walkhighlands

Falls of Clyde - Hidden and Classic Routes

Route: The Hidden Side of the Falls of Clyde, near Lanark

Date walked: 07/04/2023

Time taken: 2 hours

Distance: 10km

Ascent: 235m

Completely forgot it was Easter Weekend and that I had today off (contractor, so generally speaking I work unless the office is closed and I can't!), I decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and return to the Falls of Clyde. I did the complete circuit last year to end the Clyde Walkway and had always intended to return to do the other routes and outside of summer when the views are clearer.

Anticipating it would be busy at New Lanark, and also being a much shorter drive, I parked at Corehouse Farm on the Hidden Side and started on the loop the "wrong" way so that I covered the trails I'd missed previously and the bits I'd been on before I did in the opposite direction. As an aside, the Walk Highlands app was very useful here as the waymarking on the trail was the other way to my route and there are a lot of side paths and a few private paths and houses around.

ImageA very calm looking Clyde

After a brief walk down a forestry track you descend down to the riverside and turn back up river. I must have been lucky and visited on a day when the power stations weren't operating last year, as Corra Linn and Bonnington Linn were in much fuller flow then. The sad ruins of Corra Castle overlook Corra Linn on this side of the river, unfortunately my picture wasn't in focus, but castle is a rather grand name for what is essentially a turret.

ImageCorra Linn

ImageBonnington Linn

Bonnington Linn in particular, as expected as it's right after the power station weir, was very calm today, to the point that a few brave souls were ignoring the warnings not to enter the gorge and paddling in the river.

Just before reaching Bonnington Weir I stopped at a bench for a sandwich and a brew. One of the reasons for getting out today was to try out my new toy, a Honey Stove. A couple of handfuls of birch twigs made short work of boiling some water and burnt away to pretty much nothing, looking forward to trying some actual cooking on it.

On heading down the Classic Side I met a Youtuber taking drone videos, Madmacs FPV. Despite him calling himself mad he wasn't the person visible in the gorge above Corra Linn. No idea how he got down there, never mind back up again!

ImageAbove Corra Linn

ImageBonnington Pavilion

Bonnington Pavilion is an example that even way back in 1708 rich people still found odd ways to spend their money. It was apparently a house of mirrors designed to give the illusion of standing in the middle of the Falls.

ImageBonnington Pavilion

ImagePavilion

ImageBonnington Pavilion next to the power station feed pipes

After heading down the hill to Bonnington Power Station, I turned back up on to the service road past the ruins of the old sawmill and back up to the Pavilion. As the path ascends there are views South over the fields, with Tinto visible in the distance.

Imagesawmill ruins

ImageTinto off in the distance

The path then descended back to the river side and I headed back along, over the weir and followed the outside path on the hidden side loop back to Corehouse.

Overall a very pleasant walk, and definitely one worth doing outside the height of summer as the views are much less obscured by the trees. It's a good option for people heading to or from the Highlands to break up the journey a bit as it's not far off the M74 too. Drax group generally announce in advance the days when the power station isn't operating, which means the weir gates are open and you can see the full glory of the Falls.

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Comments: 1



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cruachan06


Location: South Lanarkshire
Activity: Walker

Fionas: 1
Donalds: 1
Wainwrights: 1
Sub 2000: 2
Islands: 2
Long Distance routes: Clyde Walkway   



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Statistics

2023

Trips: 1
Distance: 10 km
Ascent: 235m

2022

Trips: 6
Distance: 68 km
Ascent: 997m
Donalds: 1
Sub2000s: 1

2021

Trips: 4
Distance: 64.17 km
Ascent: 363m


Joined: Jun 22, 2021
Last visited: Mar 17, 2024
Total posts: 274 | Search posts