Balloch, Cumbernauld

Balloch (/ˈbɑːləx/) is an area of Cumbernauld, Scotland, located north of the M80 motorway and west of Cumbernauld Town Centre. It is also known as Eastfield or Balloch Eastfield.[1] Nearby neighbourhoods include Smithstone, Westfield and Craigmarloch.

Red Deer Innkeepers Lodge with former Seafar flats in the background

History

Balloch's name comes from a farm on the Cumbernauld Estate of the Fleming family. It is a derivative of Scottish Gaelic bealach, meaning a pass among hills or mountains.[2] The area it now occupies used to be covered by Balloch Farm on the west side (located at the site of the Forge Community Centre at Ben Lawers Drive) and Eastfield Holdings on the east side (some of the buildings of which still exist).[3] Balloch is a mainly residential area of privately owned homes,[4] although a number of council-owned houses were built when the area was first established in the 1970s, which are also now largely privately owned – this neighbourhood is commonly referred to locally as Eastfield while the private housing, containing a large number of detached bungalows and villas, is known as Balloch, even though the former council estate is near the old farm and the private housing is closer to Eastfield Cemetery.[5]

Balloch was developed to accommodate growing numbers of people who wished to reside in a commuter town such as Cumbernauld with easy access to Glasgow[6] – in addition to the motorway, Croy railway station is around 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north.

The National Cycle Route 75, which runs between Edinburgh and Glasgow, passes by Balloch.[7]

Sport

Football

Balloch shares a youth football team with Eastfield called Balloch Eastfield, which runs teams at most age groups. Balloch Eastfield F.C. also run various fundraisers through the year, which allows them to make charitable contributions on a regular basis. Balloch Eastfield FC was founded in 1986, and is in a strong position to continue for a good number of years.

The local amateur team Eastfield AFC was founded in 2002; they reached the final of the Scottish Amateur Cup in 2019.[8] Players have included the former captain of Botswana[9] and the brothers Tyler and Dale Fulton, whose father Steve is involved in coaching the squad.[8]

The bottom of the image shows Balloch from the air between Eastfield Road and the M80. The Forth and Clyde canal is to the left with the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway between it and Cumbernauld Town Centre to the right. Further north is Carrickstone, beyond which the M80 divides Wardpark in two.

References
  1. Eastfield (Balloch-Eastfield), Gazetteer for Scotland
  2. Drummond, Peter. An analysis of toponyms and toponymic patterns in eight parishes of the upper Kelvin basin (PDF). pp. 224–225.
  3. "OS 25 inch Map 1892-1949". zoomable map with Bing transparency overlay. National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  4. Taylor, Jessica (2010). Cumbernauld: The Conception, Development and Realisation of a Post-war British New Town (PDF). Edinburgh: Edinburgh College of Art. p. 327. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  5. Balloch, Gazetteer for Scotland
  6. BBC News (22 November 2005). "Have Your Say: Tailback tales". BBC News. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
  7. BBC News (5 August 2005). "Are cyclists on the right path?". BBC News. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
  8. Eastfield aiming for Hampden glory in Scottish Amateur Cup Final, Cumbernauld News, 22 May 2019
  9. City Senne hits the heights of Cumbernauld, Deadline Press, via Fore! Four Two, March 2008

55°57′0″N 4°1′22″W

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