Scotland’s National Nature Reserves Story of Clyde... · Cartland Craigs (10.29ha) to create the...

Scotland’s National Nature Reserves

The Story of the Clyde Valley

Woodlands National Nature

Reserve

For further information about the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve please contact:

Scottish Natural Heritage, 30 Hope Street, Lanark, ML11 7NE

Tel. 01555 665928 Fax. 01555 661966

Email: [email protected]

The Story of the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve

Foreword The Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve (NNR) is a real gem located on the very edge of Scotland’s Central Belt. The Reserve is made up of six discrete woodlands, and stretches almost 12 kilometres (km) along the meandering Clyde Valley from Hamilton to New Lanark. These woodlands occupy dramatic river gorges whose steep rugged sides are clothed in trees and mosses, a real escape from their agricultural setting. The Reserve has outstanding examples of the ancient, semi-natural, deciduous woodland which would once have covered great swathes of lowland central Scotland. In spring the woodlands come alive with colour and are carpeted with bluebells, wild garlic, wood anemone and wood sorrel. These woodlands and the ravine habitats are also home to a fascinating and unusual array of invertebrates. Beetles and hoverflies thrive amongst the deadwood whilst in the summer a rare species of caddis fly emerges from its larva. Visitors to the Reserve also have the rare opportunity to see badgers at close quarters and to watch peregrine falcons during the breeding season. The Clyde Valley Woodlands is one of 55 (2010) NNRs in Scotland. Scotland’s NNRs are special places for nature where some of the best examples of Scotland’s wildlife are managed. Whilst nature comes first on NNRs they also offer special opportunities for visitors to enjoy and find out about the richness of our natural heritage. Until 2007 the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR included only the woodlands of Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen. The addition of 4 new areas of woodland, Chatelherault (Hamilton High Parks), Mauldslie Woods, Nethan Gorge and the Falls of Clyde marked a major turning point for the Reserve, which now offers a comprehensive array of visitor opportunities and facilities. What’s more, is that the Reserve is perhaps unique amongst Scotland’s suite of NNRs in that it provides easy access to and enjoyment of internationally important woodlands for approximately two million people living in largely urban central Scotland. This unusual proximity of wildlife to people offers enormous opportunities to re-engage communities with nature.


The woodlands at Chatelherault and Mauldslie are owned and managed by South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) and those at Nethan Gorge and the Falls of Clyde, by the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT). Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is working in partnership with the Council and the SWT to develop the wider NNR. The Story of the Clyde Valley Woodlands contains background information about the Reserve prior to 2007, when it was just the woodlands of Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen, describing the wildlife interest, its land use history and management since it became a Reserve. How we intend to manage the Reserve in future years is outlined in a separate document, the Reserve Proposals. Your comments will be invited on the Proposals and this feedback will inform the production of the final Reserve Plan which will be the blueprint for the management of our part of the Reserve for the next few years (Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen). For further information about Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve, please contact: Scottish Natural Heritage, 30 Hope Street, Lanark, ML11 7NE Telephone: 01555 665928 Fax: 01555 661966 E-mail: [email protected]

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Contents

Foreword ....................................................................................................................................... i

Maps of Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR........................................................................... iv

1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 1

2 The Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR ....... 5

3 Management of the Clyde Valley Woodlands before they became a NNR... 9

4 Management of the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR........................................... 12

5 Document properties...................................................................................................... 19

Appendix 1 – National Nature Reserves (NNR) .......................................................... 21

Appendix 2 – Special Area of Conservation (SAC) ..................................................... 23

Appendix 3 - Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).................................................. 26


Maps of Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR

Location maps

Boundary of Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR

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1 Introduction The Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR, in total, covers approximately 318.42 hectares (ha) of woodland stretching intermittently along the mid Clyde Valley from Hamilton to New Lanark. The Reserve is made up of six discrete woodlands. These include Hamilton High Parks (Chatelherault) on the outskirts of Hamilton, Mauldslie Woods at Dalserf, Nethan Gorge at Crossford, the contiguous woodlands of Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs, two kilometres (km) north of Lanark and the Falls of Clyde at New Lanark. Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs have been managed as an NNR since the 1980’s. Cleghorn Glen (41ha) was declared a NNR in 1981 with the addition of Cartland Craigs (10.29ha) to create the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR in 1987. SNH has managed these woodlands ever since and it is their Story as part of the Clyde Valley Woodlands that this document covers. Boundary of Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs

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The mid Clyde Valley is a gentle landscape dominated by rolling pasture, orchards and small industrial towns. Hidden throughout this landscape are dramatic ravines that slice their way through the valley sandstone. At ground level the woodlands appear as narrow belts of trees amidst the otherwise agricultural land. It is only when viewed from the air or on entering the woodlands that their scale and beauty can be fully appreciated. Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs occupy two deep gorges along the valley of the Mouse Water, a tributary of the River Clyde, which it flows into just west of the Reserve. Cleghorn Glen snakes its way from the A706 north-east of Lanark, west for approximately 3 km, to a minor road called Mousebank Road. From here, Cartland Craigs continues another 1km south west to meet the A73 at the Cartland Bridge. Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs are outstanding examples of ancient, semi-natural deciduous woods. Ash, oak and elm dominate the alkaline soils associated with the rocky slopes of the precipitous gorges whilst higher up rowan, birch and Scot’s pine favour the better drained soil. In spring and early summer dog’s mercury, wild garlic, wood anemone and bluebells carpet the woodland floor, with rarer plants like alternate-leaved golden saxifrage and herb paris also well represented. The variety of habitats provide an abundance of niches for a nationally important wealth of rare invertebrate life. An endangered species of caddis fly is found here, and a number of locally uncommon beetles that like the deadwood found in the woodlands have also been recorded on the Reserve. Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs are less than an hour’s drive from the estimated 2 million people who live in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Motherwell, Hamilton and the smaller towns of Lanark, Carluke, Wishaw, and Larkhall. The Reserve is one of only a handful of National Nature Reserves that are located close to so many people. In common with most of the Central Belt the Reserve has an average annual rainfall of

Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR

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approximately 1000 millimetres. On average there are gales on between five and ten days each year and ground frosts can occur from October until late into May. SNH owns all of Cartland Craigs (within the NNR) and 17ha of Cleghorn Glen. The rest of the Reserve at Cleghorn Glen is owned by Mr Elliot-Lockhart, with whom we have a 99-year Nature Reserve Agreement (NRA), due for renewal in 2080. The Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR has been designated for its wildlife interest at European and UK level. Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen (along with Hamilton High Parks and Nethan Gorge) form part of the Clyde Valley Woodlands Special Area of Conservation (SAC), which includes 11 woodlands in the Clyde Valley. The Clyde Valley Woodlands SAC has been designated for its Tilio-Acerion (lime – sycamore) mixed woodland. The Clyde Valley Woodlands SAC is part of a European Union (EU) wide network of protected sites known as the Natura 2000 network. This network aims to protect those habitats and species that are rare, endangered or vulnerable within the European Community. The Natura 2000 network includes other areas across the EU that have also been designated as SACs for their Tilio-Acerion forests on slopes, screes and ravines. These include dramatic gorge woodlands found in France. At a national level the Cartland Craigs section of the Reserve forms part of the Cartland Craigs Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and at Cleghorn Glen, it forms part of the Cleghorn Glen SSSI. Further details of these designations are given in the Appendices. Table 1: Designations and qualifying features of the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR

SAC SSSI SSSI European UK UK

Designation

Clyde Valley Woodlands

Cartland Craigs

Cleghorn Glen

Habitat Tilio-Acerion (lime – sycamore*) forests of slopes, screes and ravines**

Upland mixed ash woodland Species Caddis fly

* Lime is replaced by elm in northern European sites. ** This is a priority habitat under the Habitats Directive.

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Two monuments are also found within the Cartland Craigs section of the Reserve; Castle Qua and Wallace’s Cave. Visitors arriving by car to the Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs part of the Reserve tend to park on verge sides along some of the minor roads running close to the Reserve, or park at the Cartland Bridge where there is limited parking at the South Lanarkshire Council informal car park. At present there are no formal car parks to serve this part of the Reserve. Map showing key locations at Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Crags

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2 The Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR

Geology and geomorphology The dramatic cliffs and ravines of the Reserve were formed after the last Ice Age when melt waters from glaciers scoured deep gorges through the bedrock. The bedrock is mostly limestone with old red sandstone found only at Cleghorn Glen. Glacial deposits of sand and gravel were washed down in the meltwaters, and now lie at the eastern end of Cleghorn Glen. On all but the steepest cliffs boulder clay soils overlay the bedrock, these keep the ground wet and poorly drained. The Mouse Water runs through the Reserve, and small streams and flushes such as Fulwood Burn, drain into it. High water sometimes causes erosion and land slippage. Upland mixed ash woodland The upland mixed ash woodland of the Reserve is part of the most extensive complex of woodland gorges with Tilio-Acerion forests in Scotland. In the Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen sections of the Reserve the woodland covers approximately 51 ha., creating a narrow strip of woodland that hugs the steep ravine gorges of the Mouse Water for 4 kilometres (km). The base-rich lower slopes of the woodland are dominated by ash, elm, sycamore and hazel with alder in the wetter areas. On the higher slopes, where the ground starts to become influenced by more acidic conditions oak, birch, hazel and Scots pine are widespread together with occasional stands of aspen. The internationally important woodland type that the Reserve is special for is called a ‘tilio-acerion (lime-sycamore) forest on slopes, screes and ravines’. The natural

distributions of lime (tilio) and sycamore (acerion) do not go as far north as Scotland, and so in the Clyde Valley Woodlands these shade-bearing species would have been replaced by elm. In many other ways however the woods resemble their southern counterparts - fern banks flourish with stands of wild garlic in

Mixed broadleaf woodland

the moister areas;

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dog’s mercury carpets the woodland floor on the drier, base-rich soils and there is a wide range of herbs and grasses associated with the calcareous scree and gorge sides. Dutch elm disease has taken a major toll on the elms of the Reserve. Few mature elms survive although in places there is prolific vegetative regeneration of elm which has become an important understorey component of the woodland. The dead wood the mature elms provide however is an important part of these woodlands, and the gaps created by the dying trees allow light onto the woodland floor resulting in a wide range of shrubby growth. Bramble, blaeberry and wild raspberry flourish in these gaps, and the standing and fallen deadwood also provides an essential habitat for nesting birds, invertebrates, fungi and mosses. Sycamore, although one of the key species of this woodland type in Continental Europe, is not native in Scotland, but it is quick to take advantage of gaps in the canopy left by the dying elms. In some places, where the essential shading effect provided by elm has been completely lost, sycamore can perform an important role in maintaining the shady, humid conditions favoured by the other shade tolerant species associated with this habitat. In other parts of the Reserve, beech (which is also not native to Scotland) is spreading and displacing native species. Beech woodlands produce heavy and persistent leaf litter which inhibits the development of native ground flora. Consequently, the presence of beech within the NNR needs to be monitored and controlled. Tilio-acerion woodlands are widespread from Scandinavia to the Pyrenees, and into Italy. Continental Europe, where both lime and sycamore are native, forms the centre of their distribution. In the UK, the distribution of this type of woodland is restricted, and most are found in England and Wales with only 18 designated sites in Scotland. Flora and Fauna

