Cycle Ride Eaglesham

Cycle Ride Eaglesham

Farming landscape with Glasgow in distance

Introduction

This morning I undertook a cycle ride along minor roads near the village of Eaglesham, south of Glasgow. This route partly overlapped a hike my wife and I undertook back in July.

The immediate landscape is used for small scale mixed farming. However,the elevation provided views of Glasgow and hills beyond. The weather was dry and visibility about average.

I was impressed by the range and diversity of sites and sights. These included a wide range of farm animals, various flora, alpacas, a major wind farm and connection with WW2.

Sheep

Eaglesham

This is a conservation (heritage) village best known for it’s Georgian style (1714 to c. 1830–37), of architecture. It would make an ideal location for a ‘Jane Austen’ film. Most of the properties in the old village are immaculately maintained.

The name is unusual in that it suggests a settlement (‘ham’) of 1st millennium, Anglo-Saxon origin. However, this region would have been Gaelic and/or Welsh speaking at the time. For some reason, a small contingent of Saxons (from Germany) appear to have settled in the region. The ‘eagle’ element of the name is derived from ecclesiastical meaning a church, not a bird of prey.

Eaglesham has been accidentally preserved because a rail connection, although planned, was never built in the 19th century.

Polnoon Street, Eaglesham
The Swan Inn (pub), Eaglesham

Landscape and other images

Alpacas,The alpaca fu (wool) is expensive because it is naturally light, but can be spun heavier to add weight. Overall, it’s one of the most luxurious and silky natural fibers. Sheep wool has virtually no value in Scotland.
Purple loosestrife flowers gone to seed
Horse with foal
Horse with ducks
Landscape view looking north with Glasgow and hills beyond.
Golfers
Scottish heather in bloom
Mountain Ash with crop of bright red berries.
Landscape view of a microcosm of Whitelee Wind farm, the second largest on-shore wind farm in Europe. In this general locality, Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess landed in 1941 with aim of negotiating an end to WW2. He spent the rest of life in prison.
Landscape view, looking north with Glasgow in distance.

More information for the visitor

The publication Visitors’ Guide to Scotland spans nearly 800 pages and provides a wide range range of information and images. ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. Also available via Kindle.

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