TENS of thousands of pounds are to be ploughed into improvements at one of Renfrewshire’s most popular tourist attractions.
Renfrewshire Council will splash the cash to ensure Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park continues to attract visitors of all ages.
Improvements will include interpretive trails, an upgrade of the Castle Semple café area and resurfacing work at the car park outside the visitors centre at the Lochwinnoch site.
The funding has been welcomed by Councillor Andy Doig, who represents Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch as an Independent.
He said: “It is vital to ensure Clyde Muirshiel retains its position as the jewel in the crown of Renfrewshire’s visitor attractions as, along with Braehead and the Weavers Cottage, in Kilbarchan, it is one of the top three.
“Therefore, I very much welcome this decision to invest a massive £38,000 into both Castle Semple Visitor Centre and Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park for the future.”
In December last year, the council received support from the LEADER programme – a European Union-funded community development scheme – to improve the visitor accommodation at Castle Semple.
On top of this, National Lottery heritage funding and LEADER cash have combined to promote a new ‘Semple Stories’ project, which uses interpretive boards, posts with audio recordings and website development to improve the visitor experience.
Councillor Doig said: “Interpretive trails will be part of this new revamped Clyde Muirshiel. A project officer will be recruited by Renfrewshire Council to deliver the Semple Stories project and liaise with the Garnock Valley Connections Landscape Team to allow important information sharing with their initiative in North Ayrshire and also identify potential opportunities for volunteers to receive training.
“This is all good news for the Lochwinnoch area.”
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