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300-hectare park with animal feedings & a petting zoo, plus nature trails, a visitor center & cafe.
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Reviews — 8
Work is currently being done to extend the park with more play equipment for younger children. Will be even better once this has been completed.
Lovely walks through the woodlands.
Lovely walks through the woodlands.
Generations of Ducks floating around in that small pond living the dream. Use to love this place when i was younger and it was once an actual zoo with animals. Now it's completely rundown. There's a population in Cumbernauld of about 70,000 +. Imagine having a proper attraction and charging locals a few pound for entry the investment would pay itself.
And by investment I don't mean more ducks or seagulls dressed as ducks. Could maybe add a small theme park like M&Ds. It would be a mega hit for families that are sick of restaurants and highly over priced soft plays.
The swing parks are decent for the kids (Free), and two large car parks and a place that sells tomato plants.
Very exciting stuff!
And by investment I don't mean more ducks or seagulls dressed as ducks. Could maybe add a small theme park like M&Ds. It would be a mega hit for families that are sick of restaurants and highly over priced soft plays.
The swing parks are decent for the kids (Free), and two large car parks and a place that sells tomato plants.
Very exciting stuff!
Word to the wise: much of the pictures and info here is outdated. There is no more petting zoo. Also the cafe and visitor center have been closed since the pandemic and have never reopened. You will have to go over to the golf course to use their facilities (bathrooms and cafe). The only thing here that is still kid friendly are the two playgrounds. They’re on opposite sides of the parking lot. One is geared more for toddlers/small children, while the other is more for older children, with higher, steeper slides. The playgrounds are open 24/7 and do not close at 1700 as the google times state. I wouldn’t go out of my way to make the drive here unless you’re already close by.
Once again, North Lanarkshire Council Parks Dept should be ashamed of their total neglect and mismanagement of this once, amazing animal park.
There are NO FACILITIES here. You have to pack up your bags and trek across to the golf club, which offers a very limited, bland menu.
Dogs are running all over the play area.
There is a massive climbing area which is extremely high... and that's it!
Such a waste of what could be awesome place to visit.
There are NO FACILITIES here. You have to pack up your bags and trek across to the golf club, which offers a very limited, bland menu.
Dogs are running all over the play area.
There is a massive climbing area which is extremely high... and that's it!
Such a waste of what could be awesome place to visit.
The walk was good, mostly flat however the paths were very badly signposted so you could take a wrong turn and end up miles from the visitor centre.
Animals have been removed so just loads of empty pens everywhere.
Visitor centre was shut as were the toilets, there are toilets and a cafe available at the golf club nearby.
Playpark was decent.
The only thing saving this from below 3 stars is the fact the playpark was actually adequate and I enjoyed the walk.
Animals have been removed so just loads of empty pens everywhere.
Visitor centre was shut as were the toilets, there are toilets and a cafe available at the golf club nearby.
Playpark was decent.
The only thing saving this from below 3 stars is the fact the playpark was actually adequate and I enjoyed the walk.
Great place for a country walk, lots of different routes leading around the golf course, the badger walk is best which has amazing views to the hills to the south and then a quick walk to Fannyside Loch. Highly recommended!
BE AWARE: There are currently no animals or farm sections due to NL Council cuts a couple of years back. I have told Visit Scotland and other online websites - but they refuse to change the details!
GOOD POINTS: FREE ENTRY AND PARKING! Amazing woodland trails where you can often see roe deer, owls, foxes (even in the daytime) buzzards, kestrels and herons! The changing seasons and various paths mean that you can go back several times in a row and never get the same walk twice. Just give yourself a couple of hours to explore and ramble around... you can't get lost, just head back to the golf course if you think you've wandered too far! Also, Fannyaside Loch is beautiful and there are two playgrounds to choose from :)
BAD POINTS: The signposting can be a bit confusing if you're not local. There aren't enough dog poop bins if you start walking out towards the loch and Glencryan/Forest wood. A few of the trails haven't been resurfaced yet so can be uneven to walk on/ access for pushchairs/wheelchairs. The visitor centre is currently closed so no toilets or cafe... you may need to do a 'nature wee' if you're desperate ;)
TO CONSIDER: Improvements to the paths and boardwalks are constantly being made, and there's a new playground that replaced the old rotten tree-top walk. Access isn't great for disabled people, but there are some paths that are suitable in drier weather. A community trust has taken over the running of the park, but at the moment it's in the admin stages, so watch this space!
GOOD POINTS: FREE ENTRY AND PARKING! Amazing woodland trails where you can often see roe deer, owls, foxes (even in the daytime) buzzards, kestrels and herons! The changing seasons and various paths mean that you can go back several times in a row and never get the same walk twice. Just give yourself a couple of hours to explore and ramble around... you can't get lost, just head back to the golf course if you think you've wandered too far! Also, Fannyaside Loch is beautiful and there are two playgrounds to choose from :)
BAD POINTS: The signposting can be a bit confusing if you're not local. There aren't enough dog poop bins if you start walking out towards the loch and Glencryan/Forest wood. A few of the trails haven't been resurfaced yet so can be uneven to walk on/ access for pushchairs/wheelchairs. The visitor centre is currently closed so no toilets or cafe... you may need to do a 'nature wee' if you're desperate ;)
TO CONSIDER: Improvements to the paths and boardwalks are constantly being made, and there's a new playground that replaced the old rotten tree-top walk. Access isn't great for disabled people, but there are some paths that are suitable in drier weather. A community trust has taken over the running of the park, but at the moment it's in the admin stages, so watch this space!
