Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve
Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve | |
---|---|
Location | South Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
Nearest city | Carluke, Hamilton, Lanark and Lesmahagow |
Area | 318 ha (790 acres)[2] |
Designation | NatureScot |
Established | 1981; extended in 1987 and 2007.[3] |
Owner | NatureScot, Scottish Wildlife Trust and South Lanarkshire Council |
The Clyde Valley Woodlands
- Cartland Craigs - managed by NatureScot
- Cleghorn Glen - managed by NatureScot
- Falls of Clyde- managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust(SWT)
- Hamilton High Parks at Chatelherault - managed by South Lanarkshire Council (SLC)
- Mauldslie Woods - managed by SLC
- Nethan Gorge - managed by SWT
The woodlands are located in steep-sided river gorges and contain outstanding examples of the ancient, semi-natural, deciduous woodland which would once have covered much of the
The reserve was first established in 1981, when Cleghorn Glen was declared a National Nature Reserve. In 1987 Cartland Craigs was declared part of the reserve, which was renamed as the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. In 2007 four additional sites (Chatelherault, the Falls of Clyde, Mauldslie Woods and Nethan Gorge) were declared parts of the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve.[3]
Other conservation designations
Five of the six sites are designated
The reserve is classified as a Category II protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] There is also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) entitled Clyde Valley Woods, which covers 437 ha (1.7 sq mi) of land and partly overlaps with the NNR.[9][10]
Sites
Six sites make up the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve.
Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen
Over 210 species of flowering plants have been recorded at the two sites, including less-common species such
The woodlands are ideal for badgers, who build their setts on the slopes of the gorges and forage for food in the surrounding fields.
Jerviswood, on the edge of Cleghorn Glen, features in the Lanark Lanimers celebrations, as birks (birch twigs) from here are carried as part of the procession. This came about due to a dispute in 1840, in which townspeople were accused of damaging birch trees planted by the owner of the wood. Further investigations found that the land did not in fact belong to the purported owner, and so birks gathered from Jerviswood are carried to emphasise the town's right to march over this land.[15]
Falls of Clyde
The Falls of Clyde are a collection of four waterfalls along the river Clyde, near the villages of New Lanark and Stonebyres. Only the three falls near New Lanark (Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn and Dundaff Linn) are included in the Falls of Clyde site of special scientific interest; the other, Stonebyres Linn, is about 2 miles (3 km) further downstream.
Within the Falls of Clyde site there is an abundance of architecture, including Bonnington Pavilion,[17] an 18th-century house of mirrors, an iron footbridge,[18] and the 15th-century Corra Castle, all of which are in ruins.[19][20]
Hamilton High Parks
Hamilton High Parks forms part of the
Mauldslie Woods
Mauldslie Woods lies west of Carluke, and is the only part of the NNR to have no other official designation. It is north of the Clyde, and has shallower slopes than the other sites in the Reserve. As a result, by the 1800s the woodland here had been cleared and replanted, including one section which was planted as orchard for apples, pears and plums. Since 2007 Mauldslie Woods has formed part of the NNR, and is now being actively managed to restore the native woodland. The aim is to use the site to demonstrate methods of woodland management that promote biodiversity alongside sustainable timber extraction.[8][22]
Nethan Gorge
The Nethan Gorge portion of the NNR consists of two sites on the River Nethan that are managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. A path links the two reserves, following a route past Craignethan Castle.[23][24]
Upper Nethan Gorge, located near the village of
Lower Nethan Gorge, located near the village of
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Clyde Valley Woodlands". Protected Planet. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ "Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ a b The Story of Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. p. 12.
- ^ a b The Story of Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. pp. i-ii (foreword).
- ^ The Story of Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. p. 1.
- ^ "Natural Heritage Site Corra Linn". trivago.co.uk. trivago GmbH. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Sitelink Map Search". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ a b The Story of Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. p. 15.
- ^ The Story of Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. p. 24.
- ^ "Clyde Valley Woods SAC". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ a b The Story of Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. p. 6.
- ^ The Story of Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. p. 11.
- ^ a b The Story of Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. p. 7.
- ^ The Story of Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. p. 8.
- ^ The Story of Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. p. 10.
- ^ "Falls of Clyde reserve". Scottish Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Bonnington Pavilion (46622)". Canmore. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Bonnington Linn, Foot Bridge (228186)". Canmore. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Corra Castle (46597)". Canmore. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Fall for nature in New Lanark" (PDF). Scottish Wildlife Trust. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Hamilton High Parks SSSI Citation". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Visit Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Upper Nethan Gorge". Scottish Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Lower Nethan Gorge". Scottish Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ "Upper Nethan Valley Woods SSSI Citation". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- ^ "Nethan Gorge SSSI Citation". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
Bibliography
- "The Story of the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve" (PDF). Scottish National Heritage. 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
External links
- Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve - NatureScot