Summer outings

Hamilton Natural History Society have started their summer programme of outings.

On Saturday, July 14, members will be setting off at 9.30am for the Kilpatrick area.

The programme for the day starts with morning coffee and a short look around Clydebank Museum and Art Gallery which is housed in the old town hall building, recently restored.

From there, they will head down river to the village of Old Kilpatrick and have a group walk around The Saltings, a reserve created to preserve a small area of original Saltmarsh habitat under the Erskine Bridge. This will be followed by a lunch stop.

After lunch the bus will take the group up to Overtoun Estate. Views from this area are quite panoramic, and a group walk round the Welcome Cairn is planned followed by afternoon tea in the house which dates from 1860. After tea, there will be an opportunity to explore the rest of the glen before making the return journey to Hamilton.

Later on this summer, there will be a short outing to Fiddler’s Gill Crossford in Crossford at 1pm on Saturday, July 28.

And then on Saturday, August 11, members will leave at 9.30am for Dumfries House in Cumnock, Ayrshire.

The society is a community group and first began in January 1960. They aim to study, observe and record the natural history and archaeology of the Clyde Valley, to relate studies to environmental factors and to foster the observation of areas of special interest.

The group enjoy regular field outings during the summer months to places of interest.

Go online to www. hamiltonnaturalhistory. org.uk for more details on how to get involved.