***Edit: Unfortunately the main Gruffalo carving is no longer there, it had to be removed due to rot. There is a much smaller carving in the same spot though and the loch is still a great place to visit with some new carvings to see on your way around. ***
Kilmardinny Loch in Bearsden was designated a local nature reserve in 2010 and is managed by East Dunbartonshire Council.
It is part of the grounds surrounding Kilmardinny House, which after being owned by a succession of Glasgow merchants and the Glasgow MP Robert Dalglish it was purchased by Bearsden Town Council in 1965. The A-listed building has recently undergone a £2.73 million renovation project and is used as an Arts and Culture centre as well as being available for weddings etc.
The loch itself is renowned for coarse fishing and has an abundance of perch and roach. The variety of habitats on the reserve are home to a broad range of fauna including coots, moorhens, tufted ducks, swans, frogs, butterflies, moths and even otters and bats have been seen here.
This is an ideal place to take children for an afternoon out. As well as a walk around the Loch nature spotting there is an adjacent play park and they can go on a hunt for the Gruffalo and his pals. There are numerous carvings around the loch featuring characters from the Gruffalo book - whose author Julia Donaldson is a local lass - as well as other animals.
The 14ft high Gruffalo carving is by the renowned Scottish sculptor Iain Chalmers and was erected in 2012. It has been carved from a 200 year old beech and took 4 days to complete. The art project was a partnership between East Dunbartonshire Council and local group Kilmardinny PALS (Playpark and Loch Scheme) who began fundraising to improve the Loch in 2006.
There is a small car park close by the cache.
The cache has been placed with the kind permission of East Dunbartonshire & Mugdock Country Park Ranger Service.
*****Congratulations to Shortbread69 and Gilly-Scott on their joint First to Find*****