Bluebells and tall herbs

Higher plants Over 210 species of flowering plants have been recorded on the Reserve. Common species such as bluebell, wood anemone, wild garlic, dog’s mercury, wood sorrel and primrose provide a spectacular floral display from April through to June. Amidst this carpet of colour are at least 20 regional woodland rarities including alternate-leaved golden saxifrage, wood fescue, yellow star of Bethlehem, globe flower and Dutch

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rush (so named because its rough leaves were used for scouring pots in the Netherlands). One of the most interesting plants to be found on the Reserve is the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) species, herb paris. This is a beautiful and distinctive tall woodland plant with four deep green leaves which surround the flower like a starry collar in May and June. A healthy stand of this rare plant survives at Cleghorn Glen (Griffith et al, 2009). Invertebrates Cleghorn Glen is nationally important for an endangered (Red Data Book (RDB)) species of caddis fly (Adicella filicornis). The caddis fly nymphs cling to the stream beds thriving in the clean, alkaline conditions created by the water running over the base-rich bedrocks. They only emerge as adults briefly during the summer to mate, lay their eggs and then die. The Reserve also has an impressive array of other invertebrates, most of which are associated with deadwood, and have no common names. Cleghorn Glen is the richest site in the Clyde Valley for flies that are dependent on dead or decaying wood (saproxylic flies) such as Mycetobia pallipes and Systenus pallipes. Rare hoverfly (Aulacigaster leucopeza and Brachyopa insensilis) which feed exclusively on elm sap-runs have also been recorded and beetles are represented by a nationally scarce small spiny weevil called Brachysomus echinatus. Cartland Craigs is the only known site in Scotland for two tiny moths, Phyllonorycter tristrigella and Stigmella prunetorum. The larvae of the RDB soldier fly (Oxycera pardalina), a nationally notable cranefly (Tipula cheetam) and a moth fly (Pericoma trifasciata) have also been recorded in a small burn on the Reserve. There are nine other invertebrates of local importance, most of which were last recorded in 1977 but are likely to still be present on the Reserve. Other fauna

Badger

Badgers thrive in these woodlands; tracks, latrines and scrapes are evidence of their nocturnal activities. The gorge slopes are ideal for digging setts and the surrounding fields provide the badgers with plentiful food, especially earth worms, their favourite delicacy. Three UKBAP mammalian

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species are also found in the woodlands. Brown hares favour the woodland fringes where they are close to the open agricultural fields. At night these woodland edges offer plentiful prey for foraging pipistrelle bats, whilst otters are far more secretive but regularly use the Mouse Water. The Reserve has a typical mix of woodland birds. Three UKBAP species; the spotted flycatcher, bullfinch and song thrush are all known to use the Reserve. Treecreepers and great spotted woodpeckers spiral their way up the trunks searching for grubs and insects in the bark. Dippers and kingfishers plunge into the fast waters of the Mouse Water and Cartland Craigs is home to willow tit. Historical heritage There are two historical monuments within the Reserve; Wallace’s Cave and Castle Qua. Wallace’s Cave is a natural cleft in the rock where Wallace reputedly hid to evade pursuit by soldiers; it is inaccessible to walkers. Castle Qua is a medieval earthworks thought to date back to around 1100. Little is known about the castle other than there was a souteraine (an underground living space) inside it at some point.

Summary

The Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen sections of the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR are typical of the whole Reserve. With gorge sides dominated by ancient, semi-natural mixed broad-leaved woodland they form part of the most extensive example of this woodland type in Scotland. The woodlands support a fascinating array of plants and insects, and offer a haven for mammals and birds right in the heart of the most populated parts of Scotland.

The Mouse Water

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3 Management of the Clyde Valley Woodlands before they became a NNR

History of Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen

10,000 years ago

The river that is now known as the Mouse Water started to erode the old red sandstone to create the gorge which today forms the heart of Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen.

Early Medieval 1100

Castle Qua was built as a promontory fort on the northern edge of the gorge.

1140 Lanark is granted its Royal Burgh charter and each year the town boundaries are walked by dignitaries’ on Lanark Lanimer Day.

c1305

William Wallace is reputed to have hidden in what is now known as Wallace’s Cave while fleeing from troops trying to capture him.

Early 19th century

Woodlands probably managed as a coppice-with-standards on a cycle of 25 to 30 years (Sansum et al, 2005).

Mid 19th century Strong demand for birch coppice to make gunpowder, clogs and bobbins.

19th century

The Ordnance Survey map of 1862 shows conifers present in the woodlands. They are thought to have been planted.

Mid-20th century Coppicing of oak, elm and hazel at the top of the gorge ended.

1953 Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs are notified as SSSIs 1980

The timber crop on the land at Cleghorn Glen, owned by Lady Elliot-Lockhart is purchased by the Nature Conservancy Council1 (NCC).

