Chatelherault's  name is derived from the French town of Châtellerault, the title Duc de Châtellerault being held by the Duke of Hamilton.

The country park is centred on the former hunting lodge of the now demolished Hamilton Palace. The lodge was designed by William Adam, and completed in 1734. It comprises two pavilions linked by a gateway. The north facade was visible from the palace, and forms the front of the building. To the rear are formal parterre gardens. The buildings provided kennels, stables and accommodation for hunting parties returning from the woodlands to the south. Adam jokingly referred to his creation as 'The Dogg Kennel'. An avenue of lime trees linked the lodge and the palace, formerly located in Hamilton.

The ruins of Cadzow Castle lie above the gorge of the Avon Water, which runs to the west of the lodge. The bulk of the park lies along the Avon gorge, with woodland walks and cycle routes. A herd of Cadzow cattle live in the fields overlooked by the hunting lodge. This apparently unique breed have white coats and long horns.

This was the Bosco Wanderers venue for today but unfortunately the weather and the walking conditions underfoot didn't allow us to do the walk down through the  Avon Gorge to the Green Bridge and back to Chatelherault. We have pencilled the walk in for a Summer outing later on in 2010.

Joe Roche.