Bankglen: Circular Walk and Mining History

Bankglen offers two concrete starting points for planning your trip: the New Cumnock Circular and the history of the former mining area. If you’re looking for hotels in Bankglen, you can consider whether to plan your stay more around a walk or an interest in local history. Route descriptions mention sections along roads, through woodland and along farm tracks; historical references to the area tell the story of a long-established community and its buildings.

New Cumnock Circular and routes

A route description from 2020 takes the New Cumnock Circular from Bankglen via Burnfoot Road. A description from June 2025 mentions further sections: the circular follows the B741 towards Bank Glen and then turns onto Boig Road towards Cumnock. It passes through woodland and returns via the old Furnace Road to the B741 towards New Cumnock. At Fordemouth Junction, a farm track leads to an old brickworks.

The route description therefore includes various sections and types of paths, from roads to woodland and farm tracks. Bank Glen is connected to core paths, which provide access on foot. The route and conditions may change. Check them before setting out rather than relying solely on an older description.

A bus service connects Bank Glen with New Cumnock and Dalmellington. Bus services and frequency may change, so check the current timetable before travelling. For your planning, the circular and the bus are two distinct points of reference: the Circular describes a route on foot, while the bus service connects Bank Glen with the two places mentioned.

Mining history and historic buildings

Bankglen lies in a landscape shaped by former mining villages. Lanemark Row, also known locally as Knowe Tap, is nearby. A route description from June 2025 takes the path past Bankglen through the former mining area; remnants of this landscape remain. The area can therefore be viewed both in terms of the route and the history of the former mining settlements.

Key historical facts include the founding of the Bank Coal Company by John Hyslop in 1860. The small community of Bank Glen grew, and more houses were built along the road. Ingleston in Bank Glen consisted of two semi-detached houses. These details offer a glimpse into the development of the settlement without reducing the individual buildings to a single function.

A public school was built in Bank in 1874. The following year, Bank Free Church was built beside it to serve the coal-mining communities of Connel Park, Craigbank and Burnfoot. The church was made of corrugated iron and was known locally as the “Iron Church”. It was later replaced by a new stone church, whose foundation stone was laid on 22 April 1899. The date refers to the laying of the foundation stone, not the completion of the new building.

Bank Glen Inn is also part of the area’s history: during the operation of the ironworks, it served as an inn and was later used as a private residence. Together with the key dates for the school and church, this sequence shows how mining, housing and community facilities existed side by side in the area’s history. For trip planning, the distinction between these topics is useful: the Circular specifies concrete route sections, while the historic buildings and local references shed light on the development of the former community.

Discover more destinations: Maybole, Galston, Darvel, Pinwherry, Burnhouse, Troon, Dunlop, Lagg.

For the broader travel overview: Ayrshire.