It is only February but so much has been achieved here already at the Falls of Clyde which is really exciting! For anyone who has visited the reserve and been across to the other side of the river, you will know that some of the viewpoint safety fencing was quite low. In Janaury, we have had a contractor upgrading two of our viewpoints near Corra Linn. You can see from the photos the before and after shots, and what a difference it has made! In the past, I never wanted to get too close to the fence, so now it is lovely to have something to lean on when looking at the river from these points.

Some of the other things we’ve been up to last month include using a couple of charcoal kilns which the South Lanarkshire Council rangers have kindly loaned us to make charcoal. We are still very much experimenting and working out how best to use them. It is a really great way for us to use the discarded wood we have from using the portable sawmill on site. The volunteers and I have been chopping the slab wood up into smaller pieces getting it ready for the kilns.

Lastly, we have been pulling together our new events programme for the year which includes guided walks on either side of the river for those interested in the history of Bonnington and Corehouse estates. We’re also running some Junior Ranger activities for children aged 10-14 years. Not forgetting our usual badger watching events running from May to August and also our Dipper Watch events throughout the weekends in the summer holidays. I’m exhausted already!

Laura Preston, Falls of Clyde Ranger
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