East Kilbride in Scotland is a charming town with natural beauty, historic sites and modern attractions for visitors. One of the main attractions is its many green spaces and opportunities for outdoor activities. Surrounded by rolling hills, sparkling lakes and lush woodland, East Kilbride is a paradise for nature lovers. Explore Calderglen Country Park, a picturesque park with a zoo and walled garden. The nearby James Hamilton Heritage Park offers a variety of water sports.
For a deep dive into the town’s past, visit the National Museum of Country Life, which offers interactive exhibitions, historic farm buildings and a working farm with traditional farming practices.
East Kilbride Arts Centre is a creative hub that hosts a variety of exhibitions, live music and art workshops throughout the year. Visitors can also explore the town’s historic village, which is home to charming shops, cafes and traditional Scottish pubs. Restaurants here range from traditional Scottish dishes to international favourites.
Location
East Kilbride is a town in central Scotland, in the South Lanarkshire council area, situated 8 miles from Glasgow on the west bank of the River Rotten Calder.
National Museum of Rural Life
Visit the Georgian farmhouse with rooms decorated as they would have been in the 1950s, and meet the resident Ayrshire cows, Aberdeen Angus cattle, Tamworth pigs, sheep, hens, Clydesdale horses and Highland calves.
In the museum – just a short walk or tractor ride away from the farm – discover 300 years of Scottish rural history and see Scotland’s largest collection of tractors, combine harvesters and other farming machinery.
Calderglen Country Park and Zoo
Calderglen Children’s Zoo with over 50 different species, some critically endangered. At around an acre in size, the zoo specialises in small creatures and amongst the ornamental gardens and conservatory you will discover meerkats, monkey families, kookaburras, ring-tailed coatis and burrowing owls. Come and see how Calderglen is helping to protect these endangered animals.
James Hamilton Heritage Park
At the James Hamilton Heritage Park leisure facility you will find the 23-hectare reserve just outside of East Kilbride. Here you can entertain yourself with the rowing boats, canoes and kayaks that are provided specifically for your use on the 16-acre dungeon.
You will notice as you go round the loch that it has reed swamps, willow carr, wet heathland and a bog lining the edge of the water. There are actually two lochs in the vicinity of the Leisure Park, the Inner and Outer Lowe’s that are quite close to each other and are separated by a little woodland made up of mainly birch trees and a small section of valley mire.
Langlands Moss Local Nature Reserve
Langlands Moss Local Nature Reserve is a tranquil spot located in East Kilbride. Known for its beautiful walks and natural settings, visitors appreciate the peaceful environment that helps restore sanity amidst the hustle of daily life.
The young woodland and floodplain grassland to the north of Broadwood have been radically improved to maximize their value for local biodiversity. Larger ponds with shallow mud edges have been created for waterfowl and wader birds. Small ponds have been created habitat for frogs and newts. Deep flooded ditches have been long to support a water volume population.
St Bride’s Catholic Church
St Bride Church is a modernist church built from 1957 to 1964. The cubic structure is considered a masterpiece of modernism architecture and, since 1994, has been classified as a Scottish monument.
In 2013 St Bride’s Church was named in the top 3 of the Best Modern Churches architecture competition run by the National Churches Trust, the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyor’s Association and the 20th Century Society.
Playsport Golf
Playsport is a purpose built 90 acre park in East Kilbride offering a vast array of indoor and outdoor sport, entertainment and leisure pursuits. East Kilbride Golf Club is a mature, challenging golf course.
The Hub
