Local nature reserves

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Renfrewshire has three local nature reserves:

• Jenny's Well, Paisley
• Paisley Moss
• Durrockstock Park

Jenny's Well, Paisley
Jennys Well lies on the bank of the White Cart Water river, between Ciba Speciality Chemicals’ industrial complex and Hunterhill housing estates. Route 7 of the national cycle network, between Paisley and Glasgow, runs alongside the reserve.

In the past, the site was heavily used by industry. In the nineteenth century, limestone and whinstone were quarried. There was also the Jenny's Well laundry, and a railway line ran through the middle of what is now the nature reserve at one time. Its most recent use was as a landfill site in the 1960s and 1970s.

In the years of neglect that followed closure of the landfill site, the area became a magnet for dumped stolen cars, fly tipping and vandalism. In response to these problems, the council organised a large-scale programme of environmental improvements in the early 1990s. The aim was to clean up Jenny's Well, encourage the wildlife that had moved into the area since the closure of the landfill site, and open it up to the public. These improvements led to Jenny's Well being designated a local nature reserve in 1996.

Jenny's Well location map

The Discovery Trail - Jennys Well possible walk around the nature reserve, and tells you about some of the wildlife that you might see.


Paisley Moss

Right through the year there is something new and exciting to be experienced at Paisley Moss local nature reserve. You only need an hour to enjoy a circular walk around the reserve, starting and finishing at the entrance off St Andrews Crescent.

Forming part of Glasgow Airport and bounded by motorway slip roads, Paisley Moss is a hidden oasis for wildlife. A remnant of a larger site, it is now a Local Nature Reserve and contains ponds, mossy marshes, reeds and sedge beds supporting hundreds of different animals and plants.

You are welcome to visit the reserve, which is open to the public throughout the year. Please remember that Paisley Moss is a fragile environment that requires special care from visitors:

Spring
Look out for blobs of frog spawn in ponds and wet hollows beside the path. Reed Buntings are establishing territories with a simple three note song.
Later, Sedge Warblers arrive from Africa. The males’ strange medley of grating notes and melodic phrases emanates from the undergrowth.
The patches of fluffy, white headed Common Cotton-grass are emerging between the sedges and the rushes. Meanwhile, queen bumble bees are looking for suitable nest holes.

Summer
Damselflies of iridescent blue and flaming red are patrolling over the swamp beds, hunting for insects. Other insect eaters are members of the plant kingdom: hidden sundews catch insects on their sticky leaves.
The purple and mauve flower spikes of marsh orchids are dotted across shorter grassland patches, whilst the brilliant Common Blue butterfly is attracted to these same spots on warm days.
On hot sunny days in late summer the popping seed pods of gorse and broom punctuate the chorus of grasshoppers.

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Autumn
The wary Common Snipe have returned. When disturbed, the rising bird takes off with a distinctive zig-zag flight. As the vegetation dies back, a beautiful but subtle patchwork quilt of colours and hues is revealed - formed by the 22 different types of grass and 11 types of sedge growing at Paisley Moss.

Winter
Paisley Moss is well known for its wintering Jack Snipe. Small numbers arrive from the northern edge of Scandinavia and Russia to spend the winter days secretively roosting in the sedges, before leaving at night to feed elsewhere.Sometimes, a fox will slink out of the vegetation, seemingly unaware of humans, perhaps it is patrolling its territory or already looking for next year’s mate.



Paisley Moss location map

Further information
Paisley Moss is owned by Glasgow Airport Limited. The site was declared a local nature reserve by the former Renfrew District Council in 1993. The reserve is now managed by a partnership between Glasgow Airport, Renfrewshire Council, Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

This information is also available as an illustrated leaflet. Please use the contact options below to ask us for a copy.

• email: pt@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone: 0141 842 5811/5822
• call or write to:
  Planning and Transport
  Renfrewshire House
  Cotton Street
  Paisley
  PA1 1LL
  

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