1981 Cleghorn Glen is declared a National Nature Reserve.

1983 NCC purchase 17 ha of Cleghorn Glen and all of Cartland Craigs (that part within the NNR).

1987 Cartland Craigs is declared as part of the National Nature Reserve and together with Cleghorn Glen forms the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR.

Land use before the Clyde Valley Woodlands became a NNR Lanark Lanimer Day Lanark is one of the oldest Royal Burghs in Scotland, having been granted its charter in 1140. One of the duties of the burghs was to check their boundaries each year.

1 The Nature Conservancy was the first government organisation for nature conservation, followed by the Nature Conservancy Council (1973 -1990), the Nature Conservancy Council Scotland (1990 – 1991) and Scottish Natural Heritage (1992 – present).

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Lanark is one of the few burghs to have kept that tradition alive unbroken since 1140. The Lanark Lanimer celebrations are part of this ritual, and involve a procession of people, including the town’s dignitaries, marching and riding around the town to check the 15 marking stones of the boundaries. Since 1840 people have carried birks (birch twigs) taken from Jerviswood (Cleghorn Glen) as part of this ritual. This came about after a dispute between the town and the then Laird of Jerviswood. He tried to stop the Lanimer procession from crossing what he said was his land, accusing them of damaging 300 of his newly planted birch trees. Later, when the official records were checked, it was found that the Laird had never officially been sold the land. The birks have been collected from Jerviswood ever since and used during the procession to exercise the town’s rights to march over the land at Jerviswood. Lanark Lanimer Day is traditionally held on the second Thursday in June with the march carried out on the Monday of the same week. This ancient celebration is still held every year within the Royal Burgh of Lanark. Water power

Lanark Lanimer procession

There are four old mill sites along the Mouse Water; Lockhart Mill, Cunning Willie’s Mill, Blacking Mill and Cleghorn Mill. These are evidence of the river being used in the past to generate power for a variety of uses. Lockhart Mill is now a ruin, but we know it was originally a lint mill making linen for uniforms in the Napoleonic Wars. There was an old bridge to the mill, Lockhart Mill Bridge, but even before that was built the Mouse would have been crossed near here by a ford. Further upstream where the Fulwood Burn meets the Mouse Water, is the site of another old mill, Cunning Willie’s Mill - only the lade2 of the mill is now visible. This mill diverted water from the stream itself to power a mill wheel. Continuing upstream is another lade from the Blacking Mill. This mill is said to have been used by a firm called ‘Terra Cotta Brickworks’ to provide power for their factory. Bricks from the works can be seen in the path to the red bridge at Leitchford. This route formed part of the Ayr to Edinburgh road and would have been used by workers coming to the works from Lanark. The Cleghorn Mill, no longer visible, was used to grind charcoal for the foundries of the industrial age.

2 Lade – a channel diverting water from the burn to the mill.

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The Cleghorn Mill was demolished and replaced with an early hydro-electric scheme to power the electric railway at Monteith House. Coppice, bobbins & gunpowder Many of the elm, hazel and oak, along the northern rim of Cleghorn Glen show signs of being coppiced in the past. The trees would have been cut down in a way that allowed them to regenerate from the base. From the early 19th century many of the riverside woodlands of the Clyde Valley were managed as coppice-with-standards on a cycle of 25-30 years. From the size of the stools in the woods today, and estimating levels of growth it looks like the practice of coppicing probably ceased 40 – 50 years ago. The wood that was harvested was probably used for a variety of purposes. It is possible that wood from Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen was used for tanbark and charcoal to fuel the local mills. Prior to using conifer stands there was also a demand for local wood to be used as pit props for mines. As late as 1876, there was a strong demand for coppicing birch to make gunpowder and clogs and for local woodlands to makes bobbins for the thriving cotton mills at New Lanark. Summary The inaccessibility of the steep gorges suggests that some of the woodland has stayed more or less untouched by man, although for most of the woodland in this area there has been a long history of management intervention, harvesting the trees for a wide variety of purposes. These woodlands are tied to the people of Lanark through their cultural heritage, and the annual gathering of birks for the Lanimer celebrations. The power of the water that flows through these woodlands was also an important commodity for early industry, and tapped to run mills.

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4 Management of the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR Key events in the history of the Clyde Valley Woodlands since they became a NNR are as follows: Date Event

1981 A 99-year Nature Reserve Agreement for part of Cleghorn Glen is agreed between NCC and Lady Elliot-Lockhart. Cleghorn Glen is declared a NNR.

1983 NCC purchase part of Cleghorn Glen and all of Cartland Craigs (NNR part).

1987 Together, Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs are declared the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR.

Pre NNR - present

Lanark Lanimer Committee, in association with the Hyndford Bowmen Archery Club, gather up to 4,000 twigs each year for the Lanimer celebrations. This helps to maintain the sight lines for the archery club within Jerviswood.

1987 The first higher plant survey is carried out. 1993 John Aitken is appointed the Reserve’s first Honorary Warden. 1996

Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs are included as part of the composite Clyde Valley Woodlands candidate SAC. They are 2 of 11 woodlands along the Clyde Valley making up the composite site.

The Clyde Valley Woodlands Initiative (CVWI) is launched. 1997

A Woodland Project Officer is appointed by the Clyde and Avon Valleys Project (CAVP) and funding partners.

1997

The first colour information leaflet is produced for the Reserve and new monoliths at the entrances to the Reserve are installed.

