Gryffe Valley, Inverclyde

10 miles / 16 km

This walk is mostly along the final half of the Gryffe Valley Way, the local long-distance walk. Only the last two miles / three km of this walk is different from this long-distance walk. This is a great walk. It has become one of my favourite walks and a walk I will do on an annual basis. It is a highly recommended walk.

Hard

The walk is on good surfaces, gravel or tarmac single-track roads. The walk has some pretty hard climbs with a steep descent down to Drumfrochar train stop at the end. This is a hard walk. It is also a great walk with great scenery throughout. Plenty of drinks, protein bars and good shoes are recommended here.

McGill's Bus 7/7A from Paisley Town Hall to Linwood 4 - 6 times an hour. Then bus X7 to Kilmacolm.
McGill's Bus X7 from Glasgow/Braehead/Linwood 1 -2 times an hour.

Leave the bus at the village square and take road past the Coop Shop down towards the old railway station, now a bistro. Follow the Greenock/Port Glasgow path signposts from there through a housing estate before the path starts up a small climb up the Gryffe Valley.




At the first crossroads, 1 mile / 2 km up this good path, just after crossing a bridge, take the first road to the left, then left again up to the bridge crossing this path. Walk over this bridge to Auchenbothie Road and take this road to the left up the valley. After 150 yards/meters, this road reaches a crossroad. Take the road under the bridge to Auchentiber Road, which you will follow up to Devol gravel road.



After crossing a flat piece of road, this road climbs steadily towards the Devol gravel road. The scenery here are excellent and this is a great walk. There are normally a lot of farm animals here which will view any walkers with bemusement. Continue past the Devol Road crossroad and head up the steep hills pictured below..



Continue on this single-track road until it ends at the busy Greenock - Bridge Of Weir road. Take this road down the hill to the left for 100 yards/meters before heading up the Gryffe Valley Way signposted single-track road to the left.



This road is not too steep in the beginning before it reaches a river to the left (first picture). I met up with a cow here which I snapped a photo of (second picture).


The road is climbing steadily from the bridge over this river up to a moor with the Lower Loch Gryffe and then the Gryffe Reservoir to the right and the imposing Corlic Hill above these two lochs again.










The tarmac now gives way to a gravel road for the rest of the path to the end of these two lochs. The path now enters a forest with not much of a scenery. The road is also steep at places.



This gravel road ends at the Loch Thom dam with a good view back towards the Gryffe Reservoir.



Take the Old Largs single-track road with good tarmac to the right up a hill. This hill is a bit steep after the cattle grid but flattens out after the first couple of hundred yards/meters.



The views back towards Loch Thom are impressive from this climb. A truly beautiful loch and part of Scotland.



The road crests the hill and the landscape here is really beautiful. The remaining two miles / three kilometres of the Gryffe Valley Way branches of to the left here in a muddy path while Old Largs Road continues down towards the Whinhill Golf Course. See the next two pictures from this hill.







The road descends down to this golf course, with a short climb in the middle of the road along the course, before it reaches the steepest descent through a zig-zag bend to Drumfrochar Road.



Take this road down to the right. Take the next road, Peal Road to the right after this roundabout. Drumfrochar train station is just around the bend to the right here.



This walk ends at this train stop with good seating and a shelter at the end of the platform.

Train from Drumfrochar train station to Port Glasgow/Paisley/Glasgow 2 times an hour.

Enjoy the walk !!