East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire
★★★
Cuddling up against suburban East Kilbride, Calderglen is a surprisingly peaceful glen through which the unsavoury-sounding Rotten Calder flows – the name actually referring to the ironstone bedrock, or perhaps the rusty colour of the water running over it. This walk is all about the journey (past several attractive waterfalls, although views of the most dramatic ones are obstructed by vegetation) rather than the destination; the former site of Calderwood Castle at the end appears just to be a forlorn mass of weeds. Mostly wooded, this is a useful bad weather alternative to a more ambitious walk – and thanks to numerous steps, probably nearly as tiring! Don’t miss the small, friendly zoo at the start.
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at Torrance House, Calderglen Country Park, off A726 1 mi southeast of East Kilbride town centre
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NS 654526
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.748593,-4.147858
🚌 On or near High Common Road (0.5 mi)
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 8 km / 5 mi | ▲ 90 m | ⌛ 2.5 hr
Features: 🦉 Calderglen Zoo and Conservatory ★★★; 🌊 Rotten Calder waterfalls
⬤ Moderate | Clear forest paths with some mud and lots of steep steps, and some diversions around landslides.
Download file for GPS➡️ Out-and-back walk: start – Calderglen Zoo and Conservatory – Torrance Linn – Kingfisher Bridge by west bank – Newhousemill Road bridge by east bank – Trough Linn by west bank – Black Linn – Castle Falls – site of Calderwood Castle – return by outward route. Route intermittently waymarked by red castle symbols
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Robins and other woodland birds, ripe blackberries.
Weather: Cloudy but dry, about 12°C.
October 2015