1999 The first Reserve Management Plans are produced for the Reserve. 2000 Andrew Nelson is appointed Honorary Warden. 2001 Clyde Valley Woodlands Partnership supersedes CVWI. 2001 – 2005 The Reserve woodlands are part of the European Union’s Clyde

Valley Woodlands LIFE project. 2005

Clyde Valley Woodlands Special Area of Conservation is designated.

2006

SNH Main Board agrees to extend the Reserve to include a further four woodland sites along the Clyde Valley.

2006 A new hydro-electric station is installed at Cleghorn Glen at the site of the old hydro-electric scheme.

2007 The Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR is extended to include the Falls of Clyde, Nethan Gorge, Hamilton High Parks and Mauldslie Woods. The Reserve is managed in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and South Lanarkshire Council (SLC).

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2008 Completion of upgraded paths and new footbridges (e.g. at Fulwood Burn.

2009 New signage suite installed throughout the Reserve. 2009 New self-guided trail, sculptural posts and accompanying leaflet

completed in partnership with the Robert Owen Memorial Primary School in Lanark and local sculptor, Alan Kain.

Management of the Natural and Cultural Heritage The nature of the Reserve, with its high cliffs and deep gorges, means that much of the woodland has been allowed to develop naturally, with little intervention or direct management required. Our main focus for management of the woodland has been to encourage the development and expansion of native tree species, to control or remove non-native trees and shrubs, and to allow dead and decaying trees and wood to stay on site to provide good habitat for the animals and plants that rely on its presence. We have always had a programme of removing non-native tree species, particularly beech and sycamore, from the Reserve. Beech and sycamore most likely spread into the Reserve from local seed produced by planted specimen trees. These species have successfully colonised the woodland gaps left by dying elms and controlling their spread is an ongoing commitment. Beech avenues and planted pasture trees are a characteristic landscape feature of the local area. Indeed, most of Cleghorn Glen is fringed by planted mature beech; a prominent landscape feature that we recognise as locally significant. Currently our approach is to remove regenerating beech saplings and to leave the mature trees around the periphery. We also control snowberry on the Reserve, another escapee from planted garden specimens; we control this shrub annually by spraying. Before 2001 our control of the non-native tree species was largely on an ad hoc basis, and limited, to some extent, by the technical requirements of removing trees from the gorges. In 2001 however, the Reserve was included as part of the Clyde Valley Woodlands LIFE Project. This project provided EU funding to support the work needed to remove the invasive non-native trees from the 11 Clyde Valley woodlands, including Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen, that form the SAC. The project funded a range of management activities necessary to ensure the best possible condition of the woodland habitats. Within the Reserve, there was a concentrated effort to fell non-native trees and clear shrubs like snowberry and periwinkle. Felled trees were left on the Reserve, to provide a valuable deadwood resource for wildlife. In addition, rubbish that had been dumped over the boundary of the Reserve was also removed. On the Reserve, this much needed boost now puts us in a stronger position to keep on top of any new non-native regeneration.

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Recently, we have also started to encourage aspen to spread in the wetter, more open areas of the woodlands. Aspen is a Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) species, and is usually found in groups that are single-sex; the trees spreading by their roots suckering and only very occasionally producing seed. By taking cuttings from these suckers and transplanting them in other parts of the woodland we hope to help this native tree spread. As well as practical management of the woodlands, we also carry out monitoring of the features of European and UK importance, as part of our site condition monitoring programme. The last survey was carried out in 2002. Cartland Craigs was surveyed again in 2009 and was found to be unfavourable due to the proportion of non-natives, chiefly sycamore. Cleghorn Glen was not surveyed in 2009. The invertebrate life of the Reserve has received plenty of interest in the past and is well documented. We commissioned surveys to investigate the saproxylic and other insects (1997) of the woodlands, and the molluscs and caddis flies (1997). The Clyde Valley Woodlands Life Project also produced two pieces of research based on information, in part, provided from the Reserve. One looked at the stand dynamics in the tilio-acerion woodlands of the Clyde Valley (Thompson et al, 2005), and the other provided a short history of the Clyde Valley Woodlands (Sansum et al, 2005). In addition, during 2008 and 2009, SNH has commissioned research into the aspen and herb paris populations on the NNR. Management for People

Woodland path

Prior to 2007, visitor facilities on the Reserve were low key, with no formal parking and a fairly basic path network. Whilst it remains an aspiration to improve the parking, considerable improvements have been made to access provision at the site. Paths have been upgraded, with localised surfacing and the installation of footbridges, steps and ramps. It is now possible to undertake an uninterrupted 4km walk along the whole gorge from Cartland to Cleghorn. In addition, the NNR signage has been renewed and updated with interpretation about the Reserve.

