Clyde Muirshiel Country Park

Windy Hill and Barytes Mine

Saturday 25th April 2009

One of the great advantages of living in West Central Scotland is that there are wide open spaces where you can leave the hum-drum of modern day living behind you and enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside. Muirshiel Country Park near Lochwinnoch is one such place and that was our venue for the fifteen Bosco Wanderers who turned out for this walk today. The park was opened in 1970 and covers 106 square miles of woodland, moorland, lochside and coastal scenery stretching from Greenock in the north to Lochwinnoch in the south.

Once we had arrived at the park and got booted up we headed away from the Visitor Centre on and up through some dense woodland taking us passed the reconstruction of a Hut Circle Dwelling, these were used in the stone age around (3,000BC) housing families from the elements in a village setting. Next stop was the volcanic plug known as Windy Hill and I always feel that it lives up to its name with no exception today, however on this occasion not only was it windy but the normally spectacular view from the summit right across to Ben Lomond in the far north was obscured by thick misty low cloud. Undeterred though with the weather we made our way back down and took the 4k path from the Visitor Centre out along the track to the now disused "Barytes" mine. Barytes or its Chemical name "Barium Sulphate" comes from the Greek word Barus meaning Heavy, being 4.1/2 times denser than water and was mined here for about 200 years employing at its peak in the 1960s some 48 people many of whom stayed in workers homes on the banks of the River Calder that runs through the park. The mine closed on Sept. 5th 1969 and although mined elsewhere Barytes is used in oil drilling, paint industry, paper production, and Barium Meals where its density shows up in X-Ray photography.

Could I just say that NO !!! we hadn't arrived illegally in the Park when we emerged from the 20ft container, it was our place of refuge out of the wind to enjoy a quick cup of tea until we got back to the visitor centre to be made most welcome by the staff and of course our "Sherpa" Sadie McGarry who provided a proper cup of tea & coffee courtesy of the centres picnic area.

Joe Roche

Last Updated Sunday 23rd August 2009

Scottish Charity No13514