Snorkeling Day Port Glasgow. Greenock Waterfront. Gryfe Valley.

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This is a mix of three different trips in one go. A snorkeling day at Port Glasgow: an off grid weekend in The Gryfe Valley: and a Greenock Waterfront day. All three done with Alan.

We already knew about a quiet slipway beside Newark Castle in Port Glasgow so this is where we went during the extended May heat wave weather.

I've not been swimming or snorkeling for over ten years but Alan has.... and was keen... me less so.

But I've had all the gear for a long time so might as well give it a go. In my fertile imagination before this trip I swam across the sea like an Olympic champion or at least a graceful basking shark.... in painful reality I swam more like a house brick, which admittedly might be useful for scuba diving.... but not so good for surface gasping every few seconds due to persistent cold shock.... which did not really go away. Although in a city swimming pool I was fairly good and fast at breast stroke ( my local pool closed down decades ago) my above water distance swimming this time was disappointingly pathetic. Trying hard but getting nowhere fast. Almost stationary despite much thrashing to at least stay afloat. I can see why flippers are a good idea when snorkeling.

The water was flat calm. A perfect day.

The only waves produced by occasional passing ships in the Firth of Clyde Estuary.

The main drawback for me is that it's hard to snorkel and take photos at the same time. This is Alan. Being May the water was very cold so even with a wet suit on ( a basic thin one) I was completely breathless most of the time so only surface swimming with no diving at all was the plan. Although I used to swim the full length of the large local swimming pool underwater no problem and could even do two completely underwater circuits on occasion, after practice, I was really bad here. Snorkeling is unexpectedly isolating for a first timer. You can see the small area of seabed immediately below you but nothing in front, to the sides, or above so that anything might be happening there and you'd be totally unaware of it. That and struggling to stay afloat after such a long absence...the cold gasping, panic inducing water and the knowledge that big things certainly do share this water ( killer whales, dolphins, and seals have all been spotted here and filmed in past years so no doubt other big fish with no need to surface are here as well.... like Porbeagle and Mako sharks,..... (30 species of shark inhabit UK waters in fact), some well over ten feet in length. And I already have a very vivid imagination. Not so useful here! Safe to say, although I enjoyed the novelty... I was well out of my comfort zone. Like everything else in life it takes some getting used to.

It was a beautiful day though in an exceptional month of dry sunny weather.

The River Clyde Estuary in May.

Also in May we had an off grid weekend in the nearby Gryfe Valley and Corlick Hill district, seen here. Above and below.

A quiet and less visited area but it felt like a mini Sweden on this occasion. All lake and forest views. ( Gryfe Reservoir view here)

Also part of a circular cycle route we've both done in past years.

Sunset view.

Next up a walk along the sculpture trail at Greenock waterfront.

Metal Jelly fish.

Custom House Waterfront area.

Greenock Waterfront walk.

Beacon Arts and community Centre. Greenock Docks area.

Shipping Sculpture. Greenock.

Bird Lands. My coastal angels greet me...

The gift of flight. Apparently it was watching seabirds, gulls in particular, that inspired modern airplane design. And anyone who has watched gulls fly effortlessly in 80 mile an hour winds down the storm battered coastline in winter cannot fail to be impressed by their sheer ability in the air. 

Outstanding acrobats.

Pests to some eyes though... but always my sweet angels.

Rouken Glen Park. A Revisit in May 2025.

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It's been several years since I visited Rouken Glen Park, above, so another visit was overdue. It's always been a favourite park going right back to the 1960s and 1970s when I used to visit it from around five years of age right up to my mid 20s at least 4 times a year. Any time of year was worthwhile but certain visits stand out. Once as a teenager after heavy snowfall when I walked all the way there and entered a pristine winter world. Roads were blocked under snowdrifts so no cars or buses running at all for several days and I was one of only a handful of visitors. Mine the first footprints down many of the paths and a world completely transformed,  strangely unfamiliar, landmarks obliterated under deep snow. Deathly quiet except for the occasional thump of heavy snow cushions sliding off the branches to hit the ground. Magical. And it's always been a magical park for me. 

