Local area

Lochwinnoch village (www.lochwinnoch.info)

East Lochhead is located one mile west of Lochwinnoch village on A760 to Largs, and on the southern boundary of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.  The Park extends to 108 square miles of largely upland moors, which have beautiful views looking northwards over the Clyde estuary and beyond to Arran and Loch Lomond.  The Park (www.clydemuirshiel.co.uk) offers a wide variety of outdoor activities focussed on four visitor/ interpretation centres set in a variety of landscapes ranging from coast, forest to open moor land. and is home to one of the UK’s rarest breeding birds – The Hen Harrier
Lochwinnoch is a largely unspoilt village offering a full range of facilities including

• 18 hole Golf Course (www.lochwinnochgolf.co.uk)
• RSPB Reserve and centre (www.rspb.org.uk)
• Castle Semple Loch & Visitor Centre
• three pubs
• restaurant (www.hungrymonk.com)
• café/bistro
• Sustran’s Cycle Route 7 ( Inverness – Carlisle) (www.sustrans.org.uk)
• Train links to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ayrshire Coast etc. (www.scotrail.co.uk)
• Shops, Post Office, Bank, Art Gallery and gift shops

The whole area has a big industrial history based initially on water power, (there were 23 thread mills operating in Lochwinnoch parish in the late 1700’s.  Furniture making was also established in the village in the 1880’s, and Lochwinnoch furniture was to be found in the great Clyde built liners such as the Lusitania, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and the Titanic.  In the moors behind Lochwinnoch Barytes was mined and provided employment for local people until 1969 when cheap overseas supplies led to the closure of the mine.

Lochwinnoch is closely associated with the Semple family, and they have given their name to the Castle Semple Loch.  The village is now the base for the Semple Clan gatherings