Chatelherault Country Park | near Hamilton, Lanarkshire
Situated between Hamilton and Larkhall, Chatelherault country park offers a fantastic variety of walks for all ages and abilities. The beautiful River Avon cuts straight through the estate bringing with it some of the finest fishing spots in the area (permit required).
It's amazing to think that the hunting lodge and the grounds of this estate once lay in ruin. It took many years and lots of hard work to get the park and it's beautiful buildings brought up to their present condition.
We started our walk on a fresh cold Sunday morning at the visitor centre. There is a great choice of trails available and all are clearly marked on a map at the rear of the building. All routes are circular and end up back at the centre. We chose the longer green bridge walk. On our visit the forested areas were stunning with a mixture of oaks, pines and chestnut trees. There is a lovely sweet woody scent throughout the whole park. The paths are well maintained and soft underfoot. There are some surprisingly steep paths that lead down to the banks of the river, but you can take lower paths to avoid them. We didn't see much wildlife that day but there were signs of foxes, badgers and squirrels 🙂
Walking over the Duke's Bridge you get a glimpse of the ruined Cadzow Castle (built around 1550). As you climb to the top of the path you will find fields filled with ancient oak trees. These were supposedly planted for the Duke of Hamilton for his private hunting grounds. From then on the path meanders through wooded areas then down to the banks of the River Avon, which is a great place to have a picnic. Cross over the bridge to a choice of paths: either choose to walk along the lower paths that hug the river or walk up the wooden stairs to follow the path that follows the edge of the local golf course.
If you take the front path from the visitor centre / hunting lodge that leads down the hill, you can walk all the way to Strathclyde Park. It's a beautiful river walk and great for all levels of walker.
Whatever route you choose, I know you will enjoy this wonderful park. Dogs are welcome, but as always, it's best to keep them on a lead - and remember to pick up the poo as you go!
There's some great information on the history of the park here