First stop this visit was the wildlife garden as it is close to the main car park. Thankfully still free at the moment but always popular. This section was ok... still well maintained.

I had my usual cynical feeling seeing this section though. Heavily overgrown. I am aware parks are being left wilder these days but in this instance I was of the opinion that 'the green policy' suited cash strapped councils as they could cut back on staff/ maintainance under the convenient umbrella of 'going green'.

For instance.... this is the wildflower meadow and wildlife pond...according to this faded notice... buried under really thick vegetation in 2025. Not a single wild flower in sight. Could hardly even see any water in the small overgrown pond. Honestly, I have a better wildlife garden at home. Never saw or heard one single bird or frog/toad in this area while I was here. My own modest garden is full of them every morning without even trying. Noisy little ******s :o) Not one flower visible either. In mid May. The peak flower month in the UK. My own garden is a riot of colour and insects. Bees, hoverflies, beetles etc.. None of that here that I could observe.

That's not to say I wasn't enjoying myself. I was ... as it's a beautiful park. I was just observing all the differences since my last visit a few years ago. The open meadow section here... not much changed. In the summer months swifts and swallows used to skim low over the grass as we sat having picnics. ... maybe they still do.... but fewer of them with many bird populations down 50% to 70% over the last 4 decades.

The walled garden area came next. This outside section looks fine. Well maintained as ever.

Can't say the same for the interior of the Walled Garden. The gates were locked shut and it looked abandoned. After a month long dry spell it also looked dead although maybe some plants might be saved as it's been rainy since then. Last time I was in here, with Anne, it had loads of flowering plants in full bloom. Nothing at all now. Which is a shame as there's not many Walled Gardens left in Scotland and in this particular park it is where all the flowers existed. Not much anywhere else here for the bees.

Next up came the glen walk which is always a treat. One of the wonders of this park is the paths and boardwalk down in the glen leading along a deep wooded gorge to the main waterfall and the park pond. Back in the 1960s, as a youngster, this boardwalk never existed, so we found our own paths away from the main tracks. Free roaming children.

 Impossible to do that now though. Thick bamboo and other invasive species have taken over the hinterland down here in many places so you definitely need the modern boardwalk. Both here and in the Dams To Darnley Country Park change has been dramatic since the close cropped well maintained 1960s. The phrase that popped into my mind here was 'Jungle Jungle.'

This was reinforced up at the famous waterfall which is still impressive after heavy rain.

A heron in the deep gorge below it gave this area a primeval feel. Jurassic Park.

The nearby pond was also a surprise. This was taken in 2017. Mainly clear... and blue.

This is it in May 2025. Pea green with clumps of water lilies and other water weeds taking over. I'm old enough to remember it as a proper boating pond in the 1960s and hiring boats to row them around the islands. Now it looks more like an Amazon backwater or a swamp in Louisiana with alligators and snapping turtles just under the surface. Blue green algae notices were up, toxic to humans and dogs but I'm not sure about its effect on other wildlife.

There was plenty going on. Two Canada Geese appeared in the reeds. I thought this was unusual then it got stranger still.

Instead of being out on the islands in the middle of the pond undisturbed they were happily positioned on the much busier bank with loads of people walking past every few minutes.... and their dogs.  Four adult geese guarding around 8 youngsters.

Whenever a dog passed, big or small, the adults went into attack mode warning them off and protecting the youngsters. Geese can be fairly feisty so maybe they actually enjoyed this interaction.

What amused me was the youngsters exhibited this same aggressive stance, seen here, and you could easily see where the term goosestep came from. They were remarkably used to humans in this park. The closest I've ever been to Canada Geese youngsters without being seen as a threat by the adults.

Same thing with the duck family.... as soon as they spotted me they came right over and practically sat on my shoes. Weird.... but funny.

Meet and greet the ducklings. Tiny frogs were also spotted hopping on this pavement and a young girl was saying 'save them Daddy!' as several unobservant adults were standing on them unintentionally. Not wanting to disappoint his young daughter Daddy was catching them one by one and returning them into the pond. Cute. I was also amused by this as being tiny frogs they were trying to escape the pond... and hungry ducklings presumably.

