IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Ledrish Avenue, ALEXANDRIA, G83 8LJ

This structure is on a high pressure crude pipeline. The view is from Mollanbowie Road in Balloch.

This photograph was taken from the same spot as Image, but is a view in the opposite direction. Not far ahead, the path enters an area of woodland which extends to the southern entrance of the park.

The picture was taken from the road between Image and the north lodge (Image): Image Of the houses in the background, the nearest ones are on Inchfad Road and on the small inshots just to the north of that road.

On Monday 23 May 2011, shortly after midday, winds of up to 100 mph swept across parts of Scotland. At one stage 50,000 homes were without electricity; felled power lines and trees blocked train tracks and major roads. Ferry operator CalMac cancelled more than half of its services. Sadly there was also one fatality. At the top of Mollanbowie Road a massive oak tree uprooted and hit a passing van driven by a young family man. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-13512698 https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/inquiry-death-freak-storm-driver-2410916

The area occupied by the current Mollanbowie housing estate (built by John Lawrence) had always been farmland until the late 1950’s. John McNeil’s farm once stood at the bend half way up Mollanbowie Road in the space now occupied by 25 Mollanbowie Rd. The last traces of the farm were removed in 2002 with the Byre being the last to be demolished.

(Adalia 10-punctata) This particular example was not far from the road (Image), near an area of woodland. At first, I took this to be a Cream-streaked Ladybird (Harmonia quadripunctata = Harmonia 4-punctata). However, on revisiting it, I came to the conclusion that it is instead a 10-spot Ladybird (Adalia decempunctata = Adalia 10-punctata). That species is very variable in appearance, but the pronotum (plate above the head), at least, seems distinctive enough. See http://www.coleoptera.org.uk/species/adalia-decempunctata (at UK Beetle Recording) for pictures and for further information.

The road ends in a T-junction; from there, the left branch leads to the Image

Like Image, this picture includes the south-eastern corner of the walled garden, but the view is in the opposite direction. The pictures were taken on the same evening.

The path rounds the south-east corner of the walled garden here. The tallest tree in the background is a Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). Its bark is soft and fibrous, and people passing this tree, and others like it, do on occasion put this to the test by punching the bark; the near side of the tree showed clear signs of this. See Image for a view in the opposite direction, past the same corner of the walled garden.

Drive to Balloch Castle - looking towards the North Lodge. This is one of the public routes into the country park.