Updates:
Blue-green algae – 11/8/22
There are signs that the annual blue-green algae is blooming in the loch. This is naturally occurring and we do have it most summers. In humans the impact of ingesting this is a nasty upset tummy, but in dogs it can be far more serious.
Please don’t wild swim or let dogs in the water at the moment, to be on the safe side. With other water sports, such as kayaking, sailing and paddle boarding, please take the usual sensible precautions i.e. don’t swallow the loch water, don’t rub your eyes/mouth with wet hands, sanitise your hands. If you are loch user and spot large blooms, please do message us with the location so we can advise on areas to avoid.
Wild swimming & kayaking:
I’m regularly asked on Facebook about whether the loch is used by visitors for these activities and the answer is yes. One or two people do wild swim in the loch with safety visual buoys, and others for triathlon training, the same also goes for launching kayaks and canoes. The easiest place to enter the water is from the car park near the bowls/tennis club. Please note that the loch does have blue green algae blooms from time to time, usually late summer if it has been particularly warm and sultry (so not that often then!). When I receive reports of it, I put a note up on here and the Facebook page – See Above Warning. The one thing we do ask is that you avoid the wildlife sanctuary area, which, as you enter the water, is the bay down on the far right side – see map http://www.castleloch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/0484-14-Castle-Loch-Leaflet-update.pdf
Fundraising – Our big project for 2022…
Boardwalk, bridges and paths upgrade. A lot of the Castle Loch infrastructure is reaching the the end of its natural life – the 230m boardwalk near the castle is now over 20 years old! Following the Paths for All audit we need to now raise just over £110k to complete all the works and keep the circuit of the loch open. Fundraising has only just started and we have already raised a cracking £92k, but we still have some way to go. Various funding applications are in and we are waiting to hear the outcome from those. We have also set ourselves an ambitious local fundraising target of £15-£20k and it would be wonderful if you could support us in any way. The simplest way is through our ‘sponsor a board for the boardwalk’ scheme, which can be accessed by scanning the below QR code or clicking the JustGiving page – www.justgiving.com/campaign/castlelochboardwalk
Paths and Access update – posted 11/8/22:
All paths are clear and open. We are doing constant strimming this time of year to keep the paths clear of undergrowth – a big thank you to the volunteers that do this work.
Dogs: Just a gentle reminder to please keep dogs on a lead or walking to heel and to also pick up after them. Recently the children’s forest school areas have had a lot of dog mess left. There are numerous bins around the site, car parks, lay-bys and Lochfield Cottage, with the longest stretch without a bin around the grassland, but it isn’t that far. Thank you for your help with this.
Birds & animals in difficulty… if you come across an animal that looks sick or injured please contact the SSPCA on 0300 099 9999 and one of their rangers will come out and investigate.
Marking the 8th Anniversary of the Community Purchase
Where do the years go? To mark the 8th anniversary since the communities of Lochmaben, Royal Four Towns and Templand decided to purchase Castle Loch. To mark the occasion we’ve produced a short leaflet outlining the story and achievements to date. If you would like to support the Trust’s work, please visit http://www.castleloch.org.uk/getting-involved/
Volunteering activities:
We are currently back to 1st Saturday and 3rd Thursday of the month for work party sessions – let me have your email and I’ll send the tasks a few days before. We also run fundraising events every couple of months, could do with some online help refreshing the website and any number of other skills. If interested email darrenflint@castleloch.org.uk for more details.
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Winner of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2018
Winner of the Third Sector D&G VOSCARS – Environmental and the overall Volunteer Involving Organisation 2017
Winner of RSPB Nature of Scotland Community Initiative 2015
Winner of DG Life ‘People of the Year’ Award 2014
Welcome to Castle Loch, the largest and shallowest of the lochs in Lochmaben, Dumfries & Galloway, located between Lockerbie and Dumfries on the A709 (DG11 1LP / NY 085815). The site is one of the earliest Local Nature Reserves (LNR) and also a site of national and international importance for its birdlife with a whole list of designations, including Site of Scientific Interest, Ramsar Site and Special Protected Area. The loch is a fine location to visit at any time of the year, offering fine opportunities to see bird and wildlife, take walk, fish or take to the waters under sail. The site offers the chance to see breeding Willow Tit at their northern reaches, however it comes into its own during the winter season with the migration of Pink-footed Geese from Iceland and Greenland, along with Greylag Geese and Goosanders.
The ruins of Lochmaben Castle are found on promontory at the south end of the loch and offer an added attraction to experience first-hand the important historical connections of the area. The castle is a former stronghold of the Bruce family and is reckoned to be the best example of an Edwardian (Edward I, the Hammer of the Scots) Peel left in Scotland.
In 2013 the Castle Loch was put up for sale. The Castle Loch Advisory Committee provided the basis of a local Community Trust whose aim was to purchase the Castle Loch and its environs for the Community. The steering committee successfully raised the funds needed and Castle Loch Lochmaben Community Trust (CLLCT) took ownership of the site in January 2014.
Other recreational facilities located on the edge of the loch are the beautiful Victory Park, a bowling green and all weather tennis courts. There is an attractive path round most of the loch, which passes Lochmaben Castle and a Bird Hide, returning to the town on a quiet lane with fine views over the water and hills. Numerous fishing piers are found along the Lochmaben to Dalton road side of the loch, while a gently sloping path down to the lochside fishing pier, enabling wheelchair users to fish at the loch, is at the A709 car park. Annandale Sailing Club is a small friendly club and the loch can provide both sheltered waters for the nervous beginner or an interesting test for those who appreciate the subtleties of inland racing. Please note that the only motorised craft allowed on the loch are those of the Sailing Club rescue boats and Water Bailiff.
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