HAMILTONHILL
CLAYPITS

Local Nature Reserve

Claypits LNR is a wild mosaic of habitats located just north-west of Glasgow City Centre, along the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Welcome to the Claypits!

Once an industrial hub linked to the canal, now a much-loved green place in the heart of our communities, that is enjoyed by everyone who visits.

This website is run by Hamiltonhill Claypits Local Nature Reserve Management Group. We are a community group that aims to work with others to protect and enhance the wildlife that lives here. We work with the landowners, Scottish Canals, to maintain this amazing green place for the local communities and visitors. When you visit you can connect with the nature on your doorstep and enjoy all that it has to offer.

The Claypits is a nature reserve with wooded walks and paths running alongside the Forth and Clyde Canal, between the Firhill and Applecross basins. It was once an industrial hub linked to the canal and Glasgow’s history. It has grown, over many years, into a place for nature and wildlife to thrive. Today it is a much-loved greenspace in the heart of our communities and enjoyed by all who visit.

At the Claypits you can enjoy the most amazing views of  Glasgow and also catch glimpses of the site’s industrial past.

Wildlife is all around you, and if you are lucky you may spot roe deer, dragonflies and finches, and wild flowers

The new bridge and walkway have opened up the site to the city and connected the communities across the canal.

The Claypits is a place to meet friends, old and new, whether you are running, cycling, fishing, walking your dog or just taking a stroll.

Latest News!

View the latest news from the Hamiltonhill Claypits!

Announcing Hamiltonhill Claypits Photo Competition Winners!

As part of the celebration to mark the opening of the Claypits, our artist in residence, Kloee Huberdieu, organised a photo competition that invited submissions to showcase the Claypits and what they love about it.

A CLAYPITS ICONOGRAPHY – Announcing a creative photography project for youth ages 12-20

Claypits Youth Artists are excited to announce our first arts opportunity for youth - a creative photography project open to youth ages 12-20.Using animals and plants that inhabit the site, participants will create a photographic iconography…

Announcing the official opening of the Claypits!

Hamiltonhill Claypits Lnr will finally fully open to the public on Saturday 31st July 2021. An opening event will be held between 10am and 2pm, with a range of stalls and activities to take part in present on the day. Come join us to celebrate the opening of our much loved greenspace.

Guided Walks

We are about to announce a series of walks and talks where we can learn with local experts and discuss the social history and industrial heritage that defines this place. We will also be out and about with experts and neighbours who understand current changes to the land and restoration of nature and habitats.

Announcing our first Digital Artist in Residence, Kloee Huberdeau!

Workshops and activities will provide young people the opportunity to create art based on their experiences of nature at the Claypits. Kloee Huberdeau is our 1st Claypits Youth Artist in Residence.

Developing a Claypits Dialectogram with artist Mitch Miller.

Mitch Miller is a nationally recognized artist that creates illustrative maps of communities. He has worked at Lambhill Stables, the Barras, and Platform. Mitch has been out in the community and on the land to meet those that care for this place, and want to talk about it. Developed in partnership with Glasgow Sculpture Studio, the artwork will be installed at the Ellesmere St entrance.

Our Claypits

As the Hamiltonhill Claypits Lnr Management Group, we undertake a range of activities to enhance nature on the site, and also the local communities’ engagement with it.

Hamiltonhill Claypits is a local nature reserve located on rewilded post-industrial site close to the city centre along the Forth and Clyde Canal. Over the years, the Claypits has developed a rich mosaic of habitats, including woodland composed of willow, birch, pine and oak amongst others, mire and ponds with reeds, sedges and wildflowers, and wealth of visiting and resident birds, invertebrates and mammals.

The recent infrastructural works and installation of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) in the Claypits has meant that much has changed on the site over the last two years, and we are keen to learn how the wildlife has responded, and what we can all do to make it thrive!

Our management committee is made up of volunteer members from the local communities around the Claypits. Community is at the heart of all our projects, whether it be habitat monitoring and care work, our artistic collaborations, or our regular events such as nature walks and litter picks.

As well as being a local nature reserve, the Claypits is also a place for recreation and nature connection. As the management commitee, we host regular events such as nature walks and litter picks. We also hold events with the partners we work with on collaborative projects, from art related activities to wildlife monitoring and habitat care. Check our callender regularly or sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with our events.

The Hamiltonhill Claypits Local Nature Reserve Management Group is a community group of volunteers.

We are a registered charity. We work in common interest with the landowners, Scottish Canals and Glasgow City Council, to maintain and promote awareness of the ecology and heritage of the Claypits.

Get Involved

We are volunteer run, and there are many ways to get involved!

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Hamiltonhill Claypits Local Nature Reserve

Twitter: @ClaypitsLnr

Instagram: hamiltonhill_claypits_lnr