46-642: The A726 road in Scotland is a major route with several distinct sections with different characteristics and names; owing to its stages of construction, since 2005 it has two separate parts, the first running between Strathaven in South Lanarkshire and Junction 5 of the M77 motorway south of Newton Mearns in East Renfrewshire via East Kilbride , and the other running between Junction 3 of
92-665: A trunk road , unlike the Queensway), has its first grade-separated exit for the B764 (Hairmyres) within a few hundred yards of its start. The direction gradually changes from southbound to westbound by the time of reaching the Belle Craig Roundabout with the B767, serving the villages of Waterfoot to the north and Eaglesham to the south. The other road into Eaglesham, the B764 running directly through its historic centre,
138-512: A mill, now operates as an Arts and Heritage centre. Strathaven Public Hall was designed by Alexander Cullen and completed in 1896. Between the town and nearby village Sandford lie the Spectacle E'e ( Lallans word for 'eye') falls. The falls are named so for a local tale of a tryst between a young man and the miller's daughter. The miller disapproved of the young man, finding him unworthy of his daughter's company, and decidedly put an end to
184-476: A pair of roundabouts offer exits for Hairmyres Hospital and western parts of Westwood (B764), and for College Milton Industrial Estate and western parts of West Mains (B761). This leads on to another one-mile (1.5-kilometre) stretch featuring only one minor junction in either direction which do not allow cross-carriageway movement, until reaching the Philipshill Roundabout at Peel Park . Here
230-559: A roundabout at Birniehill , meeting the southern end of the A725 which runs through the north of the town, to Junction 5 of the M74 via Blantyre, South Lanarkshire and eventually to Junction 7A of the M8 motorway via Bellshill . The A726 at this point becomes the 'Queensway', the main east–west road through the planned town of the 1950s. It continues westwards, soon meeting a roundabout identical to
276-526: A small seated venue holding acoustic music gigs under the title FRETS . Artists performing have included Arab Strap , Norman Blake and Euros Childs , Lloyd Cole , Altered Images , Robyn Hitchcock and Michael Head . The town is host to Scotland's only hot air balloon festival. Held each August since 1999, the event attracts pilots and enthusiasts from across Europe. In the Third Statistical Account of Scotland, County of Lanark,
322-477: A wide variety of traffic types, several tight bends and an open, elevated setting which is liable to be affected by poor weather conditions. On entering East Kilbride, the road becomes Strathaven Road, and remains single-carriageway up to the Torrance Roundabout at Crutherland near Calderglen Country Park . It stayed as such for a further one mile (1.5 kilometres) north until a £23 million project
368-579: Is a historic market town in South Lanarkshire , Scotland and is the largest settlement in Avondale. It is 7.5 kilometres ( 4 + 3 ⁄ 4 miles) south of Hamilton . The Powmillon Burn runs through the town centre, and joins the Avon Water to the east of the town. The current estimated population is 8,000. The town was granted a royal charter in 1450, making it a burgh of barony . The A71 , which connects Edinburgh and Irvine , passes through
414-512: Is a rock placed on the other side of the Avon. This mount too, it is said, has the honour of Scots laws and ancient rites and superstitions delivered here by chiefs, and so public justice executed.'" College Milton College Milton is an area of the Scottish new town East Kilbride , in South Lanarkshire . It lies on the western edge of the town, bordering West Mains, and consists of
460-534: Is also home to an annual local music festival, HangarFest. The airfield was set up on the old Couplaw Farm, which The Scottish Flying Club Ltd bought in May 1964. The club had begun flying in 1927 at the old Renfrew Airport but was left homeless after Renfrew was nationalised in 1946. Strathaven Airfield was given to the RAF Benevolent Fund in 1974 and then sold privately in 2005. It has three grass runways,
506-507: Is named for the son of local Reverend James Allan whose son, George, was involved in a fatal sporting accident aged only 13. The Reverend Allan donated the funds necessary for the park's foundation which was then named in his son's honour. The A71 , which connects Edinburgh and Irvine passes through the town. The A723 links Strathaven to Hamilton and the A726 links it to East Kilbride, and further onto Glasgow. As part of South Lanarkshire,
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#1732783403978552-553: Is the John Hastie Park, named for a local businessman who left a sum in his will to the town for the provision of funds for the park and the former museum which are named in his honour. The higher of the two is the George Allan Park which features a boating pond, an ornate cast-iron bandstand installed in 1902 and a miniature railway. Dating back to 1949, the railway is the oldest of its kind in Scotland. The park
