This is a view of the Calder river valley taken from Muirshiel Regional Park.

This is a wonderful place to visit - about five miles up in the hills behind Lochwinnoch, and less than 20 miles from Glasgow City Centre. It is so peaceful and tranquil most of the time.

Apart from the cars which come to visit the centre, and the occasional plane flying overhead, there is virtually no non-natural sounds. In fact if one walks up the track on the far side of the park, which leads to an old Barytes mine, it is possible to hear nothing but the sounds of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and the insects visiting the heather flowers..........and the odd sheep bleating too!

It is well worth a visit especially between now (23rd June ) and mid july, as there are some cctv cameras on a Hen Harriers nest in the region, and they are beaming back LIVE footage of the birds. We had 3 chicks hatch out over the last week, the last one on thursday afternoon - to an audience of 12 people who had dropped in to visit and were watching the screens at the time!!

Some of the trails are in 'mature' wooded areas, others are through young plantations, and yet others go through areas of cleared conifer woods which have been replanted with native deciduous trees.