17 Outdoors- Other to Explore in North Lanarkshire

Allanfauld is a family farm run by Archie and Libby MacGregor, situated close to the town of Kilsyth, deep in the heart of the Scottish countryside. They offer comfortable and relaxing accommodation on a working beef and sheep farm, ensuring an unforgettable holiday experience.

Auchinstarry is a 50 berth marina with long and short term moorings and if you fancy setting sail along the canals why not sign up for inland waterways training with Seaskills The Forth & Clyde Canal Society also operate barges for hire along the canal. If its adventure you’re looking for you will find at Outdoor Trax, where you can hire mountain bikes, canoes and kayaks or why not why try rock climbing and abseiling within the nearby quarry.

Auchinstarry Quarry is a central belt Dolerite quarry near Croy, that has been landscaped to provide a pleasant enough venue. Has the benefit of being close to a main line train-station, making it easy to reach for those in Glasgow or Edinburgh without a car. For those with a car, parking is very close - one of those belay from the car venues. It is a very popular rock-climbing destination, boasting a very wide range of climbing.

Banton Loch lies a half-mile west southwest of Banton on the eastern edge of Kilsyth. The loch contains the small Speirs Island which was once rather larger and has associations with the Battle of Kilsyth, which was fought nearby in 1645. The loch expanded to supply the Forth & Clyde Canal, which passes a half-mile to the south, and later became the property of the London Midland & Scottish Railway. Colzium House lies a quarter-mile to the west.

Baron's Haugh is an important community nature reserve in Motherwell and is a real gem for wildlife and for visitors too. Spend time in one of the four hides, looking out at the ducks and swans on the haugh, or take a walk through the woods. The Reserve has over 25,000 visitors each year – birders, dog walkers and other recreationists. It is nationally important for its numbers of wintering Whooper swans and breeding Gadwall and is a well known site for passage waders and hosts an excellent bird

The Estate started life as a Royal Hunting Forest in 843, and was owned by the Dalzell family until 1647 when it was granted to James Hamilton 1st of Dalzell. In the 1980s the house was restored and divided for sale as eighteen private apartments, while the surrounding Dalzell estate is now owned by North Lanarkshire Council. The house is protected as a Category A listed building, and the grounds are listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

Duncarron Medieval Village is a medieval fortified village currently under construction and run by the Clanranald Trust. Francis Lopez, Screen Commission Assistant, recently went on a recce of the site to find out more. The medieval village is being built with the help of volunteers from all walks of life, and is intended to preserve and disseminate Scottish culture and heritage through education, active participation and entertainment.

Fannyside Lochs is a water feature in Scotland. Fannyside Lochs is situated northeast of Greengairs, close to Fannyside Lodge. The loch, 2¾ mile SE of Cumbernauld town, lies 550 feet above sea-level, and measures 6¾ furlongs in length by from 1 to 2 furlongs in breadth. It contains a few pike and perch, but no trout. The moor lies around the loch, chiefly on the N side, comprises upwards of 3 square miles, and has traces of a Roman road, running southward from Castlecary.—Ord. Sur., sh. 31, 1867

Garrion Bridge is a small hamlet spanning the border between North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located on the banks of the Clyde Valley, 18 miles south-east of Glasgow. The hamlet is most commonly associated with the nearby town of Wishaw. The area spans both sides of the river, with some of the houses actually located in South Lanarkshire. There are more than a dozen houses located around the bridge. There is an independent garden and antique centre, operating in the prem

Kilsyth is a town and civil parish in North Lanarkshire, roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland. The estimated population is 9,860. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the religious revivals of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The town now has links with Cumbernauld at one time being part of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District Council. The towns also have the same members of parliament at Holyrood and Westminster.

Lochranza Golf Course is a 9 hole pay-and-play course. It lies across the road from the Isle of Arran Distillery amid the mountain and loch scenery of Arran's Northend, and adjacent to Lochranza Campsite. A mainly flat parkland course with unusual water hazards, it is famous for the wild red deer that graze it. Lochranza lies in a north-west facing glen and enjoys long summer sunsets through May, June and July.

Palacerigg Country Park spans 300 hectares of grassland, woodlands, moorlands and ponds. The park hosts a variety of wildlife, wild deer, kestrels and two separate breeds of owl have been spotted in the park. The visitor centre is home to a museum and café and has a mural by the artist Alasdair Gray. There are 2 traditionally built longhouses which are used to demonstrate a variety of woodland crafts. It was one of the iconic attraction in this area and attracts a lot of tourists.

RSPB Baron's Haugh is an important community nature reserve in Motherwell and is a real gem for wildlife and for visitors too. It comprises 107.3 hectares of richly varied habitats. The Reserve has over 25,000 visitors each year – birders, dog walkers and other recreationists. It is nationally important for its numbers of wintering Whooper swans and breeding Gadwall and is a well known site for passage waders and hosts an excellent bird spectacle at all times of year.

The Seven Lochs Wetland Park is an exemplar of Green Network planning and delivery demonstrating how the integration of new green infrastructure into planned development will protect the areas natural resources while delivering a major new visitor attraction. The park will combine many existing features, including four local nature reserves; Bishop Loch, Cardowan Moss, Commonhead Moss and Hogganfield Park; Drumpellier Country Park which includes Woodend Loch SSSI and Lochend Loch.

Strathclyde Country Park is an iconic North Lanarkshire Country park which lies in 400 hectares of countryside in the valley of the River Clyde. Set within beautiful surroundings the park is one of the most popular family attractions in the central belt of Scotland, with thousands of visitors coming each year to the park in order to enjoy the vast range of activities and events on offer.

Strathclyde Loch is the home of the Strathclyde Park Water-Sports Centre, an internationally renowned water-sports venue that has held rowing events as part of the 1986 Commonwealth Games and the 1996 World Rowing Championships. Covering an area of 200 acres (81 ha) the loch is used for rowing, jet skiing, canoeing, wind-surfing, dingy sailing and water skiing.