Discover Uplawmoor: walking, nature and history

Uplawmoor offers several distinct perspectives for planning a trip. The “Uplawmoor & Loch Libo” walk combines hills, views and traces of former transport routes; Loch Libo is a nearby nature reserve. Buildings and local history add to the landscape theme. This lets you make nature, walking or historic architecture the focus of your stay.

Walking and routes around Uplawmoor

The “Uplawmoor & Loch Libo” walk is 7.25 kilometres long, of moderate difficulty and takes about 2.5 hours. A historic route guide names the Uplawmoor Hotel as the starting point; check this starting point before you travel. The section through the Lochliboside Hills can be rough and boggy at times, and the weather affects trail conditions. The walk is considered suitable for most walkers. Check conditions before setting out.

From a viewpoint, on a clear day the view extends to Arran, Galloway, Ailsa Craig and the Arrochar Alps. The route crosses the Lochliboside Hills and returns to Uplawmoor via visible remains of the former railway line from Ardrossan to Glasgow. Along the way, the guide lists beech, rowan, buzzard, brown hare and fieldfare as examples. This list is for guidance and is not a current survey.

Loch Libo and its landscape

Near Uplawmoor lies Loch Libo, a Scottish Wildlife Trust nature reserve on the A736. Loch Libo is a shallow freshwater loch. A stand of mature deciduous trees grows on a hillside. The loch and wooded hillside lend the landscape a different character from the hills and viewpoints along the walking route.

Local history and buildings

Uplawmoor developed from a small settlement near Neukfoot, surrounded by an agricultural community. Early small industries included handloom weaving, local quarrying of limestone and sandstone, and coal mining. Uplawmoor has been associated with the Mure family since the 14th century. This connection began when Godfrey Mure married the heiress of Caldwell.

Uplawmoor Old School Hall is a former primary school built in 1877, with stone entrance porches and openwork ornamental gables. It replaced an earlier schoolroom that had been in use since 1857. The two dates mark different phases in the local history of education: the earlier schoolroom and the later school building.

The foundation stone for Caldwell Church was laid by Colonel Mure in 1888. Caldwell Tower dates from the 15th century.

Caldwell House and Mure Hall

Caldwell House is a castellated mansion with three storeys and a basement. Its distinctive features include pepper-pot corner turrets. The house was built to designs by the then well-known architect Robert Adam. Overgrown paths and rustic stone bridges wind through heavily wooded areas on the grounds.

In the village of Uplawmoor, Mure Hall is a self-managed community hall. It is used for activities including playgroups, badminton, community meetings and bridge groups. The activities on offer depend on bookings and the programme. Mure Hall thus shows a different side of village life from the historic buildings and landscape features.

Discover more destinations: Paisley, Kilbarchan, Erskine, Clarkston, Howwood, Bishopton, Port Glasgow, Giffnock

For the regional travel overview: Renfrewshire.