A Greenock Port Glasgow Circular Walk/ Cycle Ride.

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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 than walking...) 

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.  

A Pitlochry Weekend. Moulin To Fish Ladder Trails.

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I got dropped off by John near the Moulin Hotel, mainly because it was quieter to stop here than in Pitlochry itself. He was off to do his hill of choice which left me a few hours to explore the local area. Moulin Hotel above.

Without any preparation in advance at all I trusted to luck that I would find a path here and Serendipity did not disappoint. Almost immediately an info board and sign showed a path across several fields then up through woods to the Black Spout Waterfall. So I followed that.

It must have rained a lot recently, before our visit, as the fields here were still notoriously boggy.

Black Castle was just a ruin so I squelched on across ankle deep green sward to a better, drier path. 

Views were fairly good though and the path soon improved.

Some nice art work on a house.

A view of Ben Vrackie I think.

Moulin Path info. Hard to get lost and easy to follow.

Looking back at Moulin.

Snowdrops in February.

Crocus carpet.

Track in woods. It was at this point, after seeing the waterfall ( I've seen hundreds over the decades and it was ok but not exceptional) I descended towards Pitlochry then came across the pitch and putt hut... and spotted Atholl Palace on its hill, above me. See last Post.

After visiting the palace and grounds I wandered back into Pitlochry again and thought I'd visit the Dam, The Fish Ladder, and Pitlochry's famous theatre.

Ceramic cow at Pitlochry dam.

Pitlochry Dam and Fish Ladder. The only only time I've explored here was in the 1980s and it was quiet then and free. Now it's very busy with tourists, even in winter, the car park was crowded yet had paid parking bays so I was glad I wasn't driving as getting a spot anywhere might have been tricky. It also looked like it was contactless only payments, my pet hate nowadays, along with people booking things in advance rather than just turning up on the day, so I was delighted to see the town's public toilets still accepted cash through a tiny 2 inch wooden door. So cute. Long may that charming oddity last.

The path runs beside the fast moving and deep River Tummel with Loch Faskally above the dam feeding this impressive flow of water. Further down a period metal suspension bridge crossed this river to allow pedestrians to reach  Pitlochry's famous Festival Theatre which has attracted both UK, European, and North American A list actors/ actresses, writers, and directors for its annual programme of events and plays due to its stellar reputation, despite it's fairly off beat location in the Scottish Highlands. 

Part of the theatre complex here, above, I assume. As I was watching my time to meet up with John at the arranged spot I didn't cross over to see it.

Loch Faskally and Dam.

A small but attractive public park space in Pitlochry.

Winter heather.

Walking back uphill near Moulin I was picked up by John again and we both had a good day doing stuff we enjoy outdoors. Him, a hill walk- me sightseeing... on this occasion.

Some photos on the way back down the road. Stirling Castle viewed from the north.

Passing Stirling Castle on it's cliff top location.

Wallace Monument on a nearby hill close to Stirling. Thanks to John for the weekend trip, the bothy night, and the driving. I really enjoyed it.

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A Pitlochry Weekend. Atholl Palace Hotel and Grounds.

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On the same trip that my hill walking friend John and I stayed at an overnight bothy he dropped me off the next morning at Moulin, a small village/hamlet just above Pitlochry, as it was easier to get out here, rather than a very busy main street in Pitlochry. I walked from there across several fields and through woods but I will save that walk for my last post in this area as this, above, was the highlight of the trip and needs its own spot.  Atholl Palace Hotel.

Although it sits proudly on a hill top I came at it from a strange angle as I'd already been to the Black Spout waterfall on scenic paths from Moulin. Atholl Palace Hotel pitch and putt course hut, above.  It did not look well used ( maybe because it was winter or out of fashion these days) but as luck would have it a woodland path led from here steeply upwards to the castle/palace. Viewed side on, from these lower woods, it does look more like a castle than a palace, glimpsed in brief soaring fragments of stone through the leaves in the direction  I approached from. It reminded me of the Gothic family pile in Gormenghast, Dracula's Castle, or the hilltop Italian Monastery in Name of the Rose so I was fascinated by it like any moth to a flame as I climbed upwards.

Up close it was just as impressive so I had a full walk around it, viewing it from all sides.

I was trying to imagine how many rooms it had and what the entire weight of stone would be in tons when an elderly man came out the bar and we had a chat. After finding out I was interested in the history of the building he mentioned that there was a museum inside.... and that it was free. The magic words to me. I'm not particularly tight with money but there are certain groups of people or rungs on a ladder in the UK or world wide. Homeless or folk in debt.... people just about managing to pay bills but not much left over for expensive items ( that's my rung)... folk that can afford to stay here ( £60 to £220 a night in 2025 depending on deals, time of year, and rooms... they do have woodland chalets etc ).... or folk that can afford big extra expensive items fairly easily and frequently without leaving a considerable hole in their bank balance ( that's not me).... and then there's the super rich one percent at the top who have more money than the other 99 percent of the planet combined.

 

 Being mid February I was also surprised how busy the hotel car park was, almost full up but maybe they had winter deals on. You would need to stay competitive just to afford the heating bills and upkeep of a vast property of this size.

Normally 4 star hotels... or no star hotels are not my natural environment as I have no desire to be pampered and as long as I have a dry space, a sleeping bag, a tent, or just a carrymat ( for some insulation off the cold ground), I'm perfectly happy. But I was interested in the history of the place so I went inside.

An entire corridor and several small side rooms told visitors the history of this hotel. Apparently when this museum was set up it was the only hotel to have a museum dedicated to it's various transformations over the years. Constructed in the late 1870s for around £100,000 in a mix of Scottish Baronial and French Gothic styles it was only open as a Hydropathic facility for under ten years before running into financial problems. The new owners concentrated more on paying guests having fun and entertainment rather than water torture/health cure patient treatments and they ran it successfully for 20 years. With a hotel of this size however and it's Highland location the financial burden to keep it open must be considerable and it has had numerous owners over the many decades since its inception. A good museum I enjoyed... especially as it was very unexpected.

A water feature inside the hotel. Presumably they no longer pour water on the guests, just in the malt whisky glasses in the bar.

I also enjoyed the grand driveway and grounds. Arriving on foot I was doing the whole thing back to front, which did not occur to me until later. If you were arriving here by car you would travel up through the grounds first, gliding through green meadows and scattered pines on this scenic serpentine tarmac ribbon.

Then the hotel would come into view. ( note all the cars... and the overflow car park was busy as well... surprising for a winter month. To me anyway.)

I noticed tennis courts, chalets, and a spa as I walked down through the grounds. Very colourful, green, and lush for mid winter in Scotland.

 

And some fake deer... Surprising up here as I often see the real thing on my walks.

Landscaped pool. This was a delight... like a fantasy walk... and I enjoyed this far more than a strenuous hill walk with John. The sun even came out to bless me. Thank you once again Serendipity... and John for dropping me off... in this hedonistic Paradise...  

Japanese Garden in the grounds.

The stream with metal swans. Japanese Garden.

As I said it was only when I arrived at the Pitlochry road entrance to the palace that I realised I'd done the entire route back to front. Mind you, traditionally my class of folk always arrived in via the back entrance to fancy places anyway, to serve the drinks and food, so maybe I did it the right way after all :o).

A very unexpected and enjoyable day out.