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
A little history....Jennys Well is situated less than a mile from the centre of Paisley. It lies on the bank of the White Cart Water river, between Ciba Speciality Chemicals’ industrial complex and Hunterhill housing estates. It can be easily reached from Barrhead Road (bus service) through Cartha Crescent, or from Hawkhead Road through Jenny's Well Road. 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



Apart from the short steep section down to the river at Stop 9, the route uses surfaced paths with a small number of steps. The section down to stop 9 can be wet and muddy, but all other paths can be managed in ordinary shoes.

Stop 1
The Discovery Trail starts at the end of Jennys Well Road and follows the cycle route. The nature reserve is on your right. See if you can spot the young oak trees which were planted in the mid 1990s. In the gaps between these young trees, there are plenty of clumps of garlic mustard and Jack-by-the-Hedge - plants which are food for the orange-tip butterfly’s caterpillars.

Stop 2
Even the close cut grass on the football pitch attracts wildlife! In spring, starlings scamper about looking for tasty ‘leatherjackets’ - the grubs of daddlylonglegs or crane flies) to take back to their nests in the large ash trees nearby. In winter, the starlings are joined by flocks of thrushes on their winter holidays from Siberia - redwings and fieldfares.

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Stop 3
The Trail follows the route of the former railway line, which used to be in a deep cutting. The path crossed the cutting on a bridge. The cutting has now been filled in, and new trees have been planted. These are native species to encourage local wildlife. They have become the haunt of goldfinches, linnets and siskins which pick seeds from the thistles that grow between the young trees in the summer.

Stop 4
A viewpoint has been constructed here, on the parapet where a railway bridge used to cross the river. Although this bridge has been demolished, the bridge you can see to your left was originally built as a canal aqueduct between 1806 and 1809 by the world famous engineer, Thomas Telford. It now carries railway trains from Paisley Canal station to Glasgow.

Stop 5
In the summer, the common whitethroat can frequently be seen in this part of the nature reserve. These small bird arrive in April from Africa to nest here. They hide in the undergrowth for much of the time, but occasionally the males sit on high perches and sing loudly.

The nature reserve’s most spectacular insect, the elephant hawk-moth, can also be found around here. When still a caterpillar, it is ornately patterned - and has two large false eyes to frighten predators away ! When the caterpillar has become a moth and is fully grown, it is vivid pink. The caterpillar’s food plant is rosebay willowherb, which is dense here in the summer with its pink flowers.

Stop 6
In late winter the soil here is bare, but by April bizarre pinkish candelabras appear out of the ground. These are butterbur flowers, and provide one of the first food sources for early spring bees. The strange flowers soon disappear, but the leaves that follow grow into enormous rhubarb-like leaves which create a mini-jungle by the river. Butterbur gained its name because the giant leaves were used to wrap butter and keep it fresh before fridges became common.

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Stop 7
This area was used for allotments in the past. A few rhubarb plants and blackcurrant bushes still remain to tell the tale ! Now, this area is a grassy area divided by clumps of hawthorn and willow trees. The grassy areas are sheltered sun-traps which are particularly attractive to flying insects and the birds that eat them. Blackbirds and song thrushes particularly like to nest in this area in the spring.

Stop 8
Away from the football pitch, which is on top of the former landfill site, there are small remnants of the original ground. This ground has thin, well-drained soils where gorse, broom and scrub thrive, along with grassland and wild flowers like harebells and lady’s bedstraw. There are also a few bluebells beneath some of the gorse bushes in the spring. You can see rocky outcrops of the whinstone which was quarried here in the nineteenth century.

Stop 9
On calm afternoons in the spring, the shingle island in the river has swarms of mayflies. Grey wagtails with bright yellow bellies and long bobbing tails come to forage on these insects.

By the summer, the island disappears under a jungle of giant hogweed - tall green plants with spiky looking leaves, hairy stems and huge clusters of small white flowers like parasols. Do not touch these plants. Their sap is dangerous and can cause severe blistering of the skin.

The deeper water around the bend is reputed to be an important holding pool for Atlantic salmon, on their way upstream to spawn in the river’s upper reaches.

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Stop 10
The sheltered terrace beneath you is being colonised by woodland, particularly wild cherry (Jean) trees. This section of path can give good close views of usually shy birds such as long-tailed tits and gold crests, which flit through the trees looking for food.

Stop 11
There has been more new woodland planting here. Again, all of the new trees are of native species. Eventually the oak and ash trees will grow up to form bigger trees, with smaller rowan, hazel and holly trees underneath.

Stop 12
Although the path is dry, the surrounding ground is very wet here. Water collects in shallow ponds and marshes, ideal conditions for sedges, rushes and wild orchids. In July, the pale pink spikes of the Common Spotted Orchid dominate the scene. Here and there you might also see the much darker purple flowers of the rarer Northern Marsh Orchid.

Further information
Jennys Well is owned by Renfrewshire Council and CBI Speciality Chemicals. The site was declared a local nature reserve by us in 1996. The reserve is now managed by a partnership between Ciba Speciality Chemicals, Renfrewshire Council, Carts Greenspace and Scottish Natural Heritage. Sustrans, who maintain the cycle track which runs through the site, and Strathclyde Police are also involved in the management of the reserve.

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

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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:

• please keep to the marked route around the Moss - ground nesting birds and delicate plants could be damaged otherwise.
• do not cross any fences - airports and motorways are dangerous.
• dogs should be kept on short leads at all times.
• take only photographs: leave only footprints.

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.

How to get to Paisley Moss
Directions are signposted from the Airport road system. Parking is available on St Andrews Crescent, and the Moss is a 10 minute walk away from the bus stops in front of the Airport Terminal Building.

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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