Inverclyde, Renfrewshire

8 miles / 13 km

Strange as it may sound, but this is actually a great walk in the hills above River Clyde on the Old Greenock Road. Hard but great. The scenery is superb here and there is hardly any traffic on this road. It has become one of my favourite walks in this area.

Hard

This walk is undulating, very undulating at times, with several pretty hard climbs and some steep descents. The views are superb here and the tarmac is mostly good. There is hardly any traffic on this road too. Good shoes are an advantage here. Bring plenty of water here as the climbs are both steep and hard. This is a walk for those who seek a challenge..and they will indeed be challenged by this walk.

Train to Port Glasgow from Glasgow/Paisley 4 times an hour.

Jump off the train in Port Glasgow and cross the railway line on the footbridge. Leave the station through the main entrance and walk straight ahead down John Wood Street to the right. The head for the high rise block of flats on the Bay Street and walk this road to a path takes you down to the pavement along the main road. Take the path to the right, under the railway bridge and up past the Lidl shop (where you can stock up with protein water) and then straight up the steep Clunie Road for 300 yards/meters.

At the High Carnegie Road signpost to the left, take this road to the left and continue on this road. This road leads directly to Old Greenock Road without any further crossroads. The road passes some housing estates before it gets more rural and finally becomes Old Greenock Road.




The now single-track road is undulating before the Old Greenock Road - Finlaystone Road crossroad. Continue straight on and to the bottom of the steepest climbs of the day. The climb up this part of Old Greenock Road is pretty long and very steep in places.







The views towards the other side of the Finlaystone glen are pretty cool and a good reward for the sweat and sore lungs during this climb. This is indeed a great area with the roads coming down from Kilmacolm and another road coming over the hill from the West Glen.



At the top of the hill and at the crossroad where the road from the West Glen joins this road, continue straight on and past the llamas to the right. The views from here to the other side of River Clyde, Dumbarton Rock and Bowling further up the river are very good from here.



The road now falls down the hill to Station Road and past this past the Gleddoch Hotel signposts. At the end of this road, this small single-track road joins up with a far bigger/wider road for 400 yards/meters before the Old Greenock Road turns off to the left again and again becomes a single-track road.

This single track road, with good views towards Dumbarton Rock, Dumbarton and Ben Lomond, is pretty undulating for the next mile or so / 3 km before the end of the road at Ingliston Equestrian Centre. 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.