Mugdock. Strathblane. Lennoxtown. Blairskaith.

A trip undertaken in the autumn with my mate Alan when it was still warm and sunny and T shirts were worn for the last time before the chill of winter set in.

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This enjoyable bike run of a few hours duration covers a variety of landscapes on cycle trails and rough tracks suitable for mountain bikes or hybrids and only has one real hill climb from 50 metres at Lennoxtown  to 218 metres at Blairskaith Muir summit trig. It starts at the car park in Mugdock Country Park. This is the restored castle which they have been working on for years.

I've been here loads of times before as it,s nearby but this was the first time I've seen it open to the public in summer. A small entry fee.

The rooms that you climb up the stairwell to visit have been decorated to give folk an impression of what it may have looked like. As it,s only a minor castle it,s pretty basic but the entry fee is very modest as well.

From the roof top there is a good view of Mugdock Country Park, looking in the direction of the landscape we would be cycling through under the slopes of the nearby Campsies.

The route goes from the park onto the minor road past Deil's Craig Dam into Strathblane then takes the flat cycle track past the volcanic plug of Dunglass, 153 metres where there is a fine example of the same kind of columnar hexagonal basalt that can be seen in Fingal's Cave on Staffa; Samsons Ribs on Arthur's Seat; and the Giants Causeway in Northen Ireland. Worth a look as is the view from the grassy summit, seen here, of the village of Strathblane.

After the flat traffic free run along the cycle track with great views of the Campsies we entered Lennoxtown and had lunch in the old church yard. This is a magnificent building but unfortunately it was destroyed by fire several decades ago and is just a shell now.

The wall of the Campsies from the old Church yard. Lennoxtown has an interesting history, found here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennoxtown

The loss of the church must have been deeply felt by the community as it stands within its own grounds
From here we headed uphill to the only major climb of the day which was the minor road that leads up to.Newlands and then Blairskaith Muir. This minor road passes Celtic Park Training ground and the place where Lulu was born. ( Lennox Castle) We did see a few Celtic players in their luxury cars heading for training but I couldn't tell you who they were these days, even if they removed their designer sunglasses.

Extensive but hazy views started to appear at the highpoint beside the trig at 218 metres. This is a zoom of the Red Road flats.

Although it doesn't appear on the OS map of Glasgow there is a linking track from the trig down to Blairskaith Quarry and this is where we headed.

Panoramic views here too, looking down on the fertile farmlands of East Dumbartonshire.

Watching kestrels from the edge of the disused Blairkaith Quarry. Alan seemed impressed with this viewpoint that very few walkers know about.
We returned along the minor road network past North Blochairn and Mugdock Village. Around 3 to 4 hours round trip at a steady pace. A grand tour. Enjoyable and not too strenuous as you can easily push the bike up the only major hill climb.

A crane fly on a wall in Mugdock village. Nice wing patterns that caught my eye.

David Byrne, main songwriter and front man of Talking Heads was born in Dumbarton before moving to Canada, aged two, then America. He is also well known around New York for being a keen cyclist over many decades. A perfect fit for a cycling post.