| Place-name: | Sunny Sike |
| Suggested Meaning: | ‘sandy-peat sluggish stream’ |
| 1st element: | Scots sandy ‘sunny’ or ‘sandy |
| 2nd element: | Scots sike, syke ‘sluggish stream’ |
| Blaeu Coila (1654): | No Entry |
| OS Name Books (1855-57): | Sunny Sike |
| Location: | Sunny Sike |
Sunny, Sandy
This may be a reference to the sunny south facing position of the sike, but unlikely! It may be a variant of sandy, where sandy peat is ‘a peat containing a good deal of earthy matter [1]’.
There are two Sandy Sykes in the parish.
Sike, Syke
A Sike or Syke is described as –
A small stream, rill or water-course, especially one that meanders through a hollow or across flat or boggy ground and is freqently dry in summer
Dictionary of the Scots Language [2]
the sheughs and the sykes
Sunny Sike flows into the Guelt Water in the north-east of the parish.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
| References |
| [1] Dictionaries of the Scots Language |sandy, sunny |
| [2] Dictionaries of the Scots Language |syke, sike |
| [3] The Laird of Logan, Or, Anecdotes and Tales Illustrative of the Wit and Humour of Scotland |
| Maps |
| Reproduced with the Permission of National Library of Scotland |
| https://maps.nls.uk/ |
| Map 1: Ordnance Survey 6 inch (1892-1960) |Sunny Sike |
| Ordnance Survey Name Books |
| By Permission of Scotland’s Places |
| scotlandsplaces.gov.uk |
| Ayrshire OS Name Books (1855-57) Vol. 49|Sunny Sike |
NEW CUMNOCK HISTORY 