This circular walk passes high above the picturesque Avon Gorge within the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve.
Well maintained beaten earth and aggregate paths, though steep and potentially muddy in places. Several flights of steps.
Chatelherault rail station opposite the entrance to the Country Park.
Visitor Centre at Chatelherault Country Park.
Facing the Visitor Centre, head left to a signpost and turn left towards 'Green Bridge' as signed. The good path immediately plunges into the dense native woodland, part of the Clyde Valley Woodland National Nature Reserve and totally different in character to the familiar regimented commercial pine plantations. This woodland fills the steep-sided Avon Gorge and provides a haven for a variety of wildlife - watch for chaffinches flitting through the broad-leafed trees bordering the forest, and squirrels darting through the canopy high above.
Follow the easy path as it skirts the golf course, the expansive greens to the left contrasting with the dark forest on the right. The path is slightly sinuous, but navigation is effortless - ignore a path off to the right (for the White Bridge), and follow instead the 'Green Bridge' direction arrows. After around 3km, at a bench and signpost, the path curves right and drops steeply down towards the bottom of the gorge and Avon Water.
A long flight of steps aids progress, though at the time of writing the wooden nosings were somewhat slippery - take care! Before long Green Bridge comes into view, with easy access to the beautiful Avon Water with grassy banks ideal for a rest or picnic. Cross the bridge, ignore the gate ahead and head uphill to the right. Ignore three paths to the left leading into the farmland - as well as access points into the woodland these appear to be used by local sheep farmers for relocating their flocks.
Cross a stone bridge, ignore another path joining from the left to arrive at another junction on the right indicating a shortcut back to the Visitor Centre. This leads across White Bridge and up via rocky Avon Braes to rejoin the outward path on the far side of the gorge. Ignore this to descend into moist Divoty Glen, a welcome respite from the summer sun. Pass a wide clearing on the left to reach the ancient Cadzow Oaks and Iron Age Earthworks. These ancient oaks are thought to be contemporary with King David I (1124 - 1153) , which would rank them among the oldest broadleaved trees in Scotland. The individual trees are particularly notable for their contorted trunks, which are heavily burred and have great girths with a unique signature of swellings, twists, ridges and cavities.
Pass the oaks to reach a path junction - take either to reach the crumbling ruins of Cadzow Castle, constructed between 1500 and 1550 and destroyed towards the end of the 16th Century by the Earl of Mar as retaliation for the Hamilton family's support of Mary Queen of Scots. There is no public access to the ruins, as the structure is unstable and largely supported by scaffolding. Beyond the castle cross Dukes Bridge high above Avon Water and offering the most dramatic view of the ruins above the wooded gorge. Follow the path as it turns left and then right to return to the Visitor Centre.
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