Location: North
Lanarkshire
Map: OS Explorer
343
Distance: 5miles
( 8km )
Time: 2-3 hours
Terrain: good
paths
Orbiston, now mainly
a suburb of Bellshill, was once
an estate owned by the Hamiltons and in the 1820s was
the scene of a failed attempt at a co-operative working
community along the lines of New Lanark.
Locals
sarcastically dubbed the scheme Babylon and
nothing of it now remains All that can be seen of
the grand Orbiston House are three stone pillars.
but the name survives on the impressive viaduct
carrying the main railway line across the South
Calder Water.
Although this walk starts and ends in the ever-busy Strathclyde Park,
much of it is in a more
secluded area, through mature woodland and along
the South Calder. The main feature of Strathclyde
Park is its large artificial loch, which was used for
events at the Commonwealth Rowing
Championships last month. The loch attracts a
good variety of birdlife and at the start point for
this walk there are always ducks, swans and geese
eager to be fed.
The walk also passes a Roman bath-house,
discovered in the 19705 and moved to its current site
in 1980 in order to preserve it. The site is thought to
date from about l40AD and interpretation panels
show the impressive range of facilities available to
bathers There is also a “Roman bridge" which is
actually an old packhorse bridge.
In the glen of the South Calder there are various
habitats to enjoy, including woodland and wetland,
before you cross the river on a lovely old bridge, now
hardly used but at one time on the principal route
between Motherwell and Bellshill.
The return walk: mostly stays high above the
river, overtopping Corby Craig ( corby or corbie is a Scots word for a
crow ) then re-entering the main
part of the park for the final section. This walk
provides an ideal short outing at any time of year
“and is a reminder of how much decent countryside
we have around our major towns and cities.