598-402: Is the town's only secondary school. Strathaven contains six churches including three Church of Scotland parishes: Avendale Old (built in 1772) linked with Drumclog Parish Church, Strathaven Rankin linked with Chapelton Parish Church, and East Parish Church (built in 1777) linked with Glassford Parish Church. The town's only Roman Catholic church is St Patrick's Catholic Church. The Parish
644-615: The A77 which crosses over the motorway at the previous location of junction 5 at Maidenhill / Malletsheugh . Together with the A725, this part of the A726 forms an important bypass for the Greater Glasgow region, connecting the three major motorways and several of the larger towns to the south-east of the city without having to travel through the city centre network. The second section of
690-734: The Dams to Darnley Country Park and Nitshill railway station , passing under the Glasgow South Western Line tracks via an arched bridge just before the station. It leaves the suburban environment after the staggered junction with the A736 at the Hurlet straddling the Glasgow-East Renfrewshire- Renfrewshire border, before continuing onto the south-eastern edge of Paisley at a roundabout with
736-549: The Dukes of Hamilton , who had a section of the church reserved for them. The town played a significant part in the Radical War of 1820, when James Wilson led a band of radicals on a march to Glasgow, to join a rumoured general uprising, which never actually happened. Wilson was hanged for treason. Its most famous 'modern' resident was the singer, Sir Harry Lauder (1870–1950) whose mansion, Lauder Ha', or Hall, remains in
782-534: The M74 motorway via Stonehouse . While the A723 heads north-east towards Hamilton , the A726 goes north-west through open farmland, passing the small village of Chapelton towards the large town of East Kilbride – in 2014 the entire road was quoted as being one of the most dangerous in the world owing to the number of accidents on it, and many of these incidents would originate from this single carriageway section which has
828-711: The A726 begins 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (5.5 kilometres) further north from where the first ends, as a continuation of the A727 at Junction 3 of the M77 (completed along with this section of the motorway in 1996). It runs westwards as Nitshill Road – the only part of the entire route within the Glasgow city boundaries – passing the Jenny Lind , Deaconsbank , Arden , Darnley , Southpark Village , Parkhouse , South Nitshill , Nitshill , and Craigbank neighbourhoods, an entrance to
874-403: The A726 continues north to Erskine , running as a 'spine road' through the centre of the town with no properties directly on it (provisions were made to upgrade it to dual carriageway if required, but the town did not expand as originally envisaged); a roundabout serves the central shopping centre and Park Mains High School . To the north of Erskine the road turns westwards, finally terminating at
920-621: The A726 designation switches to the southbound exit of the roundabout, named as Redwood Road and the start of the Glasgow Southern Orbital Route, completed in 2005. The road from East Kilbride continues westwards towards Busby via an overpass, but was renamed as the A727 from the time of the Southern Orbital being completed. The Southern Orbital, a high-specification dual carriageway across open countryside for its entire length (but not listed officially as
966-624: The A726 for a short distance until passing under the railway. While St James Street continues west as the B775 (Underwood Road), the A726 turns sharply north as Caledonia Street then north-west as Greenock Road, becoming dual carriageway just prior to the St James Playing Fields, which it skirts around before passing under the elevated lanes of the start/end of the A737 (towards Linwood , Johnstone and North Ayrshire . It then reaches
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#17327834039781012-587: The B771 at Dykebar . Running north-west as Barrhead Road, it has stretches of single and dual carriageway as it passes Hunterhill and Blackhall, meeting the split dual carriageway A761 (Gordon Street). This road continues eastwards as the A726 onto Mill Street to skirt around the centre of the town, crossing over the White Cart Water on the Hammills Bridge (the northbound road also continues as
1058-688: The Fourth landward district of the County of Lanark. As of the 2024 UK General Election , Strathaven is represented in Westminster by the East Kilbride and Strathaven Labour MP, Joani Reid . In Holyrood , the town is represented by Clydesdale constituency SNP MSP Màiri McAllan . The town's longest established business is Gebbie & Wilson, Solicitors in the Common Green, which
1104-660: The M77 and the M898 motorway near the Erskine Bridge , via Paisley and Junction 29 of the M8 motorway near Glasgow International Airport . The A726's first section begins in the small market town of Strathaven in South Lanarkshire as Glasgow Road, taking over from the A723 , a short section of which connects to the primary route into the town, the A71 , itself about 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (9 kilometres) west of Junction 8 of
