Chatelherault and surrounding countryside
Surrounding the main building of Chatelherault are 10 miles of walks through the ancient woodlands along the Avon Gorge.
This beautiful part of South Lanarkshire is home to a huge variety of wildlife, including roe deer, otters, badgers and a wide range of woodland birds.
Chatelherault Country Park's greatest natural asset is the Avon Gorge, an impressive woodland gorge, incorporating part of the High Parks Site of Special Scientific Interest and shortly to become a component site of the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. These important natural sites are managed in conjunction with Scottish Natural Heritage. The area also has the famous Cadzow Oaks, some of the oldest trees in the UK thought to date back some 600 years, and the ancient ruin of Cadzow Castle which dates back to the 16th century.
The Chatelherault trails leaflet (480KB PDF) and the Chatelherault Green Bridge trails leaflet (490KB PDF) (these documents will open in a new window) help walkers navigate their way along the various footpaths. These range from the 1km Huntsman's Trail to the 8km Green Bridge Trail. There is a trail to suit most levels of walking ability.
The densely wooded Avon Gorge holds an array of woodland flowers in spring and early summer which indicates its history of unbroken wooded cover dating back at least 400 years.
The open field edges come to life in the summer with their own range of wild flowers to delight the eye.
Central to Chatelherault is the River Avon which has cut the impressive gorge into the 350 million-year-old sandstone since the end of the last Ice Age. The river changes mood with the weather but is always a delight to walk near.
Events at Chatelherault Country Park are listed in our Country parks events diary (1.16MB PDF) (this document will open in a new window) and in the website's What's on.
Please contact Chatelherault Country Park for further information.
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