Lanarkshire

Scotland > Central Scotland > Lanarkshire

Lanarkshire offers a tremendous mix of environment from the highly residential and industrial Clyde Valley which borders on to Glasgow to the southern uplands of the Tinto and Lowther Hills - mostly farmland. Motherwell, Wishaw, Airdrie, Coatbridge, Hamilton, East Kilbride and Uddingston represent the industrial heart of the county. Biggar, Lanark, Strathaven (pronounced Straven), Carnwath and Carstairs are the owners of the "rural" epithet.

Despite its primarily industrial past which accounted for Lanarkshire being the most heavily populated county in Scotland, the county is steeped in both leisure and history. Bothwell Castle near Hamilton and Craignethan Castle near Crossford bear witness to an historic past. The building of Bothwell Castle started in the early 13th century but ownership was passed to the Earls of Moray and then the Douglasses before, during and after the battles of independence.

Eventually, the Douglasses prevailed but a disastrously troubled period put paid to their ownership and the Castle and lands were forfeited to the crown (King James) in 1455. The Crichtons who were a major instigator of the Douglass' demise (the murder of two of the Earls) were granted ownership of the Castle by the King and the lands went in part to the Hamiltons. Craignethan Casle, dating back to the 16th century was also owned by the Dukes of Hamilton.

The River Clyde, Strathclyde Country Park and the southern hills offer the leisure and recreation. Some places offer both, like the Lowther Hills which, in the 17th century, gave shelter to the persecuted Covenanters.

Scotland's agricultural heritage is celebrated at the new Museum of Scottish Country Life at Kittochside near East Kilbride and includes an historic farm, exhibition building and events area.

Apart from Boswell Castle, the area around Hamilton is also the site of the hunting lodge of Chatelherault, built by William Adam. Today the town's racecourse is famous for its "Saints and Sinners" charity meeting held in June each year.

The David Livingstone Centre in Blantyre is built around the birthplace of the world famous explorer, while Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell is a haven for fun seekers and watersports fanatics.

The Royal Burgh of Lanark was the site of Scotland's first parliament in 978 and William Wallace is said to have created Scotland's first army of resistance here. New Lanark was founded in 1785 to harness the power of the River Clyde for cotton production - it is now a World Heritage village offering a glimpse of a fascinating past. Robert Owen's 19th century revolutionary "new town" is tastefully preserved in its spectacular riverside setting near the Falls of Clyde.

The equally ancient Royal Burgh of Biggar boasts 5 museums, an enchanting Victorian puppet theatre and Scotland's only surviving gasworks, which is now preserved as a museum. In the nearby villages of Leadhills, Wanlockhead, Abington, Crawford, Douglas and Crawfordjohn, local museums tell tales of local life and the industries, particularly gold, silver and leadmining, of a bygone era., going back as far as the Romans.

It is, perhaps appropriate that the source of these riches, the Lowther Hills, is also the source of the River Clyde itself - the most valuable jewel of them all.