Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve

Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen are two distinct sections of the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR managed by NatureScot. Cleghorn Glen was designated as a National Nature Reserve in 1981 and Cartland Craigs was added in 1987. These two woodlands are located in deep gorges along a 4 km long section of Mouse Water. The main tree species on the lower slopes of the gorges are ash, elm, sycamore and hazel, with alder in the wetter areas. The higher parts of the woodlands have a more acidic soil, and are home to species such as oak, birch, hazel, Scots pine and occasional stands of aspen. The woodlands are considered representative of a type of habitat known as lime-sycamore forest; however Scotland is too far north for lime, and so their place is taken by elms.[11] Many of the elm, hazel and oak trees at the northern edge of Cleghorn Glen were coppiced between the early 19th and mid-20th centuries to provide wood for a variety of purposes including charcoal, pit props and products such as clogs and bobbins for the cotton mills at New Lanark.[12]

Over 210 species of flowering plants have been recorded at the two sites, including less-common species such alternate-leaved golden saxifrage, wood fescue, yellow star of Bethlehem, globe flower, Dutch rush and herb paris.[11][13]

The woodlands are ideal for badgers, who build their setts on the slopes of the gorges and forage for food in the surrounding fields.[13] Other mammals found include brown hares, pipistrelle bats, and otter. Of the birds present, the most notable are the spotted flycatcher, bullfinch and song thrush, all of which are identified as priority species in the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan.[14]

Jerviswood, on the edge of Cleghorn Glen, features in the Lanark Lanimers celebrations, as birks (birch twigs) from here are carried as part of the procession. This came about due to a dispute in 1840, in which townspeople were accused of damaging birch trees planted by the owner of the wood. Further investigations found that the land did not in fact belong to the purported owner, and so birks gathered from Jerviswood are carried to emphasise the town's right to march over this land.[15]

The natural amphitheatre at the base of Corra Linn (shown) is home to rare tundra plant-life.

The Falls of Clyde are a collection of four waterfalls along the river Clyde, near the villages of New Lanark and Stonebyres. Only the three falls near New Lanark (Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn and Dundaff Linn) are included in the Falls of Clyde site of special scientific interest; the other, Stonebyres Linn, is about 2 miles (3 km) further downstream.

Scottish Wildlife Trust, a charitable organisation, manages the Falls of Clyde site, focusing on the preservation of the endangered or protected wildlife in the grounds, such as peregrine falcons, roe deer and badgers.[16] Much interesting, protected and rare plant life can be found on the site, such as fields of heather, rowan, and bluebells; the slopes of the natural amphitheatre beneath Corra Linn are home to a rare tundra plant life which has survived since the last ice age. There is also a great variety of native woodland on the site. Much of Scotland's native woodland has been destroyed or replaced with exotic trees by human activity.

Within the Falls of Clyde site there is an abundance of architecture, including Bonnington Pavilion,[17] an 18th-century house of mirrors, an iron footbridge,[18] and the 15th-century Corra Castle, all of which are in ruins.[19][20]

Hamilton High Parks forms part of the Chatelherault estate, which is managed by South Lanarkshire Council. Part of the site is classified as a SSSI, although the NNR extends further to include most of the land along the Avon Water and Meikle Glen within the estate.[6] The main tree species at Hamilton High Parks are ash and elm, with areas of oak, birch and alder also present. The parkland oaks known as the Cadzow oaks are home to a number of rare types of beetle, including the hairy fungus beetle, which is not thought to be found anywhere else in Scotland.[21]

Mauldslie Woods lies west of Carluke, and is the only part of the NNR to have no other official designation. It is north of the Clyde, and has shallower slopes than the other sites in the Reserve. As a result, by the 1800s the woodland here had been cleared and replanted, including one section which was planted as orchard for apples, pears and plums. Since 2007 Mauldslie Woods has formed part of the NNR, and is now being actively managed to restore the native woodland. The aim is to use the site to demonstrate methods of woodland management that promote biodiversity alongside sustainable timber extraction.[7][22]

The Nethan Gorge portion of the NNR consists of two sites on the River Nethan that are managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. A path links the two reserves, following a route past Craignethan Castle.[23][24]

Upper Nethan Gorge, located near the village of Blackwood, contains an area of ancient woodland, in which ash and elm woodland grows on steep slopes above the River Nethan. The lower, wetter parts of the woodland host alderwoods, which are not common in South Lanarkshire. Plants such as broadleaved helleborine, wood melick and meadow saxifrage, all of which are locally uncommon, can be seen. Bird species present include great spotted woodpeckers and buzzards.[23][25]

Lower Nethan Gorge, located near the village of Crossford, is a semi-natural woodland consisting chiefly of elm, ash and oak trees. The site is particularly noted for a number of uncommon beetles including the nationally scarce species Cerylon fagi, Tetratoma ancora and Ptinomorphus imperialis. Other notable animals found here include green woodpeckers, otters and badgers.[24][26]

• "The Story of the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve" (PDF). Scottish National Heritage. 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2020.