TERRAIN: quiet roads, residential pavements, woodland trails, surfaced footpaths and grassy tracks. Can be muddy in places. Several sets of steps, some of them steep. No stiles or kissing gates. Mostly flat with a couple of hills inside Lainshaw Woods and at Cunningham Watt Park.
Dog-friendly route
Car parking available at Rose Reilly Sports Centre (KA3 3DN) or Stewarton Train Station, just off Standalane – both are a short walk from the start point. There are also frequent bus and train services into Stewarton.
View Full Route Description
Starting from Stewarton War Memorial, head along Kilwinning Road, passing Lainshaw Primary School. When you reach a kids play area on your left-hand side, turn left and walk down the lane (keep left at a fork) to reach David Dale Avenue. You will see the entrance to Lainshaw Woods directly opposite on the other side of the road. Go into the woods.
The footpath initially zig zags downhill towards the Annick Water before following the river through the woods for 1.6km to reach the bottom of the Fisherman’s Steps. Stay close to the river, ignoring any paths to your right as you move along. Turn left at the top of the steps (wooden way marker points towards Kilwinning Road) and continue along the footpath through the woods. After approx 100m keep right at a fork. A further 800m along follow the path as it bends sharp right (ignore the exit onto Kilwinning Road). This woodland trail runs parallel to the road, ending at a gate.
Turn right along the road for 360m until reaching a red bin with a footpath on your left-hand side leading to a kids play park and residential area. Turn left to follow tracks and paths along the edge of the housing estate, with a field on your left, all the way to the main road. Here the footpath bends to the right – stay on it and you will arrive at the B778/Standalane. Cross the road carefully and continue straight ahead into the housing estate on Eglintoun Road.
Follow Eglintoun Road along until you reach a mini roundabout. Just beyond the roundabout, turn left onto a cycle path. Follow the cycle path around the perimeter of the housing estate, eventually emerging onto Argyll Drive. Cross the road then turn left towards the A735/Dunlop Road.
Stay on the pavement to by-pass the roundabout, following the pavement round to the right on a residential street. A lane takes you out onto A735/Dunlop Road. Walk down the pavement for approx 500m. You will pass Lamberton Rd on your right. Just beyond that look for a lane on your left next to a cottage (signposted Clark’s Wynd/Piggery Row).
Take care crossing over and go down Clark’s Wynd/Piggery Row. You are now entering Cunningham Watt Park! Keep going until you reach the Clerkland Burn**. Cross the footbridge then go up a flight of steps, turning right about a third of the way up to go onto a footpath with the burn on your right-hand side. There are some more steps then you will reach another footbridge. Cross over and turn left with the burn on your left-hand side. You will pass a bench and soon arrive at another footbridge. Cross over and follow the path right, the burn now on your right-hand side. Continue, keeping the burn on your right, until you reach the exit of Cunningham Watt Park, next to a stone memorial and some benches.
[**For an easier route avoiding the steps turn right before crossing the Clerkland Burn and follow the footpath all the way to the east end of Cunningham Watt Park at the memorial and benches.]
Cross over High Street/B769 and turn left to pass The Millhouse. Follow the pavement along with some metal fencing on your right. Take the first road on the right (100m along). The street name is Gilbert Sheddon Court and there is also a tall, black finger post which says ‘River Walk’. Cross the Annick Water by way of a stone bridge then immediately turn right onto a lane. There’s an underpass and a waterfall and then you’ll emerge at a minor road. Cross over to continue on the riverside trail . Keep the river close to your right-hand side and you will soon arrive at Cutstraw Road.
Turn right onto Cutstraw Road to reach B778/Kirfkord. Cross over B778/Kirfkord and continue straight ahead onto a lane just to the left of the Kirkford street sign. Follow this path along the Annick, eventually passing beneath the railway viaduct, to reach the A735 600m along.
Cross over A735 then turn right to walk along the narrow pavement to the roundabout where you turn left onto David Dale Avenue. After 50m you will reach the steps and lane next to Lainshaw Primary on your right-hand side, and the Lainshaw Woods entrance on your left. Turn right here to go along the lane and past the play park. Turn right onto Kilwinning Road and you will soon arrive back at Stewarton War Memorial.
WALK REPORT: 10TH FEBRUARY 2019
My adventure to Stewarton this morning came about through my involvement with the Kilmaurs Walking Festival and our desire to include walks in the neighbouring towns and villages on this year’s program. One of the team had suggested contacting the Stewarton Woodlands Action Trust (SWAT) with a view to leading a walk along their woodland paths at Lainshaw.
I had been meaning to get out to Stewarton for months now to explore the area more – I still didn’t have a single route from there on my website despite many people telling me what a great walk Lainshaw is! So when Susan Williamson – SWAT Chairperson – offered us a walk round of her proposed 2 hour route I was delighted and jumped at the chance!
I was hugely impressed with what I saw and the work that SWAT has done over the past 10+ years to maintain the beauty and safety of the woods. When we started the walk a group of 5-6 volunteers were beginning their morning’s work which included emptying dog poo bins, doing a litter pick, and other small maintenance jobs. As we progressed along our route we saw another volunteer out clearing a drainage ditch to keep the path dry and we heard stories of the group’s recent chainshaw training which has allowed them to prevent a dangerous trees from falling/remove fallen trees blocking the pathways. If the number of people out for a walk today is anything to go by, Lainshaw is clearly much-loved by the local people. And it is easy to see why…..
Our ramble took us through Lainshaw Woods and across a residential area before we entered Cunningham Watt Park and followed the River Annick back to the start. We really got an impression of the number of new houses in Stewarton – areas which once were fields now unrecognisable. On the plus side, footpaths had been developed, linking the residents to the woodland trails, which makes them easily accessible to much of the town. Great to see this happening! Although I understand it took a bit of campaigning for this to be the case….
Cunningham Watt Park is a pleasant tree-lined path running alongside a bambling burn, with small picnic areas and benches dotted along it. Litter did seem to be a bit of a challenge, as with a lot of places these days. However seeing past that it looked a nice place to come a wander and again, it was well linked to adjoining residences. Having said that, I did remark on the difference I felt walking here compared to in Lainshaw Woods in terms of how well-loved and maintained each felt. Lainshaw very much more so than here. Credit to SWAT again for that.
From here we headed along the River Annick to return to the start. This was more of a grassy footpath than what we had experienced so far and possibly muddy on a wetter day. We were fortunate that the ground was solid today thanks to a hard frost last night and this made it easy to walk across. I understand there are plans to possibly upgrade the path over the coming years. In the meantime SWAT continue to strim the long grass over the summer to keep the path from becoming overgrown. Great view of the railway viaduct (which we were soon to walk beneath)! Had I waited 30 seconds longer before taking this photo, a train would have been visible on top of it! Too late… 😉
