20 Attractions to Explore Near Barr Castle

Lochwinnoch is the perfect place to watch whooper swans. wigeon and a wide varity of ducks during winter months. In spring you wont want to muss the elaborate displays of the great crested grebes. The reserve has an outdoor natural play area, an accessible trail and runs events suitable for the whole family as well as daily drop-in kids activities, pond dipping and bug hunting.

Castle Semple Loch is a 1.5-mile-long inland freshwater loch at Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Originally part of an estate of the same name, it is now administered by Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park as a watersports centre. An RSPB bird sanctuary is located on the loch's southern shore. The ruins of the early mediaeval Peel Tower stand on the southern shore of the loch at Air Meadow, inaccessible except by boat.

Castle Semple Collegiate Church is located in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is situated near the eastern end of Castle Semple Loch, within Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, and 2 miles west of Howwood on the B787, then on to the B776. The late Gothic church is under the protection of Historic Environment Scotland as a Scheduled monument.

Castle Semple is a former mansion house located in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is situated near the eastern end of Castle Semple Loch, within Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.

Glengarnock Castle is an example of a keep with courtyard attached, of the period 1400-1542, and with various later buildings in the courtyard. The Barony of Glengarnock is one of three feudal baronies which together form the parish of Kilbirnie in the district of Cunningham which lies in north Ayrshire. The River Garnock flows through the village of the same name 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the south, but the name Glen Garnock applies more specifically to the ravine at Glengarnock Castle.

Kilbirnie Loch, is a freshwater Loch situated in the floodplain between Kilbirnie, Glengarnock and Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It runs south-west to north-east for almost 2 km, is about 0.5 km wide for the most part and has an area of roughly 3 km2. It has a general depth of around 5.2 metres to a maximum of around 11 metres. The loch is fed mainly by the Maich Water, which rises in the Kilbirnie Hills near Misty Law, and is drained by the Dubbs Water that runs past the Barr Loch into Cast

Windy Hill is a 316 metres high hill in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is one of the TuMPs of the Lowlands. The hill is located on the eastern border of the River Calder catchment area and is part of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. Windy Hill is also the name of the first important house designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, which is located in Kilmacolm at some miles from the hill.

Weaver’s Cottage vividly re-creates the living and working conditions of a typical handloom weaver. With low ceiling beams and period furniture, it helps give an insight into life before the Industrial Revolution. The property has an attractive garden, where traditional dye plants including woad and madder are grown, along with a wide range of cottage garden plants.

Thomas Shanks Park is named after a leading industrialist of the nineteenth century who owned a company of heavy machine toolmakers, Thomas Shanks and Company. The park contains play areas, a skateboard ramp and two grass football pitches.

Hill of Stake is a hill on the boundary between North Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, Scotland. The hill is 522 metres high and is the highest point of the relatively low-lying county of Renfrewshire and indeed the entire Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park of which it is a part, having a considerable Topographic isolation.

A long, shallow freshwater loch with aspen growing in the shallow waters and a hillside cloaked in mature sycamore and ash woodland. The Lugton Water has its source from the southern end of loch, running 14 miles before reaching its confluence with the River Garnock near Kilwinning. The loch is now owned by the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and is managed as a nature reserve.

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park is the collective name for areas of countryside set aside for conservation and recreation on the South Clyde estuary in Scotland. The park covers an area of 280 km2 of Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, stretching from Greenock in the north, down the coast to Largs and West Kilbride and inland to Dalry and Lochwinnoch. It consists of Castle Semple Loch and Collegiate Church, The Greenock Cut Centre, Muirshiel Country Park, Barnbrock Farm, Lunderston Bay,

Duchal Castle was an extensive 13th century fortified site. The castle is naturally well defended on a piece of ground cut off steeply on the N and S by the confluence of the Green Water and the Blackwater burn. The castle stands at the bottom of the valley of the River Gryfe on a peninsula created by the Blacketty and Green Waters which have their confluence beyond the two deep gorges.

This is an artificial loch in Kilmacolmhaving been created by a local angling club in the early 20th century. It is a lovely place for a peaceful walk.The Loch and the area around it is used for recreational activities and events in the village.

Cleeves Cove is a cave system on the Dusk Water close to Dalry near Cleeves Farm and Blair Mill on the Blair Estate.n It has around 500 feet of passages. The cave has three practical entrances facing onto the Dusk Water. Many of the stalactites and stalagmites have been damaged by visitors. The cave has three practical entrances facing onto the Dusk Water.

Gleniffer Braes is an upland park of moorland with woods and hill farming areas. Attractions include the wildlife and waymarked trails. The Glen Nature Trail and Guided Walks programme introduces visitors to the interesting wildlife. The area is situated on the edge of the Clyde plateau lavas, an interesting feature is Gleniffer gorge situated along the Tannahill walkway. It reaches some 50 feet deep in places and is eroded by the Gleniffer burn.

Kelburn Castle is a large house near Fairlie, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is the seat of the Earl of Glasgow. Originally built in the thirteenth century it was remodelled in the sixteenth century. In 1700 the first Earl made further extensions to the house in a manner not unlike a French château which is virtually how it appears today. In 1977 the house and grounds opened to the public as a country park. It is one of the oldest castles in Scotland and has been continuously inhabited by the same

Neilston Pad is a mountain summit in the Ayr and Sanquhar to the River Clyde region in the county of East Renfrewshire, Scotland. Its highest point is 261 metres and is characterised by a relatively flat summit plateau surrounded by steep slopes and distinctive forestry on its eastern side. Its odd shape and prominence make it easily identifiable and visible from many areas in Glasgow.The area is managed by Elderslie Estates.

Dalgarven Mills are situated in a tranquil rural setting directly off the A737, halfway between Kilwinning and Dalry. The Museum is housed in the historic grain mill constructed in 1880. Beautifully restored buildings offer the visitor a chance to step into the past. Experience the sight and sound of one of Scotland’s last working water wheel, powered by the River Garnock.

The Pencil was built in 1912, to commemorate the Battle of Largs 1263, when the Scots defeated King Haco of Norway's troops on the shore at Largs, after the 160 long ships got caught in a storm. The Pencil is built of whinstone and stands 70 feet high and is topped by a conical cap. The style is modelled after the round towers at Abernethy and Brechin, wrongly thought by historians at the time to have been built for defence against the Norse.