ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.
This is a combination of two trips to the Castle Semple Water Park near Lochwinnoch. Renfrewshire has an abundance of hollows within its rolling folds of landscape and three separate lochs can be found here. Also around a dozen other lochs, reservoirs and ponds can be discovered in this area. It used to be fairly quiet and unknown but like everyplace else these days it was busy, especially as it was a summer Saturday on our first visit here recently. We being hillwalking friend Alan and I. ( I did notice on one visit to this blog AI had Alex and I down as a popular couple, due to the title. Obviously I'm not gay, never have been, and it was only because we started the blog together as hillwalking club members back then, fed up with rain every weekend, that we thought of the title. AI is not infallible... yet... but more on that later.
Although we've both been to Castle Semple Water park over many decades, separately and together ( Damn! that sentence could be misconstrued as well!) neither of us had wandered around Lochwinnoch itself much preferring the countryside walks beyond the village. Local sports centre here.
I also used to come here for solo cycling on the network of quiet minor roads crisscrossing this area. Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, and Inverclyde form a large district of rolling green hills, usually under 1000 feet, but very scenic. Even these minor roads are busier than they used to be 10 to 20 years ago but luckily car parks are few and far between.
Lochwinnoch sports grounds. Fortunately, we got one of the few remaining places, on that Saturday morning. As we'd done all the countryside walks here loads of times Alan suggested exploring the village, just out of curiosity.
Local church at Lochwinnoch.
Main shopping street.
Honey bee on musk mallow.
Painted Lady butterfly.
As it was the height of summer window boxes, street baskets, and the community garden had a range of different flowers... so seen at its best. Petunia here.
Courgette or winter squash flower. AI speculation as it was too early to see the growing veg yet.
White lacecap hydrangea.
Summer marigolds.
Ornate carved bench. It was while we were walking back to the car I noticed people out on Castle Semple Loch but not on paddle boards and boats. This should not happen normally in this familiar view so it didn't take us long to realise that a new boardwalk had been constructed across the thin ribbon of land, a crescent shape. So a brand new walk....
The next week had us parking in the correct location. A Friday morning this time. The RSPB nature reserve at Lochwinnoch, beside the train station. This car park was full so we parked nearby. We were soon at a hide in the bird reserve. Although I like taking photos of anything I'm not a dedicated birdwatcher. If birds are encountered on a walk I'll try to photograph them... and anything else interesting but I don't go out of my way to visit special reserves like this one.
AI informed me this was northern lapwings. Granted they are a good distance away but I suspected they were moorhens going by the white wing markings
This is an adult caddisfly. AI got it right. It is a great tool but not always correct... at the moment. It will get better... surpassing humanity very quickly in the near future.
A bunch of ducks. AI said Northern Lapwings again but I know they are ducks, just not which species. I did see lapwings later.( the middle one with the white stomach might be a lapwing.)
What we were here to see however was the new boardwalk... and we were not disappointed. This is the start and it runs for a considerable distance across Castle Semple Loch on a thin ribbon of dry land to the old castle and beyond. It may eventually complete a full circular walk across the loch on this ribbon of dry land but at the moment you have to return the same way to the bird reserve car park. If parking a car here and not a member there is a small fee paid as usual via a machine with credit card or smart phone presumably. For walkers arriving without a car it's free access. You can walk it on good scenic paths from Lochwinnoch Castle Semple Water Park but we'd done enough already on that previous village trip.
It is the best boardwalk I've been on in Scotland with water and swamps on both sides.
And great scenic views.
Not a lot of bird life on this occasion but that didn't matter to us on such a lovely day.
The ruined small castle. This was built by the landowner with canon installed to control the loch and who used it with rival landowners back then jealously guarding their property and all the resources within it.
This photo gives you a real feel of it. Dogs are allowed here as long as well behaved and under control at all times.
Looking across at Castle Semple and the Lochwinnoch Water Park car park from the boardwalk.
A true water world... without getting wet.
We were both very impressed by it. Separately.
6 comments:
It’s a place I like, though I’ve not been for a while. John cycles there downtimes.
Hi Anabel, yes there's always plenty of up and downtimes if you are cycling across Renfrewshire. Very hilly landscape.
Oh, such lovely photos as always! Guess what, I have a petunia almost just like that one in a pot! A home for Alcoholics sells plants in the Spring, and they are always better than those at the nurseries. (You have to get there quickly though as they sell out fast.) The butterflies and hummingbirds have enjoyed it too!
It NEVER occurred to me about you and Alex being 'a couple' of any kind - just hillwalking/outdoors buddies - from the title of your blog. To me it's perfectly obvious what it is...
Ah - to the Painted Lady - I always thought that was just a tortoiseshell - granted I'd noticed it had black tips to its wings but was still mistaking it for one. I had a Painted Lady and a Peacock sat together sunning themselves on a dry, bald bit of my garden today - lovely!
Hi Kay, Yes, the Scottish summer is at its best now for village and town flowers. It is always a treat to see them as it must be for the Northern USA states and Canada. Even though the Scottish winters are milder it's still 5 long months of dark, wet, cold, often miserable conditions so Spring and summer are always welcome here.
Evening Carol, it has a good Latin name as well -Vanessa Cardui- which is a perfect character name for any painted lady starring in Dallas, Dynasty, or Towie.
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