A novel experience. I don't need to go to the Amazon... or exotic places... they often come to me.

The rest of the park looked much as I remembered it. The rolling meadow section, seen here...

But this was new. The modern fashion trend of putting padlocks on bridges, gates, girders etc has caused chaos worldwide due to the additional weight, maintenance and access problems.... so this is one solution. A purpose built padlock fence right beside the waterfall... for padlocks. Hopefully leaving the nearby wooden bridge free of clutter.

And I even managed to find a quiet path away from the public. Off the beaten track....

As usual... my own preference in life.

Recently I watched the film The Greatest Showman and one of the highlights of that was the appearance in it of Jenny Lind. This was of particular interest to me as I've known about that title since the early1960s. A small housing estate near Arden bears her name which is where we used to get off for the park and wait for the bus home. So I looked her up online. A Swedish opera singer and an international star back in the 1830s and 1840s she stayed at a building near here on the leafy Pollok Estate as a guest when she was performing in Glasgow. Later an inn named in her honour appeared and later still in the 1930s The Jenny Lind housing estate arrived, still here to this day. Wisely, in the film, they swapped pure opera for pop music, which was more effective for a modern audience whereas a full blown opera rendition would only appeal to a select few. A good memorable song followed in the film although the quirky lyrics could equally be the mission statement of many a billionaire. Never Enough. In the 1960s I vaguely remember an old newsagents shop and a wooden shelter structure to stand under if it rained at this Jenny Lind bus stop. Both long gone, faded into history and part of 'the past'. As I and everyone else will be at some future point in time.

The end.

Overtoun House and The Lang Craigs.

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One of the real scenic gems of Dumbarton is the Overtoun House Estate and the Lang Craigs. I try to go there every spring as it's such a beautiful area... like an earthly paradise in fact... and attaining that perfection, however briefly,  is surely worthy of a quest. Sheep and the Lang Craigs above.

I'd arranged to meet Alan and Alexander here but it was such a lovely morning I arrived early which gave me time for a walk around the estate grounds. Overtoun House here. Used in the film Cloud Atlas. In fact, apart from Outlander, Cloud Atlas is the film with the most locations I've visited, purely by accident. I even watched it being filmed in Glasgow, again by accident, along with World War Z, and Under The Skin,.... briefly spotting Halle Berry, Brad Pitt, and Scarlett Johansson within a couple of months of each other. During that time, watching all three films ( I liked Under the Skin the best) I was going- yep, been there, and there.... and there. Can't see that ever happening again.

Horses in the grounds of the Overtoun Estate.

Loch Bowie in May 2025.

A close up of Loch Bowie.

After half an hour Alan and Alexander arrived and we set off for the climb to the Lang Craigs...through the hanging gardens of the Overtoun Estate grounds... white flowering hawthorn bushes growing on successive ancient lava flows... as all this region, and Scotland as a whole, has been shaped and sculpted by volcanic action then later glaciers... and before that ... was part of a vast high mountain range on supercontinent Gondwana before it fractured apart into Australia, Africa, North and South America etc. Good to know... exactly what it is you are walking on.

After a steep ascent we gained the ridge and were rewarded with stunning views. An easy walk along the escarpment followed.

Looking down on Dumbarton Rock and The River Clyde.

And back down to Overtoun House and Dumbarton.

We then followed a trail to have lunch beside the Black Linn reservoir.

A peaceful spot in calm conditions which had nice reflections. Some of the trees blown down by the recent storm Eowyn in late Jan 2025. Not so calm on that day. Thousands of trees lost overall in one wild night.

Looking towards Doughnot Hill (A heavily worn down volcanic plug of hard rock methinks like most summits around this area) here on the western edge of the Kilpatricks.

Fish carving in the woods on the path down.

And Overtoun House again.

We then went to Dumbarton Rock and Castle to watch rock climbers in action on the vertical and overhanging back face of this cliff. The opposite side to this one, seen above. A much better preserved and more obvious lump of volcanic rock. A natural defensive formation... hence many of Scotland's castles sit on top of similar lumps, like Edinburgh and Stirling Castle.)