Neilston Pad, referred to locally as ''The Pad'', is a distinctive hill in

East Renfrewshire East Renfrewshire ( sco, Aest Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù an Ear) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. Until 1975, it formed part of the county of Renfrewshire for local government purposes along with the modern council areas of ...

, situated a mile (1.5 km) south of the village of

Neilston Neilston ( sco, Neilstoun, gd, Baile Nèill, ) is a village and parish in East Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the Levern Valley, southwest of Barrhead, south of Paisley, and south-southwest of Renfrew, at t ...

. Its highest point is and is characterised by a relatively flat summit

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

surrounded by steep slopes and distinctive

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

on its eastern side. Its odd shape and prominence make it easily identifiable and visible from many areas in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. The area was managed by Elderslie Estates from the 1990s until it was sold to a private buyer or consortium in 2021.

Walking and public access

Neilston Pad has a well constructed gravel path surrounding it extending to access paths from the north and south. A number of secondary paths exist, one of which leads to the summit.

Summit

There is large stone

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

on the plateau which is easily mistaken as being the summit. The true summit is marked by a much smaller cairn approximately east of the larger one.

Reservoirs

The area surrounding Neilston Pad includes a number of reservoirs. Craighall Reservoir, known locally as ''Craighall Dam'', lies to the west, Snypes Reservoir to the east and a smaller body of water sits north known as Keepers Dam.

Forestry

The hill itself has extensive

on its eastern and southern sides as well as large areas alongside its eastern side. In 2019 up to 20,000 trees were felled to prevent the spread of

phytophthora ramorum ''Phytophthora ramorum'' is the oomycete (a type of protist) plant pathogen known to cause the disease sudden oak death (SOD). The disease kills oak and other species of trees and has had devastating effects on the oak populations in California a ...

– a fungus-like pathogen that can kill or severely damage

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains furt ...

trees. The felling damaged and disturbed a number of well utilised walking and access routes mainly around Craighall Reservoir.

Gallery

File:Neilston Pad from Kirkton Road.jpg, Neilston Pad from Kirkton Road File:Craighall Reservoir prior to the felling.jpg, Craighall Reservoir from Neilston Pad File:Neilston Pad true summit.jpg, Neilston Pad true summit File:Craighall Dam reservoir - geograph.org.uk - 1031090.jpg, Looking towards the Neilston Pad from Craighall Reservoir File:Neilston Pad Wood - geograph.org.uk - 1519630.jpg, Looking north towards Glasgow File:Harelaw Dam - geograph.org.uk - 139511.jpg, Neilston Pad with the Harelaw Dam in the foreground

References

{{reflist Landforms of East Renfrewshire Neilston