also met with the warlock Laird of Auchenskeigh at a thorn tree near to Monkcastle. She said she was trained by her “familiar” on how to make and use ointments to heal livestock and people. She was said to have cured and advised various people from poor children to gentry. As a “wise woman” her strange efforts at the time attracted the attention of the law. Her abilities were more akin to today’s current psychics, and with an understanding of medicinal herbs, she was identified in a time of witchcraft hysteria. It resulted in a conviction and the tragic outcome was that she was burnt at the stake at Castle Hill in Edinburgh in 1576. Alternatively, she is said to have been burned at the stake at Corsehillmuir, just outside Kilwinning. Monkcastle Glen A rocky glen runs up from Monkcastle with a significant waterfall and a listing as part of a Scottish Wildlife Trust local site for nature conservation. The glen was partly formed from quarrying work for freestone. A previous course of the Monkcastle Burn can still be followed and this probably resulted from the quarrying intruding into the original course of the burn at the head of the glen resulting in a waterfall and the burn then following the bed of the glen itself. The geology consists of Carboniferous limestone, macroporphyritic basalt, and an overlay of basalt and boulder clay. The quarry workers are thought to have made used of Old Monkcastle as office space for storage, etc. The OS maps show that quarrying had ceased by the start of the 20th century. The woodland policies at Monkcastle are classified as one of the relatively few North Ayrshire 'Ancient Woodland' sites. Aspen (Populus tremulans) has been recorded here; liverworts, ferns, and mosses are common due to the conditions of continuous high humidity. The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) have designated Monkcastle as part of Listed Wildlife or Local Site for Nature Conservation (LSNC) number 27, together with Monkcastle House, Dalgarven and Smithstone. Aspen (Populus tremula) is the most notable species present, however the presence of Broad-leafed Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) indicates a woodland containing many mature deciduous trees of some habitat value, together with wet flushes containing yellow flag iris, soft rush, lesser spearwort and golden saxifrage. Mick's Pond An area of open water known as Mick's Pond was created for John Coleman by Michael McMorn in the 2000s to