Renfrewshire

10 miles / 16 km

This is a nice walk over the'Braes. It is also my personal favourite walk in this area. It is a bit steep in places. That aside, the scenery is excellent and soothing for both body and soul. This is a good physical test too.

Hard

There are two major climbs here. The first one straight out of Howwood. The second climb follows on the shoulder of the first climb.. the climb from Bowfield Hotel & Spa to the Bowfield Dam. The rest of the walk is pretty undulating, with the final sting in the tail at the sewerage works in Fereneze Road just before Gateside village. This walk requires plenty of water, protein bars/bananas and some seriously good shoes.

Train from Glasgow Central/Paisley/Johnstone to Howwood train stop 2 - 3 times an hour.
McGill's Bus 904 from Paisley Town Hall/Johnstone to Howwood 1 time an hour.

The walk starts from Howwood train stop. Walk the Station Road up to Main Street. Take Main Street to the left in the direction of and past Howwood Parish Church. Walk this raod for around half a mile / 1 km until it almost reaches the main Paisley - Kilwinning road. Cross the street here and take the "Unsuitable for HGV" signposted single-track road to the left, straight up the hill. This road is really steep and it is also twisting and bendy. The picture below has been taken from the top of this climb, the hardest climb of the walk.




Continue straight ahead at the next crossroad past the big Bowfield sign. You are now on the Howwood to Lugton road. Walk up this road for the next 300 yards/meters to the first tarmac single-track road to the left again, signposted Broadfield Brae. This is the second big climb of this walk and it takes you past the now closed down fishery at Bowfield Dam. The road becomes a bit less steep after this dam and the views are pretty good here.



The road end in a crossroad where the road from Barcraigs Reservoir comes up. Continue straight on here through the crossroad down into a small glen. The walk out of the glen is pretty good with some short, sharp climbs. The road is now gently climbing up next to some farm fields and some inquisitive cows and sheep.







The road makes it's way to a house at the end where the road makes a 90 degree right bend up to the trees at Hartfield Road. More like an avenue than road... but. Take the road to the left her between the old trees. Please stop for a moment and one minute of silence at the memorial to an US airman who crashed here in a fighter airplane and never made it home alive again to USA. We will remember him and his sacrifice.



The road takes the walk past a farm and the Hartfield Boarding Kennel before it turns to the left and then right again down the hill towards a new crossroad.
Continue on the road through this crossroad down to a small bridge and up the hill to Gleniffer Road.
Cross the road here and continue up a small hill on Caplaw Road past a farm before the road drops down to some farm fields. At the end of this road, at a new crossroad, take the Sergeantlaw Road to the right for 150 yards/meters and then the Greenfieldmuir Road to the left. This road rises first up a hill before it becomes undulating.



The road ends up in Fereneze Road with a good viewpoint over Neilston and Glasgow.



Take the Fereneze Road down to the left and continue on this road steeply down the hill to a small white bridge and the sewerage works there. A steep climb takes the road up a new hill where it descends down to the village of Gateside. The road climbs again a bit after the end of this village before the road changes name to Gateside Road. Just before Barrhead, a small cycling/walking path goes down from a right bend to some bus stops at the Barrhead - Paisley main road and the Barrhead train station. Take this path under the railway line down to the main road where this walk ends.


Train to Glasgow 2 times an hour.
McGill's Bus 51/66 to Paisley 4 times an hour.