Neilston Pad

Neilston Pad, referred to locally as The Pad, is a distinctive hill in East Renfrewshire, situated a mile (1.5 km) south of the village of Neilston.

Its highest point is 261 m and is characterised by a relatively flat summit plateau surrounded by steep slopes and distinctive forestry on its eastern side. Its odd shape and prominence make it easily identifiable and visible from many areas in Glasgow.

The area was managed by Elderslie Estates from the 1990s until it was sold to a private buyer or consortium in 2021.

Walking and public access
Neilston Pad has a well constructed gravel path surrounding it extending to access paths from the north and south. A number of secondary paths exist, one of which leads to the summit.

Summit
There is large stone cairn on the plateau which is easily mistaken as being the summit. The true summit is marked by a much smaller cairn approximately 50 m east of the larger one.

Reservoirs
The area surrounding Neilston Pad includes a number of reservoirs. Craighall Reservoir, known locally as Craighall Dam, lies to the west, Snypes Reservoir to the east and a smaller body of water sits north known as Keepers Dam.

Forestry
The hill itself has extensive forestry on its eastern and southern sides as well as large areas alongside its eastern side.

In 2019 up to 20,000 trees were felled to prevent the spread of phytophthora ramorum – a fungus-like pathogen that can kill or severely damage larch trees. The felling damaged and disturbed a number of well utilised walking and access routes mainly around Craighall Reservoir.