Mugdock Country Park is a country park and historical site located partly in

East Dunbartonshire East Dunbartonshire ( sco, Aest Dunbartanshire; gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Bhreatainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north of Glasgow and contains many of the affluent areas to the north of the city, including Bear ...

and partly in

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

, in the former county of

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. It is around north of

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 pop ...

, next to

Milngavie Milngavie ( ; gd, Muileann-Ghaidh) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and a suburb of Glasgow. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden. Milnga ...

(from which the park is easily accessible), and covers an area of . The park includes the remains of the 14th-century Mugdock Castle, stronghold of the Grahams of Montrose, and the ruins of the 19th century Craigend Castle, a Gothic Revival mansion and former zoo. The park has a

moot hill A moot hill or ''mons placiti'' (statute hill) is a hill or mound historically used as an assembly or meeting place, as a moot hall is a meeting or assembly building, also traditionally to decide local issues. In early medieval Britain, such h ...

and

gallowhill Gallowhill is a housing estate in the north east of Paisley, a town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Its approximate boundaries are formed by the M8 motorway to the north, the A741 Renfrew Rd to the west, to the south the Inverclyde railway line w ...

, historical reminders of the baronial feudal right, held by lairds, of "pit and gallows". Also located in the park are the remains of numerous anti-aircraft trenches, which were established during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

as part of the Clyde Basin anti-aircraft defense system. The park was also the home of the Mugstock Music Festival, at which performers have included Emma Pollock,

Dodgy Dodgy is an English rock band formed in Hounslow in 1990. The band rose to prominence during the Britpop era of the 1990s. They are best known for their hits "Staying Out for the Summer", "If You're Thinking of Me", and " Good Enough". Good E ...

and Beats Antique. Natural features include the

Allander Water The Allander Water ( gd, Uisge Alandair) is a river in East Dunbartonshire and Stirling, Scotland, and one of the three main tributaries of the River Kelvin, the others being the Glazert Water and the Luggie Water. It flows through Milngavie. Se ...

, Mugdock Loch and Drumclog Muir, all of which provide popular walking and cycling routes with tourists. Visitor facilities include a

visitor centre A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visit ...

and cafe in the former Craigend Castle stable block, and a garden centre and restaurant in the

walled garden A walled garden is a garden enclosed by high walls, especially when this is done for horticultural rather than security purposes, although originally all gardens may have been enclosed for protection from animal or human intruders. In temperate c ...

. The park is served by the Mugdock and East Dunbartonshire Countryside Ranger Service. The

West Highland Way The West Highland Way ( gd, Slighe na Gàidhealtachd an Iar) is a linear long-distance route in Scotland. It is long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the ...

, a linear long distance footpath between

and Fort William, passes through the outer areas of the park alongside the local Clyde Coastal Path. Close again to the country park is

Milngavie water treatment works Milngavie water treatment works (commonly known as The Waterworks) is a Scottish Water-operated water treatment facility located in Milngavie, Scotland. It is primary source of the water for the city of Glasgow (and the Greater Glasgow area) in w ...

, another popular walking and tourist attraction. It is situated just south of Mugdock and connects to the park via Drumclog Moor.

References

External links

Clyde Coastal Path website

Mugdock Country Park

Mugdock Country Park
on Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland.
Video footage of the Moot Hill, Gallows Knowe and Drowning Pit

References

External links

See also