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New signage on the Reserve

Our earlier approach to visitor access was it is fair to say, precautionary. We made a conscious decision not to promote the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR for access. This was not because we didn’t want people to experience this fabulous Reserve, but because we are acutely aware of the potentially hazardous nature of the steep-sided gorges at both Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs. The paths through the woodlands can be slippery and on occasion run close to the edges of the gorge. Our visitor facility management mainly concentrated on repairing sections of path and removing fallen trees, which blocked paths. A new extended Reserve Recognising the potential to increase awareness of these stunning woodlands, in September 2007 together with the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and South Lanarkshire Council, we extended the Reserve to include more of the gorge woodlands along the entire valley. The extension includes sites such as the Falls of Clyde and Chatelherault with their outstanding visitor facilities. These two woodlands now act as ‘gateways’ to the Reserve. Nethan Gorge offers a similar experience to Cleghorn Glen further up the valley, and we have included Mauldslie Woods partly as an experimental site for demonstration of best practice woodland biodiversity management. Overall of course, the extension has meant that access is now greatly improved, and the Reserve and its special qualities are far more accessible to a greater range of people. We work together with the SWT and South Lanarkshire Council to promote the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR as a whole. New signs have been installed throughout the Reserve using the nationally recognised NNR signage suite with a badger as our local identity. We have also installed interpretation panels at the Falls of Clyde, Chatelherault, Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs. Visitors to Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs remain popular walking routes used regularly by local people and dog walkers, who enjoy open access to both. We do not have an accurate estimate of the total number of visitors although there is some anecdotal evidence that visitor numbers have increased in recent years, possibly due to the improved paths and as a result of new housing developments in the area around the Reserve.

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Map showing current visitor facilities at Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen

We offer a programme of guided walks each year during the spring, summer and autumn months. These are advertised locally and are often well attended. Ramblers groups also use the paths, and specialists sometimes visit to study the invertebrates, especially at Cleghorn Glen. At times the Reserve is used by student and school groups, but the terrain has meant that it is not well suited to larger groups. At Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs, we have also made significant improvements to our visitor provisions. Over the winter of 2007-2008 we started a programme of work on the path network in these woodlands, upgrading the narrow linear paths to include sections of boardwalk, building 2 footbridges and 3 viewpoints, widening the path in places, and making slight changes of the route to avoid cliff edges, and in some places, badger setts! These paths now form a self-guided walk with sculptural posts and an accompanying leaflet that provides information about why these woodlands are so special. New links are also being forged with local schools, notably the Robert Owen Memorial Primary School in Lanark, in an attempt to re-engage the local community with the importance, both natural and cultural, of these woodlands.

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Clyde Valley Woodlands Partnership Locally all of the Clyde Valley Woodlands, including the Reserve, have been promoted by the Clyde Valley Woodlands Partnership (formerly Clyde Valley Woodlands Initiative) which helped to promote the value and importance of these woodlands to local people. The partnership included SNH, SWT, Greenspace Scotland, Forestry Commission, South Lanarkshire Council, and Central Scotland Forest Trust. Similarly, community work which commenced with the LIFE project has been continued by the project manager (LIFE project), who works with landowners and the local community to promote the aims of the Project. A newsletter is published regularly to keep landowners informed of work going on within the scheme, including the NNR. Property Management Cartland Craigs and part of Cleghorn Glen are owned by SNH. The Elliot-Lockhart family own the remaining part of the Reserve at Cleghorn Glen, and we manage this through a 99-year Nature Reserve Agreement which expires in 2080. Scottish Power has a right of access for maintenance and repairs along the wayleaves, and carries out essential scrub clearance by coppicing trees below and close to the power lines crossing the Reserve. Hyndford Bowmen Archery Club also use the Jerviswood part of Cleghorn Glen as an archery course. There are no buildings associated with the Reserve. We are partly responsible for maintaining fences and walls on some of the Reserve boundaries to prevent stock from entering the Reserve, and to maintain the boundary with others’ property. In the late 1990s this included carrying out repair works to the old stone dyke surrounding the Elliot-Lockhart family graveyard, to the north of Cleghorn Glen. Given the age of the wall, a specialist contractor was used and the repairs were made with reclaimed stone and a lime mortar mix. Repairs to the fences, and removing trees that have fallen across ownership boundaries and paths within the wood is usually an annual requirement. With the upgrade of the path network, we have an increased commitment to looking after these facilities and new ones in the future. We inspect the facilities every quarter to ensure that they are safe and in good condition and our Honorary Warden regularly patrols the Reserve. In addition, there is a Fire Plan and a Health and Safety Plan for the Reserve. Our aim is, as always, to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable and safe visit to the Reserve.

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The car park to the west of the Reserve at Cartland Bridge is owned and maintained by South Lanarkshire Council. Map showing the land ownership at Cartland Craigs and Cleghorn Glen

Summary The Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR is one of the most accessible ancient woodland Reserves in the country, being within easy reach of so many people in Central and Southern Scotland. We are meeting the challenge of providing access to these beautiful, dramatic, yet steep-sided gorges, whilst at the same time, ensuring that the habitats and wildlife that make these woods so special continue to thrive. Our aim is to continue with these improvements and work with our partners to raise the profile of these outstanding ancient gorge woodlands.

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5 Document properties References Ecosurveys Ltd. (1997). Invertebrate survey of the Clyde Valley Woodlands SSSIs (Molluscs and Caddisflies). SNH Report Griffith, A. and Acton, A. (2009). A survey of the distribution and habitat requirements of Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia) in the Clyde Valley Woodlands. Nature Conservancy Council (1979). Woodland conservation prospectus for the Mid Clyde Valley. Peterken, G. F. (2000). Clyde Valley forest habitat network. SNH Report. Ramsay, A. (1995). A Survey of the invertebrates of grassland sites and woodland coleoptera in Cleghorn Glen SSSI. SNH Report. Sansum,P., Stewart, M. and Watson, F. (2005). A Preliminary History of the Clyde Valley Woodlands. Scottish Natural Heritage (1997). Saproxylic and other insects of the Clyde Valley Woodlands. SNH Report. Thompson, R. & Peace, A. (2005). Stand Dynamics in Tilio-Acerion Woodlands of the Clyde Valley. Waltho, C.M. (1999). The breeding birds of the Clyde Valley Woodlands. Clyde Valley Woodlands Initiative. Worrell, R. (2008). Aspen in the Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR: Survey and recommendations for future planting. Acknowledgments The Story of the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve has been written by Sue Walker (Freelance contractor) and Emma Philip (SNH Managed Sites Unit – NNRs), and approved by Ross Johnston (Area Manager – Strathclyde and Ayrshire). We would like to thank the following SNH staff for their contribution and comments on earlier drafts: Martin Twiss (Area Officer – Woodlands & NNR Projects), Lyndsey Kinnes (Operations Manager - Lanarkshire), Kate Holl (Woodland Policy & Advice Officer), Geoff Aitkin (Area Access Officer and Susi Hodgson (Geographic Information Officer).

