Bankglen: Circular Walk and Mining History

Bankglen combines a varied route with the history of a landscape shaped by former mining villages. Anyone looking for a mix of exercise, local history and a rural setting for their holiday will find specific starting points here for planning their trip. The focus is not only on individual buildings: the paths around Bank Glen also tell of road connections, former places of work and a community that changed over time.

Exploring the New Cumnock Circular on foot

The New Cumnock Circular runs from Bankglen via Burnfoot Road. Bank Glen lies on the circular route and is connected to core paths. These core paths provide access to Bank Glen on foot. The route follows the B741 towards Bank Glen and then turns onto Boig Road towards Cumnock. Further sections run along a path through woodland and return via the old Furnace Road to the B741 towards New Cumnock.

The route also includes Fordemouth Junction and a track leading to an old brickworks. This allows the landscape to be experienced from different perspectives: road sections, woodland paths and traces of former industrial use alternate with one another. For planning your day, it is advisable to compare the individual route sections with the sights you wish to visit in advance.

Traces of mining history

Bankglen lies in a landscape shaped by former mining villages. Nearby is Lanemark Row, known locally as Knowe Tap, which the route passes through the former mining area. The history of Bank Glen is closely connected with the development of the local community. John Hyslop founded the Bank Coal Company in 1860. The small community of Bank Glen grew and gained additional houses along the road.

The buildings also illustrate this development. There were two pairs of semi-detached houses in Bank Glen, and the two matching Ingleston Cottages still stand at the upper end of Bank Glen today. A public school was built in Bank in 1874. The later extension of the school in Bank Glen is still preserved, but is no longer in use. Bank Free Church was built next to the school in 1875 to serve the coal-mining communities of Connel Park, Craigbank and Burnfoot.

Church, inn and changing functions

Bank Free Church was built from corrugated iron and was known locally as the “Iron Church”. Later, this Iron Church was replaced by a new stone church; the foundation stone was laid on 22 April 1899. This sequence gives the local history a clearly recognisable chronological development, without the individual buildings having been used in the same way.

Bank Glen Inn also represents the changing character of the place. While the ironworks were in operation, it was an inn. Later, Bank Glen Inn was used as a private residence. Together with the cottages, the former school and the churches, it forms a historic area of interest that you can combine with the circular walk and the impressions of the landscape.

Bankglen as a starting point for planning your trip

A bus connection links Bank Glen with New Cumnock and Dalmellington. Historically, Bank Glen was located on the road between New Cumnock and Dalmellington. If you are looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house, you can therefore first decide whether the focus should be on the New Cumnock Circular, the historic traces of Bank Glen or the connection to the places mentioned. Those who want to focus on the circular walk and mining history can use Bankglen specifically as a search location; those who want to combine several destinations can include the bus connection in their further planning.

Compare more destinations

For further travel planning, you can also visit the pages for Isle of Arran, Cumnock, Troon, Muirkirk, Kilmarnock, West Kilbride, Kilbirnie and Irvine.

To the overview of the wider travel region: Ayrshire.