Eglinton Country Park - Scottish Wildlife Trust Reserves

Scottish Wildlife Trust Reserves

Three areas within the old boundaries of the old Eglinton estate have become nature reserves, first developed by Irvine Development Corporation (IDC), but now owned and managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust with free and open access to the public. These reserves are within easy reach of the park. Sourlie woods is situated on the Sustrans cycle route and the A736 Glasgow Lochlibo Road runs next to it. Sourlie shows unmistakable signs of the areas intensive and complex industrial past in the shape of remains of old railway embankments from the London, Midland and Scottish Railway's Perceton branch to Perceton colliery, spoil heaps and other signs of coal and other workings.

Lawthorn woods (locally pronounced 'L'thorn' ) is a remnant of the Lawthorn plantation, which together with the 'Longwalk' and 'Stanecastle' plantations formed a much larger wooded area that once ran in an unbroken swathe down as far as Stanecastle and the old Stanecastle gate lodges. Lawthorn wood has easy access with a raised boardwalk running through it as a circular path. The other 'half' of the wood has long been reverted to pasture as old maps clearly show.

Corsehillmuir plantation is another woodland reserve in an area which was mainly open pasture and moorland prior to the 19th-century. It is situated off the B 785 between Mid Moncur and Bannoch farms. The historian John Smith records that this was the site of the ecclesiastical burning of witches and other criminals from the barony. The supposed witch Bessie Graham is said to have been burned at the stake at Corsehill Moor in 1649. It might have been the site of the old churchyard of Segdoune, the name of Kilwinning prior to the establishment of the abbey. The summits of the three low hills within the reserve are each surrounded by a circular ditch and dike, called 'Roundels' or 'hursts' (an embanked wood, formerly coppiced); the actual purpose of the ditch and dike is unknown, but the exclusion of cattle is the most likely explanation. Ness and others record that the 'Seggan' grew at Corsehillmuir, known also as the 'Messenger of the Gods', better known to us as the Yellow flag Iris.

Sourlie, Lawthorn and Corsehillmuir nature reserves

• The woodland nature reserve at Lawthorn

• The boardwalk in the nature reserve at Lawthorn

• Cairnmount Hill, a modern Folly near the Sourlie nature reserve

• Lawthorn mount; a Justice Hill and originally a barrow or cairn