"In the footsteps of Sir Alexander Fleming, Darvel's most famous son, and the discovery of penicillin"
Walk directions
From the Alexander Fleming Memorial, cross the square to the pedestrian crossing, cross over the road, turn right and go along Main Street. Near the outskirts of the town go across Darvel Bridge and take the third turning on the left at a blue footpath sign to Loudon Hill. Go uphill on this road and pass the cemetery on the left.
Keep going uphill to reach a crossroads near South Quarter farm. Follow the waymark arrow pointing left. The road continues uphill, passing Henryton on the right and then Byres on the left. Near Byres there is a conveniently situated bench by the roadside if you want some respite on this steep climb.
Little Glen is the next farm on the left-hand side. The next two farms passed on this road are Meikleglen and Feoch, which come in quick succession. Just before the next farm on the left, Laigh Braidley, a farm road leads off to the right. This is the entrance to Lochfield, Alexander Fleming's birthplace, which is not open to the public but there is a stone marking the cottage.
It is worth taking the walk of just over a mile along this rough track in and back to get an idea of the landscape that Alexander Fleming grew up in. When you return to the road, turn right and continue on the road. After Laigh Braidley the road turns sharply left, then right and goes downhill to cross the Glen Water at Braidley Bridge. Follow the road uphill from the bridge. There's another bench by the roadside at the T-junction near the top of the hill. Enjoy a well-earned rest here and appreciate the splendid view back across the Irvine Valley.
Ignore the waymark and turn left, heading along a lane and past Gateside. When the road forks take the left fork, cross Mucks Bridge and continue uphill. The lane now passes the roads to Low then High Carlingcraig, then levels out. As you continue along the top of this hill, look to the left for the distinctive outline of Loudoun Hill.
When you reach Dyke the road heads downhill again. Go over a crossroads at Intax and continue a short distance to some bungalows on the right. Just past here take a left turn. After Hilltop the road turns sharply right and downhill. As you approach the town the lane continues into Burn Street. At the T-junction turn left and follow this back to Hastings Square.
Lochfield Farm, the birthplace of Alexander Fleming (1881-1955), was the ideal childhood home for a boy with an insatiable curiosity about nature. Together with his brothers, the young Alexander spent much of his time roaming the moors identifying birds, animals and plants and guddling (catching by... hand) trout in the nearby burns. He regarded his early education at Loudoun Moor School and later at Darvel as the foundation on which his later career was built. Medical School By the age of 13 he had moved to London to live with his brother Tom. Finishing his education at London Polytechnic, Fleming spent four years working as a clerk in a shipping office until the death of an uncle left him a small legacy which enabled him to take a short course of private tuition. He gained first place in the examination, which allowed him to enter medical school. Fleming subsequently took first place in every exam he sat. By 1906 he had joined the Inoculation Department at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington and by 1909 was a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. The war interrupted his career at St Mary's but after it he returned there and by 1928 had become Professor of Bacteriology. A Fortunate Discovery That year, while clearing up some old virus cultures in his laboratory, Fleming noticed that although all were covered in moulds, one was significantly different. This particular mould was dissolving the virus colonies round about it and was spreading across the dish destroying the rest. The mould was one of a class called penicillium and, as Fleming afterwards stated, 'It was my good fortune that one particular penicillium blew on to a culture plate I was playing with'. Discovering what we now know as penicillin was just the beginning. Isolating, extracting and finding a means of using it to treat infection would take another ten years and it was the 1940s before this 'magic bullet' was commercially available. Since then it has saved countless lives and a huge industry has grown round the research and development of other antibiotics. Honours were heaped upon Fleming. In 1944 he was knighted. The following year he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine and on 26 October 1946, he returned to his native Darvel to receive 'the proudest title I could have… the Freedom of Darvel'. Fleming spent the rest of his life working, lecturing and travelling. His last visit to Darvel was in June 1952 when he presented the Alexander Fleming Dux Medal and addressed the pupils at his old school. On 11 March 1955 Fleming died from a heart attack. He is buried in St Paul's Cathedral.
Nestled between the Ayrshire coast, Dumfries & Galloway and South Lanarkshire, charming East Ayrshire encompasses the towns of Kilmarnock, Cumnock, New Cumnock and Stewarton. The county is home to a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the form of lochs, glens rivers and uplands.
