Destination Helensburgh: Duchess Wood has ancient wonder

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Helensburgh is incredibly lucky to have a beautiful ancient woodland located in the west end of the town, and at this time of the year the uplifting sight and scent of the bluebells that carpet Duchess Wood is truly amazing.

The hundreds of shades of green as the trees come into leaf, and the birdsong – the dawn chorus at this time of year is incredible if you are up early enough – is refreshing to both mind and body.

Wellbeing is a buzzword, but the Duchess Wood delivers it in spades all year round...though never more so than in May when the bluebells are in full bloom.

The woods are owned by Luss Estates who manage them in partnership with local charity The Friends of Duchess Wood for the benefit of residents and visitors to Helensburgh.

There are easily accessible and well-maintained paths around the woods suitable for all abilities, and for buggies and bikes. And Helensburgh dogs and their owners would be bereft without the wood. There is also a car park at the Kathleen Park entrance.

A walk around the woods is easily accomplished in half an hour or so. But with so many options to follow lesser trails, many hours can be spent exploring.

The 55-acre woodland, originally part of the Ardencaple Castle policies, are believed to be named after Ann, Dowager Duchess of Argyll, the only Duchess to have lived at Ardencaple Castle.

The Duchess died in 1847, and examining the First Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1860 shows the woods as we know them have changed very little.

The Dowager Duchess Ann, who paid for the resurfacing of Highlandman’s Road in the 1840s, may have had the woods laid out with picturesque carriage rides, indicated by the broad tracks and stone arched bridge we use today.

During the 19th century, as Helensburgh was growing, the woods actually extended in a narrow strip all the way down to the shore. The access track from West Montrose Street originally ran down Woodend Street and down through Ferniegair to the Gareloch.

The line of the old track, which we walk on today in the eastern part of the woods, continued up through Ardencaple Woods to Highlandman’s Road and on to Glen Fruin on the Coffin Road (now the Three Lochs Way) from where it linked to the Old Luss Road and the Duke’s Road over to Loch Lomond.

This main thoroughfare from the Gareloch to Glen Fruin was only interrupted by the coming of the West Highland Railway in the 1890s. And while a vehicle can no longer travel the whole route, it is easy for walkers to join the wider core paths network from the northeast entrance to Duchess Woods.

The Duchess Wood has several designations: it is a Local Nature Conservation Site, a Local Nature Reserve, an Open Space Protection Area and is registered in the Ancient Woodland Inventory.

The native woodland is registered in the Inventory as Long Established of Plantation Origin but it is likely the woodland is much older.

Ardencaple Castle, first mentioned in 1296, was used as a hunting lodge by the kings of Scotland in the 16th century and it is likely the woods formed part of the castle’s deer park, as well as its infield agricultural land.

The playing fields of Helensburgh Rugby and Cricket Club and Lomond School, which are encircled by the woods, were once ploughed fields, and traces of 'run rig' agriculture are still visible.

There are traces of woodland management all over Duchess Wood with boundary dykes and ancient coppiced oaks.

In the south-west corner there is an overgrown mill pond associated with a weir and canalised burn that controlled water flow to the site of a mill at the junction of Glenoran Road and Rhu Road Higher. This was probably a sawmill that served the Ardencaple Castle estate.

During the First World War, many trees were felled for the war effort, perhaps over 600, but the woodland has been restocked alongside natural regeneration and there are some exotics in amongst the native oak and birch.

The woodland also suffered heavy damage in the 1968 hurricane and more recent storms have also brought trees down. It is not advisable to walk in the woods on a very windy day.

However, any trees blown down in a gale are quickly replaced by young saplings and the fallen trees provide vital homes for insects and fungi all adding to the rich biodiversity of the woodland.

The bluebells themselves are a marker of an ancient woodland and there is an incredible range of woodland flora throughout the woods.

The Friends of Duchess Wood undertake sterling work in partnership with Luss Estates ensuring the overall health and longevity of the woodland is well managed. The woods are also used as a Forest School and learning resource for our local schoolchildren.

The Friends organise work parties to undertake maintenance work on paths and bridges and have added enhancements such as the two wildlife ponds and information boards to help visitors explore and learn more about the nature and history of the woods.

They also and organise specialist walks covering bats, archaeology, wildflowers and herbal remedies.

The Friends can be found at http://duchesswood.org.uk or on Facebook, and for a small annual membership subscription that supports the maintenance of the woods, members also enjoy regular newsletters.