS728567

Wildlife Walk from Westerton to Kelvingrove, Glasgow.

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At the weekend I went on the Scottish Wildlife Trust walk from Westerton to Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow. The walk followed various waterways including the Forth and Clyde Canal and the River Kelvin. The day was cloudy and just above freezing.

The meeting point was Westerton railway station in the Northwest of the City and was attended by a group of around 20, including two Spanish visitors.  Moira was the leader for the day and had organised everything for an enjoyable day out.

The first part of the walk was along the path adjacent to the Forth and Clyde Canal. The water was icy in some places, but not enough to cause disruption to the lives of the many water birds on the canal.

Birds on the Canal

At the start of the walk, we saw some Moorhen, Black-headed gulls and Tufted ducks on the canal. A short time later we saw a male Greenfinch sitting on a branch of a tree beside the canal path. A Robin was also heard singing as we walked along.

Mute Swans on Forth and Clyde Canal

Mallards on Forth and Clyde Canal

On the canal itself a number of Heron could be seen scanning the water for fish. Usually Heron stay in the same position for a while before flying to other areas of the canal, but these ones did not stay long in the one area before flying to different locations looking for food. It was good to view the Heron in flight.

Canal Locks

Being a canal, we passed a few of the locks around the Maryhill area of the canal.The Forth and Clyde Canal was opened in 1790 and runs from the River Forth in Grangemouth to Bowling in Dunbartonshire. The canal is 35 miles long and in its heyday provided a route for boats to travel through the central belt of Scotland.

Lock 24

Regeneration of the Canal

In 1963 the canal was closed and it became run down and derelict before National Lottery funds were used to regenerate it in the year 2000, as part of the millenium celebrations. Over in the east, at Falkirk, the canal was also improved with the popular tourist attraction, the Falkirk Wheel, opening on 27th May, 2002. The canal walkway is popular with walkers and cyclists and makes for an interesting walk.

On the way we passed locks No 31 to 25 at Maryhill, before turning right and following the footpath along the River Kelvin. We passed a V-shaped weir which was used to power the Kelvindale Paper Mills on Kelvindale Road.

Kelvindale Paper Mills 

This mill was founded in around 1720 by James Duncan as Balgray Paper Mill and was then acquired in 1745 by Edward Collins and Son, whose family would dominate paper making in the wider area for generations. A snuff mill was added further along the river, as snuff mills were often appended to paper mills for some reason, which is not apparent. The weir is unusual in that it is in the shape of the letter ‘V’.

Weir at former Kelvindale Paper Mills

Other examples of combined paper and snuff mills in the Glasgow area include Netherlee, Millholm and Cathcart, all on the White Cart, south of Glasgow.

North Woodside Flint Mill

This mill was built in 1765 by Archibald Stirling of Kier and was originally used as a barley mill and to grind gunpower during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1846 it was converted into a flint mill. Flint is a hard silicate rock with a glassy appearance which is found in chalk and limestone. It is not common in Scotland and had to be imported.

Remains of North Woodside Flint Mill

Remains of North Woodside Flint Mill

Remains of North Woodside Flint Mill

Flint was used in the pottery industry to lighten the colour of clay, to harden it and to make hard glaze. Flint and glaze were taken by rail to Kelvinbridge Station and then transported by horse-drawn wagons to the mill.

Dipper 

On this part of the river we saw a Dipper on the opposite river bank, looking for food. The path was becoming quite busy now with walkers and cyclists, as well as with many friendly dogs out for their early afternoon walks.

We stopped for some lunch after crossing a footbridge to the other side of the River Kelvin, just behind the Botanic Gardens.

Footbridge leading to Botanic Gardens

Kelvinbridge

In front of us we could see the Great Western Bridge, commonly known as Kelvinbridge. This is a fine cast iron bridge which was built in the 19th century to carry the Great Western Road. It provided a
crossing point across the boundary of the city and into the neighbouring
town of Hillhead, which was incorporated into the city later.

Kelvinbridge

Next to the bridge is Kelvinbridge subway station which is one of the deepest on the underground circuit due to the proximity of the river.

Just after Kelvinbridge, we saw a wall painted with images of Glasgow. This was very well done and a welcome change from looking at bare brick walls.

Murals on wall

Murals on wall

Murals on wall

Kelvingrove Park

Kelvingrove Park was originally known as the West End Park and created by English gardener Sir Joseph Paxton, Head Gardener at Chatsworth House in 1852. His other works included The Crystal Palace in London. It is currently run by Glasgow City Council. The Kelvingrove Art Galleries and Museum are located in the park.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Our walk was coming to an end. We walked through the park towards the Art Gallery and finished up enjoying some refreshments in the cafe there.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

The list of birds seen on the walk included:

• Cormorant
• Dipper
• Woodpigeon
• Magpie
• Bluetit
• Greenfinch
• Blackbird
• Robin
• Long-tailled tit
• Moorhen
• Black-headed gulls
• Tufted ducks
• Mallard ducks
• Mute swan
• Goosander

It had been a great day out thanks to Moira who organised the walk.

Further Information:

http://www.scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk

Festive Stomp – New Lanark

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The Scottish Wildlife Trust in New Lanark had organised a walk round the Falls of Clyde Reserve followed by mulled wine and mince pies afterwards at the visitor centre today so I joined in the fun.

The cold weather has gone for a while and it was much milder and sunny today. A group of us met up at the visitor centre and walked to the Falls of the Clyde. These are spectacular falls a bit like the Victoria Falls, only on a smaller scale and were described by poet William Wordsworth as “the Clyde’s most majestic daughter” after a visit in 1802. 

JMW Turner painted the Falls between 1844 and 1846. Sir Walter Scott and Samuel Taylor Coleridge were also visitors to the area.

The path around the Falls is well marked and not too muddy, although there is a steep climb to the viewing area at Cora Linn. On the way there we passed the nursery where the Trust is establishing trees from seedlings and replanting in different areas of the reserve.

Dundaff Linn

 

View from Dundaff Linn

The Falls of Clyde provides suitable habitat for badgers, roe deer and over 100 species of bird. From March to June the area site is well known for its resident breeding pair of peregrine falcons which are protected during the breeding season by Operation Peregrine which provides security for the birds. The River Clyde is suitable habitat for Otters and Kingfishers.

The water level of the River Clyde was very high due to the high levels of snow and rain which had fallen in the previous weeks.

Falls of the Clyde at Corra Linn

This made the view of Corra Linn spectacular. Winter is a good time to view it because of the high levels of water at this time of year. At other times the water may be reduced to a trickle when there has been a dry spell.

Water is also diverted to the hydro power station at Cora Linn for the generation of electricity so this also can have a significant effect on the water level.

Group admiring Dundaff Linn

After admiring the falls at Corra Linn we walked back to the visitor centre for mulled wine and mince pies. 

The visitor centre will be closing on Christmas Eve and not re-opening until the end of March 2013. When it re-opens there will be no shop, but there will be a large educational room for lectures and talks.

Further Information

Scottish Wildlife Trust