Biggar and the Pentland Hills
An excerpt from Bike Clydesdale by Paul Lamarra
Look out for:
Walston - the hamlet of Walston sits at the foot of the Black Mount. The church dates from the 17th century and there some good examples of portrait headstones from the early 18th century.
Newholm - this private house near Dunsyre was the home of General Learmouth - the commander of the Covenanter horsemen at the battle of Rullion Green in 1666. The Covenanters were roundly beaten and Learmouth was forced into hiding. He would evade his pursuers by way of a secret passage that led out of the house to the banks of the Medwin.
Dunsyre - a pretty hamlet with an ancient churchyard - William Somervil a former minister and signatory to the National Covenant of 1638 is buried here.
The present church dates from the 19th century but a set of jougs have been preserved and set into the wall. To be placed in the jougs, the equivalent of the stocks, was a humiliating and uncomfortable punishment for behaviour deemed unacceptable to the church. The jougs would be placed around the offenders neck and set at such a height that it was neither comfortable to sit or stand.
Little Sparta - one mile beyond Dunsyre is the Little Sparta the home of the late poet Dr Ian Hamilton Findlay. In his remarkable garden Findlay expressed his poetry in a concrete form including Nuclear Sail and Air Craft Carrier Bird Table (check sign for opening times).
Newbigging - look out for the distinctly pagan looking mercat cross which dates from 1693. The Nestlers Hotel is available for food and drink.
The Route
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