"In the footsteps of Sir Alexander Fleming, Darvel's most famous son, and the discovery of penicillin"
Walk details
3hrs
Difficulty:
Medium
Gradient:
Gentle
Distance:
8.2 miles (13.2kms)
Ascent:
459ft (140m)
Walk directions
From the Alexander Fleming Memorial, cross the square to the pedestrian crossing, cross over the road, turn right and go along Main Street. Near the outskirts of the town go across Darvel Bridge and take the third turning on the left at a blue footpath sign to Loudon Hill. Go uphill on this road and pass the cemetery on the left.
1 of 6
Keep going uphill to reach a crossroads near South Quarter farm. Follow the waymark arrow pointing left. The road continues uphill, passing Henryton on the right and then Byres on the left. Near Byres there is a conveniently situated bench by the roadside if you want some respite on this steep climb.
2 of 6
Little Glen is the next farm on the left-hand side. The next two farms passed on this road are Meikleglen and Feoch, which come in quick succession. Just before the next farm on the left, Laigh Braidley, a farm road leads off to the right. This is the entrance to Lochfield, Alexander Fleming's birthplace, which is not open to the public but there is a stone marking the cottage.
3 of 6
It is worth taking the walk of just over a mile along this rough track in and back to get an idea of the landscape that Alexander Fleming grew up in. When you return to the road, turn right and continue on the road. After Laigh Braidley the road turns sharply left, then right and goes downhill to cross the Glen Water at Braidley Bridge. Follow the road uphill from the bridge. There's another bench by the roadside at the T-junction near the top of the hill. Enjoy a well-earned rest here and appreciate the splendid view back across the Irvine Valley.
4 of 6
Ignore the waymark and turn left, heading along a lane and past Gateside. When the road forks take the left fork, cross Mucks Bridge and continue uphill. The lane now passes the roads to Low then High Carlingcraig, then levels out. As you continue along the top of this hill, look to the left for the distinctive outline of Loudoun Hill.
5 of 6
When you reach Dyke the road heads downhill again. Go over a crossroads at Intax and continue a short distance to some bungalows on the right. Just past here take a left turn. After Hilltop the road turns sharply right and downhill. As you approach the town the lane continues into Burn Street. At the T-junction turn left and follow this back to Hastings Square.
Lochfield Farm, the birthplace of Alexander Fleming (1881-1955), was the ideal childhood home for a boy with an insatiable curiosity about nature. Together with his brothers, the young Alexander spent much of his time roaming the moors identifying birds, animals and plants and guddling (catching by... hand) trout in the nearby burns. He regarded his early education at Loudoun Moor School and later at Darvel as the foundation on which his later career was built. Medical School By the age of 13 he had moved to London to live with his brother Tom. Finishing his education at London Polytechnic, Fleming spent four years working as a clerk in a shipping office until the death of an uncle left him a small legacy which enabled him to take a short course of private tuition. He gained first place in the examination, which allowed him to enter medical school. Fleming subsequently took first place in every exam he sat. By 1906 he had joined the Inoculation Department at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington and by 1909 was a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. The war interrupted his career at St Mary's but after it he returned there and by 1928 had become Professor of Bacteriology. A Fortunate Discovery That year, while clearing up some old virus cultures in his laboratory, Fleming noticed that although all were covered in moulds, one was significantly different. This particular mould was dissolving the virus colonies round about it and was spreading across the dish destroying the rest. The mould was one of a class called penicillium and, as Fleming afterwards stated, 'It was my good fortune that one particular penicillium blew on to a culture plate I was playing with'. Discovering what we now know as penicillin was just the beginning. Isolating, extracting and finding a means of using it to treat infection would take another ten years and it was the 1940s before this 'magic bullet' was commercially available. Since then it has saved countless lives and a huge industry has grown round the research and development of other antibiotics. Honours were heaped upon Fleming. In 1944 he was knighted. The following year he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine and on 26 October 1946, he returned to his native Darvel to receive 'the proudest title I could have… the Freedom of Darvel'. Fleming spent the rest of his life working, lecturing and travelling. His last visit to Darvel was in June 1952 when he presented the Alexander Fleming Dux Medal and addressed the pupils at his old school. On 11 March 1955 Fleming died from a heart attack. He is buried in St Paul's Cathedral.
Nestled between the Ayrshire coast, Dumfries & Galloway and South Lanarkshire, charming East Ayrshire encompasses the towns of Kilmarnock, Cumnock, New Cumnock and Stewarton. The county is home to a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the form of lochs, glens rivers and uplands.
