Gleniffer Braes
Encyclopedia
Gleniffer Braes is a short range of hills to the south of Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
which form the boundary of Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
and Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
.
Area
In the Braes are found the Robertson Country Park and the Scout adventure centreThe Scout Association
The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...
at Lapwing Lodge - formerly a TB
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
Sanitorium built in 1910.
The Park has associations with the 18th and 19th century weaver poets of Paisley. Robert Tannahill (1774-1810) and Hugh Macdonald (1817-1860) are commemorated by the Tannahill Walkway and the Tannahill Well, Macdonald's Walks and the Bonnie Wee Well.
Situated on the edge of the Clyde Plateau lavas, an interesting feature is Gleniffer Gorge situated along the Tannahill walkway. It reaches some 50 feet deep in places and is eroded by Gleniffer Burn, which runs along a fault. Another feature is the waterfall in Glen Park where icy stalactites can be seen hanging in winter.
A major electrical substation is here which was expanded in 2005 and covers the site of the former WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
decoy ponds, as well as a radio transmitter.
There used to be an inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
called "The Peesweep Inn" (peesweep being a local term for the lapwing
Lapwing
Vanellinae are any of various crested plovers, family Charadriidae, noted for its slow, irregular wingbeat in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. Its length is 10-16 inches. They are a subfamily of medium-sized wading birds which also includes the plovers and dotterels. The Vanellinae are...
) nearby which was converted to a private house in 1925.
The Braes are also home to the Robertson's car park, affectionately known by locals as "Car park in the sky".