We have carried out improvements, including upgraded paths and trails and expanded play areas, and following a Community Asset Transfer, Palacerigg Community Trust has reopened the popular visitor centre café.

The café is already proving a hit with visitors by offering hot and cold drinks, snacks and a place to catch up with friends and families. Currently open on alternate weekends and major holidays, the Community Trust are looking to expand these opening times further. You can keep up-to-date with news from Palacerigg Community Trust at www.facebook.com/PalaceriggCT and www.palacerigg.scot or by email to hello@palacerigg.scot.

With a grant of £25,000 from the council’s UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (Community Facilities), the Community Trust, made up entirely of volunteers, has carried out extensive renovations to make the space welcoming and friendly. The group has also taken over one of the longhouses, a barn and some outside space within the park. All of these spaces are already being used by local and national groups and schools for events and education.

Our new Hidden Creatures trail invites families to play hide and seek with badger and his friends, and new maps and waymarking have been installed to guide visitors around the network of upgraded paths which are suitable for walking, wheeling and cycling.

Footprints, games and musical instruments link the two play areas: Squirrel Drey which has balance, slide, and swing features for younger children and Badger Wood, which has been extended and made more accessible for the more adventurous!

Palacerigg Golf Club is open to all park visitors, offering light refreshments in the café and public toilets. For opening hours and more information, visit www.activenl.co.uk/palacerigg-golf-course.

“Palacerigg Country Park is a beautiful location for family days out and offers plenty for visitors of all ages to see and do,” said Councillor Helen Loughran, Convener of the Environment and Climate Change Committee.

“The council has been working to make the paths network more accessible for everyone with new maps and waymarking to guide visitors around the different landscapes and features, as well as creating fun children’s activities and play areas.

“We are delighted to be working with Palacerigg Community Trust, combining their ideas and love of the park with our ambitions to deliver more opportunities for people to experience the benefits of being outdoors, learning about wildlife and heritage.”

Tommy McCallum, Chair of Palacerigg Community Trust said: “These are early days but we have already been amazed at the support from local residents who have welcomed the long-awaited re-opening of the visitor centre. For so many people it is a place of happy memories. Thanks to the hard work, dedication and determination of all of our volunteers, the visitor centre is no longer just a place for memories, it is a place with a future at the heart of our vibrant community.”

Visitors to Palacerigg Country Park can also buy plants from Watch Us Grow, a charity supporting adults with additional support needs to learn new skills, grow in confidence and become more independent. The charity’s garden is open Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 2.30p. Find out more about their work at www.watchusgrow.org.uk.