Renfrewshire

13 miles / 19 km

This is a scenic, long walk in the hills between Langbank, Kilmacolm and Bishopton. This area is great for walking and it also has some great scenery. It is a perfect area for walks on mostly narrow single-track roads.

Very Hard

This is a hilly walk indeed. There are three major climbs here. The Finlaystone Glen between Langbank and Kilmacolm, the West Glen Road out of Kilmacolm and the Netherton Road climb. The rest of the walk is mostly undulating too. Bring plenty of drinks, gels and protein bars on this walk. Good shoes are also recommended. The whole walk is on good tarmac.




Train to Langbank from Glasgow/Paisley 2 times an hour.

Jump off the train and head for the exit straight ahead onto Station Road. Take this road to the right, under the railway line and then straight ahead to the Main Road. Take this road to the left and follow this road for approx half a mile / 1 km to the start of the path.
Follow this path under the railway line again and for some hundred yards/meters alongside the main Greenock - Glasgow M8 motorway to the start of the Finlaystone Road to the left, leaving the noisy motorway behind. This road is also signposted Finlaystone Park. Follow this road around a bend and then over a bridge where this castle meets you.

Continue up this road and cross the Old Greenrock Road. A small road road, 10 yards/meters to the right and straight forward take you up this glen. You are still on the Finlaystone Road, btw. The road is flat in the beginning before the hardest climbs of the walk commence. The picture below is looking back from near the top of the hill down the glen again.



There are some great views from the top of this hill before the road descends down to Kilmacolm. Enjoy these views.



The walk into Kilmacolms is gentle and slightly descending at the end. If you need xtra water and or food, walk the road down to the village square and the COOP Shop there. Otherwise, take the West Glen Road (signposted) to the left (to the right if returning from COOP) at the playing fields at the bottom of the descent to Kilmacolm. This road climbs steadily up through Kilmacolm to a farm field where it becomes pretty flat. The picture below is from this farm field, looking back towards Kilmacolm again.



The road follows this farm field until a small, sort of, flat mountain pass. This mountain pass takes you from the Gryffe Valley to the West Glen. This road is a bit undulating before it starts to descend. The first picture below is towards the Netherton Road which you will be climbing later on. The second picture is towards the upper West Glen where this walk is not passing through. I love this part of Renfrewshire.







The road now drops past some farm fields towards the West Glen Road - Gallahill Road. At this crossroad, take the Gallahill Road first through a forest and then over a bridge before the road comes to the Gallahill Road - Netherton Road crossroad. Take Netherton Road to the right.



This road is climbing steadily with a couple of steep parts past a farm to the top of this road. The walk is now leaving West Glen behind and is entering the wide Clyde Valley. The road is now dropping down the hill with some great views towards the River Clyde, Dumbarton, Ben Lomond and Dumbarton Rock. At the end of the descent, take the Old Greenock Road to the right. The walk now join the Houston - Langbank main road. Take this road to the right. The walk now follows this road for 400 yards/meters before the next crossroads. Take the Old Greenock Road to the left here. This single-track road, with good views towards Dumbarton Rock, Dumbarton and Ben Lomond, is pretty undulating.



This undulating road is around two miles / three km long. It ends at Ingliston Equestrian Centre and a crossroad. At this crossroad, continue straight over the road onto the path.
The road descends towards Bishopton and down to Greenock Road. Follow this road to the right through Bishopton and past the rugby and playing fields to the right until you see the Bishopton Health Centre signpost. Cross the road here and take the first road to the right, the aptly named Station Road. This road takes you up to Bishopton railway station where this walk ends.

Train to Paisley/Glasgow 4 times an hour.

Enjoy the walk !!