EK News Article: Eric Kent The latest Duncanrig Ramblers walks were just north of Glasgow. The main walk was a circuit round Mugdock Country Park and the adjoining reservoirs covering as distance of nine miles. The alternative walk was from the village of Netherton to Dungoyne and then back along the west Highland way to Mugdock Country Park covering a distance of 9.5 miles. The weather on the day was good for walking cold, clear and dry which allowed us to admire many fine views of  Loch Lomond and the snow capped hills to the north The main walk started out from the Craigend visitor centre going south and then walking out round above Craigallian Loch. The route by the loch was famous in the depression years before the Second World War as one of the popular routes out to the hills from the city. Close by the loch there was a meeting point and often a fire where these walkers would stop to socialise on the way back to the city. A number of famous mountaineering clubs were born at this fire namely The Creagh Dhu, The Lomond Mountaineering club and The Ptarmigan Club all of which drew their members from the working people of the Glasgow area. The walk passed on from the loch on by Cult brae and on to the edge of the village of Strathblane. The village was relatively small but grew in the early 19th century due in part to the development of a large calico printfield at Blanefield and two bleachfields at Dumbrock loch. Today most people commute to Glasgow area for employment.

Continuing round the edge of the country park the Deil’s Craig Dam was seen. This dam was formed for supply water for the calico printworks. A short distance on walking south the hamlet of Mugdock was reached. Amazingly, in days of old, this was a place of some consequence, likely due to the nearby Mugdock Castle as this was once a burgh town with a weekly market with two annual free fairs which is a far cry from the quiet and placid place of today. Shortly after that the walk reached the start of the circuit round the two reservoirs of Mugdock and Craigmaddie. These two large reservoirs to the north of Milngavie were part of the first and internationally famous British city fresh water system that was piped 55 kilometres from Loch Katrine to supply Glasgow with clean drinking water.  The earlier of the reservoirs is Mugdock Reservoir, opened in 1859. Craigmaddie Reservoir was completed in 1896 to cope with the demand from Glasgow's rapidly expanding industrial population. The walk progress from the dams up through the middle of Mugdock wood passing close by the ruins of Mugdock Castle which was the was the stronghold of the Clan Graham from the middle of the 13^th century until around the end of the 17^thcentury. The most famous of the Montrose Grahams was James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose who was an outstanding general. The walk proceeded up through the part of the Country Park called the Khyber Pass on past the remains of the ruins of Craigend Castle and finally back to the Craigend Visitor Centre where the walk finished.

The alternative walk started at the War memorial at the Blanefield Netherton gushet. This walk followed the old pipetrack route (water pipes transporting water from Loch Katrine to Glasgow) along beneath the Strathblane hills which are part of the Campsie Hills. The evidence of the Victorian origins of this feat of civil engineering is very abundant along this path as the architectural cast iron hardware of the old Glasgow Corporation still survives in the form of railings and gate posts. We followed this track until we reached a cottage called Cantiwheery where we left the pipe track and climbed steeply up the hill using a narrow track until we were well above the tree line. The route after that traversed along the side of the hill with great views of Glasgow and the Clyde valley including Tinto behind us and Loch Lomond and the snow covered hill to the north in front of us. Over to the west we could also clearly see Goatfell and the other Arran Hills. As we got closer to Dumgoyne we turned and travelled fairly steeply upwards in a north easterly direction passing up by the side of the hill where we were entranced by the agility of two mountain hares partially clad in their winter coat colours. These animals then gave us a dazzling demonstration on how to ascend up the slopes of Dumgoyne. We in comparison huffed and puffed our way up to complete the ascent to the top by the short very steep rear ascent route of the hill to the summit. Everyone agreed that the climb was worth it for the views today were exquisite due to the extremely clear conditions. And we were all reluctant to move off the summit for the steep decent down to the Strathblane Valley and the Glengoyne distillery. The distillery, which takes its name from “Glen Guin” or Glen of the Wild Geese, has been producing an exceptional single malt scotch whisky for nearly 200 years using the water from the Blairgar Burn which runs down from the Campsie Hills (soft water). With seven or so miles remaining to complete out walk we left the distillery and very quickly joined the West Highland way heading towards Milngavie. After a distance along an old railway track we then had a steady climb most of the way to get up out of the Strathblane Valley to the famous Huts at Carbeth Loch and continuing on the West Highland Way we passed by Craigallian Loch and on into the Mugdock Country park where we had to work again on the climb up through the Mugdock wood past the two castles and on to the end of the walk at the Craigend Visitor Centre. The Social Hour was at one of the hostelries at Strathblane which was enjoyed by all before the journey back to East Kilbride.