Palacerigg Country Park was created from a bleak upland farm in the early 1970s, on the hills above the new town of Cumbernauld. It provides a fine walk mostly through native woodland, a quiet stretch of countryside in one of the more built-up areas of the central belt.
Bog Factor
Good paths and tracks.
Palacerigg Country Park visitor centre.
None to start.
NS786732
The walk begins from the main Palacerigg car park, which is well signed. The route combines the waymarked 'Big Loop' with a walk around the Forest Wood nature reserve to make a longer walk. Begin by following the raised wooden walkway across the lochan to reach the visitor centre. This is currently closed down - we hope it can be reopened as it contains a stunning mural by renowned writer and artist Alasdair Gray to commemorate David Stephen, the naturalist who created the park.
Facing the visitor centre, turn sharp left, then fork right past a picnic table. Fork left at the next junction to near the approach road and follow the path beside it. Ignore a path in from the right, and take the right immediately after it to begin the 'Big Loop' on the path with the large rock in the middle (waymarked in orange but not all markers yet in place). After 150m go left at a track to a junction, then go immediately turn right to stay on the orange route. It leads past an archery course. At the next main path junction - after almost 400m - turn left - leaving the orange route for the next section.
Ignore a track off right, continuing until a larger track is met just after a vehicle barrier. Turn right here onto the track passing another metal barrier. Soon there are more open views on the left of parts of Cumbernauld. Keep straight on at a junction following the blue arrow to head along a path in the woods. Ignore a smaller path to the left, cross a more open area and soon come alongside a road to the left with a sign about Glencryan Wood. Don't go down to the road instead keep right here to head uphill into the trees.
The path passes through young woodland and across an open area and then more tress. At a T-junction turn right and soon keep left (green arrow) where another path forks uphill to the right.
Keep on the main path until this climbs uphill and take a smaller earth path on the right through young trees and bushes to soon emerge back on the main path. Turn right crossing a footbridge and continue until the next junction. Bear left here onto a long, very straight track - now back on the orange waymarked 'Big Loop'.
Keep straight ahead at the next path junction when a track comes in from the right, then at another when a track goes off left (to Forest Wood). Ignore the path off right marked in yellow. Eventually at a corner of the woods follow the main path which bends to the right (ignore the grassy path ahead). Keep left at the next junction; soon the track bends right again. Immediately after this turn left onto a path through a dense plantation. This soon bends right and comes alongside Fannyside Lochs over to the left. It then veers right again to reach a junction - go across a main path here, bearing slightly right - you are now back on the orange loop.
Keep ahead following the path to head back towards the start, initially with views over the golf course to your right. Ignore several paths off, but turn left on a wide surfaced pathbefore reaching the clubhouse to stay on the orange loop - there's a badger trail sign. The surfaced path soon bends right - keep ahead at several further junctions to return to the approach road to the car park. Cross the approach road and turn right along the path beside it to return to the start.
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