a special place
discover the past
enjoy the present
Broadwood Loch and Orchardton Woods cover a
Broadwood Loch was created in 1994 when a dam
There is a footpath around the loch with links to
large area of countryside on the western edge of
was built across the Mosswater to alleviate the
nearby houses. It includes a new path into
Cumbernauld. Set between industrial estates and
threat of flooding downstream.
Orchardton Woods which has added a half mile
the housing areas of Westfield and Blackwood the
loop to the loch path. Today it is a popular
reserve represents
destination for walking, jogging and dog walking.
willow warbler
a valuable area of
The path around the loch is nearly 2 miles long.
open greenspace
for people to enjoy.
grey heron
male goosander
coot
All kinds of birds use the loch; swans and mallard
swallow
dabble in the shallows for pondweed, diving ducks
Mosswater Farm stood where Wemyss Drive now
feed below the surface for insects and you may
stands and Westfield Farm stood near the site of
see coots arguing over territories. In the last few
Broadwood Business Park. The surrounding area
years the fish population has developed and now
was mostly fields and bogs with the Mosswater
attracts not only human
running from Condorrat between these two
anglers but also fish eating
farms to Twechar and the River Kelvin.
birds like great crested grebes,
With the construction of the A80 bypass, new
goosanders and herons.
marsh marigold
The loch itself forms a haven for large flocks of
swans and other waterfowl attracted by the rich
supply of pondweeds, insects and fish below the
water surface. Other habitats surround the loch;
listen for woodpeckers in Orchardton Woods,
watch the dragonflies hovering over the bogs and
ponds or the swallows swooping low over the
the stadium and loch, the old fields, bogs and
grassland in search of flying insects.
greater spotted common blue
damselfly
woodpecker
hawker
dragonfly
houses and industrial units and more recently,
ringlet butterfly
great crested grebe
common frog
In the woodlands listen
burns have all but gone. It is however still possible
for willow warblers and
to see the remnants of the ditches, hedgerows
blue tits; keep an eye out
and mature trees that marked boundaries within
for the elusive roe deer.
a much older farming landscape.
In the summer watch your feet as thousands of tiny frogs leave
the ditches and ponds and head for the shady undergrowth.
Broadwood Loch &
Orchardton Woods
Broadwood Loch &
Orchardton Woods
For more information please contact
North Lanarkshire Council, Conservation and Greening Unit
Palacerigg House, Cumbernauld, G67 3HU
Orchardton
On-site wildlife information Nature ponds
woods
participate in the future
We publish a greenspace diary every year with
details of activities, events and opportunities for
people to get involved all across North Lanarkshire.
discover
t: 01236 780636 e: [email protected]
www.northlan.gov.uk
Photographs courtesy of J Maxwell, North Lanarkshire Council Archive,
M Palmer and R McGuire
enjoy
participate