Cumbernauld is a good location to learn flying from scratch. You are in fairly unrestricted airspace but can fly into the Edinburgh or Glasgow zones with your instructor and gradually build your confidence in more complex environments.
As for flying clubs, there is an established school at Cumbernauld - upstairs beside the coffee shop - which my spies tell me is above average. Run by a chap called Ted. I visited it two weeks ago and was quite impressed.
Hope this helps.
