Kenmure Hill, Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park

Start: Castle Semple Visitor Centre, Lochwinnoch

(S/E) From the Visitor Centre head along the Lochshore path to Blackditch Bay.

(1) Turn left up the slope.

(2) Then turn right to join the tarmacked cycle path. Continue along the cycle track for 2 Km.

(3) Make a right through the kissing gate into the Kenmure Hill field. Follow the track along to the Semple Trail Lookooterie situated on the site of the estate laundry. From there cut up the face of the hillside towards the Temple, initially there is no path but you can join a worn grass trail nearer the middle of the hill.

(4) Follow the rough grassy trail back down the hill and turn left onto the cycle track.

(3) Retrace your way along the cycle track. After you have crossed over an old railway bridge, you’ll see the houses on your left.

(5) Take a path on your right and go through the gate. Turn left uphill to visit Castle Semple Collegiate Church, the burial place of the first Lord Sempill. To visit the cascades, ice house and cave use the gate opposite the Collegiate Church. Continue uphill, going through the kissing gate to enter Parkhill Wood.

(6) Follow the woodland trail straight on for 1 Km.

(2) Turn right when exiting the wood at the kissing gate and join the Cycle Track for 1 Km to return to the Visitor Centre and car park. (S/E)

Start : Castle Semple Visitor Centre, Lochwinnoch (PA12 4EA) Grid ref. NS 357 590

Terrain: On whin dust trails, tarmac path and grassy trails. Paths can be muddy in wet weather. 3 gates and 3 kissing gates.

Maps: OS Map 1:25000 Explorer 341 or 1:50000 Landranger 63

Find more walks and information at Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park website here.

Temple : Built shortly after Castle Semple House in the early 1730s the Temple sits atop Kenmure Hill. The hill is surrounded by a deer dyke – a boundary ditch stone faced on one side (called a ha ha), it could not be seen at
a distance giving the impression that the deer were free to roam.
Many people think that the Temple was a place to view the hunt or a lovers trysting place. However, it was originally built as a feature of the designed landscape also known as a folly.

Collegiate Church : Founded in 1504 by John 1st Lord Sempill it is a late example of only 42 such churches in Scotland. It was served by a college of priests whose duty was to pray for the soul of the Sempill family.
The original design was a plain austere rectangular building with a small tower on the west side. Evidence for a stair against the north wall suggests that there was an upper loft. The south wall has three highly unusual windows (reconstructed in the later 1970’s) with eccentric curved decorative bands.