1150-684: The Reverend C. Arthur Robertson, writing in 1953, quotes from the diary of a John McGowan, a native Strathavonian himself writing in Minnesota, U.S.A. c.1810 wherein is described some of Strathaven's folkloric history, "A small natural rock situated about a mile south of the town of Strathaven on the north bank of the River Avon in the parish of Avondale. Its curious form and romantic situation - with surrounding rocks rising abruptly and forming an amphitheatre about forty yards distant from it - give it
1196-681: The St James Interchange, Junction 29 of the M8 motorway , also offering access to the A737 and to Glasgow International Airport . It continues on the north side of the interchange as Barnsford Road which runs around the western perimeter of the airport, then passes some fields and crosses the Black Cart Water and the isolated Inchinnan Business Park , meeting the A8 (Greenock Road) at Red Smiddy Roundabout. The A8 heads west while
1242-468: The affair. In retaliation, the young man is said to have placed an eye glass in the thatched roof of the mill, thus, through the refracted sunlight, the mill was set ablaze. Ruins of the mill exist today around the waterfall. The falls are accessible by a trail leading from Lesmahagow Road. Strathaven has two public parks which are adjoined by a bridge over the Powmillon Burn. The lower of the two
1288-480: The air of something grand and majestic. This little hill is covered with a slight coat of earth and planted with a few scotch firs, and the surrounding rocks are also covered with trees, forming a square on the north-east side of the Dabbie Dancie. The hill itself is about 40 ft. high and 40 yds. long, is it oval form, within 30 yds. of the bed of the Avon, and was supposed to be the haunt of a water kelpy in
1334-522: The area, which work together bringing a mix of community projects. The Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson , minister at Strathaven Trinity Parish Church of Scotland, was elected to be Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2024-2025. Strathaven is home to several sports clubs, which include Strathaven Rugby Club which has a 3G , all-weather pitch. Strathaven Hotel houses
1380-515: The dark ages of romance, superstition and ignorance. The appearance of this beautiful little mount would give a stranger such ideas. This suggests to my mind the story which I heard in early life. 'On a stormy afternoon, as a cow-herd was gathering his cattle for home, he heard a voice more than human, just at the site of this old mount (the waters of the Avon were rising rapidly), call out, 'Carry me from Dabbie Dancie into Winkins Waas'. Which Winkin Waas
1426-576: The existing suburban route via Clarkston and Giffnock (i.e. the road renamed to A727). Two miles (three kilometres) further on from the Eaglesham roundabout, the Southern Orbital has an exit at Mearns Road for Newton Mearns itself, then an eastbound only entry/exit for the Maidenhill neighbourhood (under construction as of April 2022), before the road meets the M77 at Junction 5 (rebuilt for its completion), also offering access into Newton Mearns via
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1472-407: The lands of Strathaven became a burgh of barony in 1450. The centre of the town is occupied by the market square, formerly a grassed common, and still known as Common Green, or just 'The Green'. Linking the town and the castle is the old 'Boo Backit Brig' ('bow-backed bridge'), a small arched bridge. The Old Parish Church, with its landmark spire, was built in 1772, and was the place of worship of
1518-504: The last in design (featuring underpasses for pedestrians and cyclists at each corner and a sunken landscaped area at its centre), with exits for the eastern ends of East Kilbride's town centre (mainly consisting of a series of connected indoor shopping precincts) and Murray residential neighbourhood, then a third roundabout for the western ends of these districts, plus eastern parts of Westwood , West Mains . A straight and interrupted stretch of nearly one mile (1.5 kilometres) follows, before
1564-520: The main runway is oriented 09/27 (east-west) and is 530 m long (with a 100 m starter extension on 27 available on request). The airfield co-ordinates in the UK Air Pilot ENR 5.5-17 are: 554049N 0040654W. There are 7 primary schools in and around Strathaven, Chapelton Primary School, Gilmourton Primary School, Kirklandpark Primary School, Sandford Primary School, St Patrick's Primary School and Wester Overton Primary School Strathaven Academy
1610-537: The road was closed for an intended two-week period to expedite matters, but then re-opened early amid complaints from residents living on local rural roads that had seen a huge increase in traffic as a result of the closure. The direction then becomes north-westerly, with a graded exit for the Kelvin Industrial Estate , the St Leonards neighbourhood and South Lanarkshire College , followed by
