A Greenock Port Glasgow Circular Walk/ Cycle Ride.

                                                  ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.

Port Glasgow Shipyard Workers Sculpture; Above. On a trip a few months ago we met a girl in passing who informed us, (Alan and myself) that you could walk or cycle from Port Glasgow to Gourock along the shorefront. This was news to us both and as we are always looking for new walks we decided to do it. Alan also wanted to see the McLean Museum in Greenock so we included that as well.

We parked in Coronation Park in Port Glasgow next to Ferguson's Shipyard and beside the iconic new male pride sculpture, see above.  No one is better at hitting.... or fixing things... than a man... with a big hammer....

When I studied an OS Landranger Firth of Clyde Sheet 63 map of the area I worked out a circular route as we obviously had to return to the vehicle after the waterfront walk. Port Glasgow is like the Beverly Hills of Scotland :) the way it clings to its steep slope like a limpet and I've always wanted to wander straight up from the car park in this photo, above, through the various houses. Alan is not that keen on visiting housing estates however ( I love them, always have :o) so we compromised by going up Clune Brae instead (the A761 from the roundabout near Newark Castle) then up through Boglestone steps to reach the 75 cycle track/ walkway.

 

Good views can be had of the failed Port Glasgow estate and ruined church around Robert Street which has been semi abandoned for over ten years now although a few folk still live in it.

Another view of the church. Woodhall in Spring. I've always been fascinated/intrigued by Woodhall and the three Inverclyde towns in general since the late 1960s, exploring them in my teens, alone or with friends, and they still draw me back today. Part of the reason for that is the way the houses climb up the hillsides, even vaulting sheer cliffs at times, as if the rugged landscape and vertical challenge was just a slight inconvenience to planning a town layout on an uphill slope. Walking or cycling up the A 761 highlights that perfectly.

Although a steep climb we soon reached the cycletrack/walkway and from there, heading west, across Greenock, it was mostly flat or downhill.

Both of us had cycled route 75 years ago but reached it then via the higher moorland plateau, descending down towards it from an inland hill route. You can reach it via Boglestone Avenue  however as it passes through the Port Glasgow Industrial Estate, some of which is lying empty.

 Unlike the cycletracks /walkways around my own area of Glasgow, which are increasingly well used, post covid, we only noticed two cyclists, one jogger, and two other walkers along this entire balcony trail path. A rare joy compared with 70 cyclists, 40 walkers and 30 joggers over the same distance elsewhere. It meant we could really relax on this path without constantly looking over our shoulder for anyone else approaching at speed as shared paths, when too busy, tend to annoy all users rather than benefit them. ( or maybe I'm just an old  grump :o) I mention this because it is such a rare occurrence these days. It never used to be that way....but Port Glasgow/ Greenock is not yet a fashionable location for a day trip.. or cycle ride... it seems.

In places good views can be had of the Greenock waterfront below. At Lady Octavia Park/ school this 75 cyclepath/ walkway takes a dip downwards so this was our cue to walk diagonally down to the roundabout near Gavel Point/ Ratho Street crossing the line at the Railway Station.

This brought us out here at the waterfront. Good views. Going further west along the waterfront you arrive in Greenock town Centre...

 And the Beacon Community Arts centre and cafe. (parking here) Ocean Terminal, The Custom House, The Swimming Pool, The Cinema, George Wyllie, Scottish artist exhibits all found here.

Custom House area.

Two art centre/ museums at the waterfront plus this one near the sheriff court and council buildings ( limited parking around Watt Street) 

This was the one Alan wanted to visit and I was glad he persuaded me to enter as it was much better than I thought it would be. Loads of exhibits and some good stuffed animals over several floors and rooms. I've been in several small town museums recently but this was the best of them.

Outdoor area of museum.

We then visited the docks in the other direction as they are quite extensive. East India Harbour, Victoria Harbour, Great Harbour etc.  Before Glasgow eventually managed to  straighten out and deepen the shallow and sand bank prone River Clyde in the mid 1800s large sailing ships had to unload all goods here or in nearby Port Glasgow then transport said goods by overland wagon along poor roads to the impatient young city. Which greatly benefitted both towns here but severely hampered the growth potential and earning income of landlocked Glasgow. It was a situation that had to be fixed, despite the expense and time required to do so. Also the industrial Revolution, in large part enhanced by local Greenock engineer James Watt, had kick started metal constructed steam-powered then later diesel powered ships and Glasgow would have been left further behind. No shipyards lining both banks of the River Clyde without a deep water channel leading straight into the heart of the growing metropolis. And no one million population by the 1930s either as people flooded in for the cornucopia of heavy industry jobs.

This was one part of the Greenock docks neither of us had been in before and the reason for the walk. 

Usually a few interesting ships docked here... sometimes a dozen or so... a lucky dip.

Unfortunately once you reach the Titan Crane, seen here, you have to detour hard right onto the main road (East Hamilton Street) to bypass a boatyard and warehouses for a km or so until you regain the waterfront.

Which brings you down to the marina from the other side... but was a dead end... so more backtracking then East Hamilton street pavement bashing again... ( this would be better cycling rather than walking...) as we found this long street section tedious on foot.

Until you reach the Port Glasgow section again and regain the shore front.

Two colourful murals beside a shorefront Garage/ warehouse in Port Glasgow. A fishing life.

Personal memories of Benbecula, an island in the Scottish Outer Hebrides... we were informed by the owners. Three separate murals here in total.

It was a fairly weary and footsore two walkers that returned to the vehicle just before the rain came on which is why I'm suggesting a pedal bike might be best for this particular route if doing it.... but you can walk it if reasonably fit and active. Or you can just stick to the Greenock Docks, The Beacon Waterfront area, and the various museums  and Greenock's self guided Town tour, including Well Park which sits directly above the unmistakable and soaring Victoria Tower. Cowdenknowes Reservoirs, Greenock Cemetery, and the Coves Reservoir area next to Inverclyde Hospital are all also worth checking out on a different walking tour. Greenock....far  more interesting things in it than you might think.