A new walking trail has been officially opened at Bourtreehill Park.

Covering a 1km loop, the Bourtreehill Park Woodland Trail has been co-created by North Ayrshire Ranger Service, supported by North Ayrshire Neighbourhood Services and the North Ayrshire STEM team.

Located at the park just five minutes walk from the school, local playpark and village shops, the trail features five informative pit-stops.

Co-created with the help of pupils from St John Ogilvie Primary school and Bourtreehill-based charity Children First, the official opening welcomed Council Leader Marie Burns, Councillor Nairn McDonald and officers from the council’s Connected Communities and Neighbourhood Services teams for a ranger-led walk to see the new trail in action.

Leading the first walk to mark the official opening, Countryside Ranger Andrew Todd said: “The idea for the new trail started out as a simple desire to install something new into the park and help everyone to take pride once again in the local area.

“With five stops along the way, our fact-finding trail is all about helping families and local people to connect with nature, explore the outdoors and learn a little more about the world around them.”

Council Leader Marie Burns said: “I am inspired by the creativity and enthusiasm of the local Primary 6 (now 7) class from St John Ogilvie who have come up with some brilliant ideas to shape this local walking trail.

"From identifying the 1km loop and the location of the signage, to ideas for the information boards and coming up with the name and design of team mascot Simon Owl, we are delighted to see this empowering pupil-powered project in action.

“Thank you to our Rangers, Neighbourhood Services and STEM team for collaborating with local schools’ to build a lasting legacy here in North Ayrshire.”

The idea for the Bourtreehill Park Woodland Trail was originally generated as part of the council’s redevelopment of Bourtreehill Village.

It is based on the same principles of Eglinton Country Park’s STEM trail to promote local biodiversity, prevent nature loss and instil a deeper connection to local parks and green spaces.

The trail - officially opened on Thursday 13 March - features five information boards, each covering a different aspect of the woodland:

• the Welcome Board – providing an intro to the new Woodland Trail
• the Heritage Board – telling the stories of woodland’s past
• the Biodiversity Board – highlighting the plants and animals that call Bourtreehill Park home
• the Environment Board – encouraging everyone to think about how we can all help care for our park and other local green spaces
• and finally, the Climate & Seasons Board – exploring how the woodland changes throughout the year.

Mrs McCulloch, Headteacher of St John Ogilvie Primary School added: “The pupils have been delighted to have been involved in the new woodland trail and are excited to use the interactive QR code feature incorporated within the signage to continue to engage with their surroundings. We will be digitally uploading future artwork and eco-inspiration that we discover when classes walk around the trail, stay tuned for updates on this.

“Thank you to everyone involved in making the project a reality. We hope that people passing by will take time out of their day to engage with the information and activities too, so that we can foster a greater public appreciation for the space and nature as a whole. We are proud to have done our part as a school to connect local people to the place that they live.”

Published: 20 March 2025