1656-514: The station as Weir Street and Old Sneddon Street, while the eastbound lanes (as described in that direction of travel from the court) are initially unnamed before crossing the White Cart again, then become Niddry Street where they meet the start of the A741 which heads north to Renfrew – left lanes become its northbound carriageway, while right lanes feed the southbound Renfrew Road, designated as
1702-669: The town is in the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport area. Strathaven had, at various times, three railway stations. Strathaven Airfield is home to a microlight flying school, which operates both the traditional-style weightshift microlights and the light aircraft-style ones, and the new airfield manager's house was featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs in October 2013. There are approximately 35 aircraft – both light aircraft and microlights – hangared at Strathaven in two modern purpose-built hangars. The airfield
1748-814: The town's Lethame neighbourhood, the estate's entrance leading from the road to Kilmarnock. Sir Harry spent the Second World War years there, and died in February 1950. Dungavel House on the outskirts of Strathaven was the place where German Deputy Führer, Rudolf Hess , originally intended to land on the evening of 10 May 1941 in a misguided attempt to seek peace talks with the Duke of Hamilton . However bad weather and poor navigation resulted in Hess having to land at Floors Farm in Eaglesham . In 2002, Strathaven
1794-554: The town. A Roman road passes close by, on the south side of the Avon Water ; it led to the Roman fort at Loudoun Hill near Darvel . The origins of Strathaven Castle are obscure, but it is believed to have been held by the Bairds until after the end of the Wars of Scottish Independence in 1357. It then passed to William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas in 1370. The settlement within
1840-831: The twin feeder roundabouts (known as the 'Spectacles') for the only junction of the short M898 motorway , connecting either to the Erskine Bridge across the River Clyde to West Dunbartonshire and the A82 , or onto the M8 at Junction 30. The road continues as the B815 into Bishopton where it meets the A8. 55°45′09″N 4°16′43″W / 55.7524°N 4.2787°W / 55.7524; -4.2787 Strathaven Strathaven ( / ˈ s t r eɪ v ən / ; from Scottish Gaelic : Strath Aibhne [s̪t̪ɾah ˈajnə] )
1886-735: The unclassified Bridge Street and crosses the river via Abbey Bridge). It too turns north at Paisley Police Office / Lagoon Leisure Centre, meeting Gauze Street from the west which continues on to become Glasgow Road, restarting the A761 (this continues into central Glasgow as Paisley Road West). At St Mirin's Cathedral , the A726 turns west as Incle Street, then splits before passing under the Ayrshire Coast Line / Inverclyde Line railway tracks near Paisley Gilmour Street railway station , merging again at St James Street beside Paisley Sheriff Court . The intervening westbound lanes directly pass
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1932-630: Was founded by William Gebbie in 1816. Local bakery Alexander Taylor is the longest-established bakery in Scotland. Opened in 1820, the business is operated by the sixth generation of the Taylor family. The major landmark in the town is Strathaven Castle . Beside the castle lies the Town Mill. Built in 1650 at the behest of William, the 2nd Duke of Hamilton , the mill remained in operation until production ceased in 1966. The building, after having undergone repairs and refurbishment since its time in use as
1978-530: Was founded in 1859 to serve the growing Catholic population of Avondale following migration from Highland and Irish communities following the Clearances and the Great Famine . The current church building was constructed in 1901, paid for by then Archbishop Charles Eyre . The older, original church building now serves as the parish hall. The ecumenical body "Hope Strathaven" consists of six churches in
2024-586: Was granted the title of Scotland's First Fairtrade Town (jointly with Aberfeldy) under the leadership of Paulo Quadros, chair of the first Fairtrade group in Scotland. The town is part of the Avondale and Stonehouse ward of the South Lanarkshire council area . Before 1996, it was part of the Strathclyde region, with a district council in East Kilbride . Previous to that, it had been part of
2070-415: Was previously the main route between this part of Lanarkshire and Ayrshire , running onwards over Ballageich Hill to join the A77 on a junction where several accidents occurred. Bypassing this was one of the main reasons for the Southern Orbital's construction, the other being to provide direct access between East Kilbride and the M77 motorway without having traffic on local roads within Newton Mearns or
2116-440: Was undertaken in 2019 to convert this to dual carriageway, along with the unclassified Greenhills Road leading from the Torrance Roundabout's other exit, which had become increasingly busy and important as a route for residents living in the south of the town with the expansion of Lindsayfield in addition to the older Whitehills and Greenhills neighbourhoods. The project had fallen behind schedule by late 2021 and this section of
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