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Photographs Photography by Lorne Gill/SNH, Alison Herman (SNH) and Laurie Campbell. Links Scottish Natural Heritage www.snh.org.uk SNH Sitelink www.snh.org.uk/snhi/ Clyde Valley Woodlands Project www.clydevalleywoods.org.uk South Lanarkshire Council www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk Scottish Wildlife Trust www.swt.org.uk Joint Nature Conservation Committee www.jncc.gov.uk Core Forest Sites www.coreforestsites.co.uk

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Appendix 1 – National Nature Reserves (NNR) Scotland’s National Nature Reserves are special places for nature, where many of the best examples of Scotland’s natural heritage are protected. Whilst nature always comes first on our NNR’s, they also offer special opportunities for people to enjoy and find out about the richness of our natural heritage. NNRs are declared under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 or the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. A policy for NNRs in Scotland was developed in 1996. This policy requires NNRs in Scotland to have four attributes and be managed for one or more of the three purposes. The attributes are:

• Primacy of nature – The needs of nature will be placed at the heart of decisions about land-use and management of our NNRs, and nature conservation will be the overriding land use, although it may not be the sole purpose of management.

• National importance – The NNR must be managed for the features of interest,

which are of national importance on the NNR i.e. for the protection of geological features, habitats or species found there.

• Best practice management – NNRs must be well managed, not only to

safeguard the nature conservation interests, but also to provide for people’s enjoyment and understanding.

• Continuity of management – Both research and management on NNRs require

us to take a long-term view, so it is important that management continuity is assured.

The purposes are:

• National awareness of NNRs – The NNR is managed so that people can take pride in the natural heritage ‘on display’ and come to understand it better and enjoy it to the full.

• Specialised management of NNRs - The character of one or all of the features

of interest on the Reserve requires specialised and pro-active management, which is best, delivered by a Nature Reserve.

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• Research-related NNRs - These NNRs will offer opportunities for research into the natural heritage and its management. The research specifically requires a Nature Reserve location.

From 2000 - 2003 all of Scotland’s NNRs were reviewed against this policy. Because of the review there are now (2010) 55 NNRs in Scotland. There are currently a number of NNRs identified during the review which have still to be taken through the de-declaration process. As a result of this a search on many SNH systems will show more than 55 NNRs until this work is complete. More information can be found at: Scotland’s National Nature Reserves: A policy statement: http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/polstat/nnrpolcy.pdf National Nature Reserves – General Information: http://www.nnr-scotland.org.uk

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Appendix 2 – Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Special Areas of Conservation are areas designated under the European Community Council Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and Wild Fauna and Flora (92/43/EEC), commonly known as the Habitats Directive. Together with Special Protection Areas (SPA), which are designated under the Wild Birds Directive for wild birds and their habitats, SACs form the Natura 2000 network of sites. The Natura 2000 network is designed to conserve natural habitats and species of animals and plants, which are rare, endangered or vulnerable in the European Community. Annexes I and II to the Habitats Directive list the habitats and (non-bird) species respectively for which SACs are selected. In Great Britain, the Directive was transposed into domestic legislation via the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c.) Regulations 1994. The Regulations cover both SPAs and SACs. Natura sites are generally underpinned by a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the terrestrial environment, although there are a few exceptions where other management measures are employed. The Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department Circular No. 6/1995 (Revised June 2000) on the Habitats and Birds Directives gives further details of how the Regulations apply in Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) acts as the advisor to Government in proposing selected sites for ministerial approval as possible SACs. SNH then consults with key parties over the site proposals on behalf of Scottish Ministers. The consultees, who include owners and occupiers of land, local authorities and other interested parties, are sent details of the proposed site boundaries and the habitats and/or species for which they qualify. SNH also negotiates the longer-term management of these sites. Following consultation, SNH forwards all responses to Scottish Ministers who then make a decision about whether to submit the site to the European Commission as a candidate SAC. Once submission of all candidate sites is completed, the Commission, together with Member States, will consider the site series across Europe as a whole. At this stage, sites that are adopted by the Commission become Sites of Community Importance (SCIs), after which they can be finally designated as Special Areas of Conservation by national governments. The following websites provide further information: Special Areas of Conservation: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection

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Clyde Valley Woods SAC Country Unitary Authority Grid Ref* Latitude Longitude SAC EU code Status Area (ha)

Scotland South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire NS 871485 55 43 00 N 03 47 50 W UK0013089 Designated Special Area of Conservation 434.66

*This is the approximate central point of the SAC. In the case of large, linear or composite sites, this may not represent the location where a feature occurs within the SAC. Clyde Valley Woods SAC boundary map

