How to Find Us

By Car The Park lies beside the A752, two miles north of the A8/M8 /Edinburgh trunk road and three miles to the south of the main Glasgow/ Stirling Road (A80).

A Brief History By Rail The Park is close to the main Glasgow/Airdrie line at Blairhill Station and services are More to see than meets the eye. approximately half hourly. The lochs at Drumpellier are part of a chain of Kettle Ponds formed towards the end of the last ice age. As the glacier By Bus Local bus companies run regular services along Townhead that covered most of Scotland slipped down towards the Road and Blair Road. Full service details are available from Airdrie sea it churned up great tracts of land. This created the Bus Depot. great lochs, such as Lomond and Linnhe, and also produced small pockets of water such as the chain of Requests for further information on the Park's main attractions, and all other enquiries, should be addressed to: Hogganfield, Frankfield and Bishops lochs including Woodend and Lochend, Drumpellier's two lochs. The Manager Drumpellier Country Park Man has also left Townhead Road, , ML5 1RX his mark on the Tel: 01236 422257 Fax: 01236 437332 park area over ".: many thousands of years. Flint tools of the stone age have been found on the shores of Woodend Loch, and Lochend Loch once boasted a fine example of a Crannog, a dwelling place of iron-age man situated on stilts in open water for security and protection. The site of the Crannog is depicted on Lochend Loch using small coloured buoys.

During the medieval period, Drumpellier was the farming grange of the Monks of Newbattle Abbey, which gives rise to the name of , the historical name for the surrounding area. Finally, the Monklands Canal lies at the South end of the Park, and is a reminder of the great industrial heritage of Monklands, providing an important link through Glasgow to the Clyde and the high seas. www.northlan.gov.uk Introduction Active Conservation Facilities

Drumpellier Country Park is situated within North There is no doubt that now more than ever there is a need Visitor Centre, Cafeteria, Formal Lanarkshire, to the west of Coatbridge and east of Glasgow. to protect the natural environment. Council Garden, Road Train*, Children's Play is committed to this and operates a policy of active Areas and Picnic Sites. Formerly a private estate, the land was given over as a Public conservation and many sites of importance to wildlife are Park in 1919. It was designated as a Country Park in 1984. being saved, protected and enhanced. We value your comments on this and other related topics. Should you wish to learn more about our conservation work, please ask to Activities Visitor Centre speak to the Countryside Ranger Service based at the Park.

The main entrance to the Park is from Townhead Road, Nature Trails, Boating*, Coatbridge, and the Visitor Centre is located here, providing Canoeing*, Children's Wildlife the ideal starting point for a visit to the Park. The Centre is Nature Club (Cygnets), open all year round, with the exception of 25-26 December Drumpellier Country Park covers an area of 500 acres and Orienteering, Full and 1-2 January. comprises of two natural lochs, one of which is a Site of Programme of Ranger

There is a cafeteria for refreshments, and a reception area which Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), heathland, woodland and Walks and Activities, contains a variety of information leaflets and displays on the grassland. Friends of Drumpellier Park, its many walks, varied wildlife and natural history. There (50+ Club), Conservation Task is full disabled access and ample parking facilities close by. The Monklands Canal lies towards the southern perimeter Group, Angling - Coarse + Game of the Park. The lochs and the canal attract a large number "Seasonal (Please check) of water birds, both resident and over-wintering migrants, and the loch shores and woodland floor provides an abundance of wild flora. The woodlands are also rich in bird life, small wild animals and many types of fungi. A network The Countryside Ranger Service of paths makes for easy access to all areas of the Park, and many of these are suitable for wheelchairs and prams. Rangers from North Lanarkshire Council's Countryside Ranger Service are based at the Visitor Centre in Drumpellier Park. They run a varied programme of events and activities throughout the year, normally on a Sunday. The Rangers are available to give walks and talks to Groups or Clubs interested in wildlife and conservation. The Service is also involved in supporting school projects dealing with the environment and associated topics, and welcomes enquiries from teaching staff for in-service training, etc.