Site details Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site Tilio-Acerion forests of slopes, screes and ravines * Priority feature

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Clyde Valley Woods in southern Scotland represents the most extensive complex of woodland gorges with Tilio-Acerion forests in Scotland. Although, like all Scottish sites, Clyde Valley Woods is beyond the northern distribution limit of lime Tilia spp. it possesses otherwise characteristic features of the Tilio-Acerion. Ground flora typical of the Tilio-Acerion is found in these woods, with some southern species such as herb-Paris Paris quadrifolia and pendulous sedge Carex pendula also present. Conservation Objectives for Clyde Valley Woods SAC To avoid deterioration of the qualifying habitat (listed below) thus ensuring that the integrity of the site is maintained and the site makes an appropriate contribution to achieving favourable conservation status for each of the qualifying features; and To ensure for the qualifying habitat that the following are maintained in the long term:

Extent of the habitat on site Distribution of the habitat within site Structure and function of the habitat Processes supporting the habitat Distribution of typical species of the habitat Viability of typical species as components of the habitat No significant disturbance of typical species of the habitat

Qualifying habitat: Mixed woodland on base-rich soils associated with rocky slopes* * Indicates priority habitat

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Appendix 3 - Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) Scottish Natural Heritage is the key statutory agency in Scotland for advising Government and for acting as the Government’s agent in the delivery of conservation designations in Scotland. Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is the main nature conservation designation in Great Britain (GB). These sites are special for their plants or animals or habitats, their rocks or landforms or a combination of these. The SSSI series has been developed over the last 50 years, and since 1981 as the national suite of sites providing statutory protection for the best examples of GB’s flora, fauna, or geological or physiographical features. Originally notified under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, many SSSIs were renotified and others newly notified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. SSSI continue under the Nature Conservation Act (Scotland) 2004, which further strengthens their protection and makes the system more user friendly. These sites are also used to underpin other national and international nature conservation designations. Most SSSIs are privately owned or managed; others are owned or managed by public bodies or non-government organisations. There are more than 1400 SSSIs in Scotland. Web Links: ‘The Nature of Scotland – A Policy Statement’ http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/environment/nas-00.asp 'People and Nature: A New Approach to SSSI Designations in Scotland' http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library/documents-w1/pandn-00.htm Guidelines for selection of biological SSSIs http://www.jncc.gov.uk/Publications/sssi/default.htm Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI): http://www.snh.org.uk/about/ab-pa01.asp List of Scottish SSSI: http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/protect/SSSI_02.pdf

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Cartland Craigs SSSI

Country Unitary Authority Grid Ref* Notified Area (ha.)

Scotland South Lanarkshire NS 872449 Under the 1949 Act: 1953, 1971 and 1981, renotified under 1981 Act in 1984 and reviewed under 2004 Act 2004 16.67

*This is the approximate central point of the SSSI. In the case of large, linear, or composite sites, this may not represent the location where a feature occurs within the SSSI.

Cartland Craigs SSSI boundary map

Description

Biological: Woodlands: Upland mixed ash woodland

Cartland Craigs, located approximately half a kilometre north west of Lanark, is one of the best remaining examples of semi-natural deciduous woodland in Lanarkshire. The woodland occupies a deeply incised gorge in Old Red Sandstone. The canopy is dominated by elm, ash and oak and the rich and varied ground flora includes flowering plants with a restricted distribution in south west Scotland, such as mountain

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melick Melica nutans, alternate-leaved golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium alternifolium, shining crane’s-bill Geranium lucidum and wood stitchwort Stellaria nemorum.

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Cleghorn Glen SSSI Country Unitary Authority Grid Ref* Notified Area (ha.)

Scotland South Lanarkshire NS 872449 Under the 1949 Act: 1953, 1971 and 1981, renotified under 1981 Act in 1984 and reviewed under 2004 Act 2004 16.67

*This is the approximate central point of the SSSI. In the case of large, linear, or composite sites, this may not represent the location where a feature occurs within the SSSI.

Cleghorn Glen SSSI boundary map

Description

Biological: Woodlands: Upland mixed ash woodland

Cleghorn Glen, lying approximately 2km northeast of Lanark, is an outstanding example of semi-natural deciduous gorge woodland and supports a significant invertebrate assemblage. The extensive area of riverine and gorge woodland is dominated by ash and elm with occasional oak and a varied understorey that includes bird cherry, hazel and hawthorn. This woodland type is replaced in low-lying wetter areas with alder and

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ash. The rich ground flora includes the locally rare wood fescue Festuca altissima, Dutch rush Equisetum hyemale and toothwort Lathraea squamaria. The woodland is fringed in places by herb-rich grassland and deciduous scrub. The variety of habitats present within the site has created conditions favourable for an important invertebrate assemblage, especially saproxylic species associated with old or dead wood, fungi growing on dead wood and sap runs. The site supports three Nationally Rare species, the minute fungus beetle Orthoperus brunnipes, the caddis fly Adicella filicornis and the small amber snail Succinea oblonga. The site also supports a number of Nationally Scarce species including the beetles Bolitochara mulsanti and Datomicra zosterae, the flies Dactylolabis transversa and Oxycera pardalina and the hoverflies Brachyopa insensilis and Aulacigaster leucopeza, both of which feed on elm sap-runs.

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Scotland’s National Nature Reserves Story of Clyde... · Cartland Craigs (10.29ha) to create the...

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