Hidden gems on the Clyde Coast?

[Springs Branch]

Prompted by the recent thread on Hidden gems in the South?, and the excellent replies received - which I'll bookmark for my own future use - I have a similar request located a bit further north. Here's the story:-

- Later this year in early September, Mrs S.B. and I will be spending a week or so in an AirBnB in central Glasgow.
- During our stay, weather permitting, I have in mind a midweek day out for the two of us by train from Glasgow to the Clyde Coast.
- I'm not too familiar with the various options - except for the Ardrossan Harbour - Brodick route to Arran, which I think will be a bit too far for a day trip for the missus.
- Requirements for my wife (in her 60s) include a bit of scenery along the way, a reasonably pleasant (not too down-at-heel) destination with something nice to see and the choice of a coffee shop or two for a lunchtime sit-down.
- For me, I'd also add a decent train trip with comfortable rolling-stock and maybe something of railway interest to see en route. I realise all the routes west from Glasgow may be much-of-a-muchness in these respects.

I was thinking of Rothesay as a prime candidate - train to Wemyss Bay & CalMac ferry across to Bute (maybe bus onwards to Mount Stuart)

But I don't know much about the other, easier destination options like Largs, Gourock, or Helensburgh on the north side of the Firth of Clyde.
Or even the freshwater alternative of Balloch and a cruise on Loch Lomond.

Does anyone have any knowledge, experience or recommendations for a day out in that part of the world?

 

[Falcon1200]

I would certainly recommend Wemyss Bay for a trip from Glasgow. There are some nice views of the River Clyde, and the Firth of Clyde, and Wemyss Bay station is worth visiting in its own right! Instead of a boat trip, there is a bus every 15 minutes from outside Wemyss Bay station to Largs, allowing a return to Glasgow via a different route, also with some nice views and the sea wall section at Saltcoats. Wemyss Bay trains can be Class 318, 320, 380 or 385 sets, Largs is entirely Class 380.

(Balloch is nice too but since the closure of Balloch Pier station, it is a bit of a walk from Balloch station to Lomond Shores, which is mainly a shopping centre but also has boat trips on the Loch)

 

[mrcheek]

I second the recommendation to visit Wemyss Bay station.

And Balloch is a great place to visit. Plenty of enjoyable walking options around the loch.

It is also worth travelling to Helensburgh. A fairly nice place, and much of the latter part of the journey passes alongside the estuary. Not quite up there with Dawlish, but an enjoyable journey

 

[Sultan1056]

Why not take the train to Gourock then get the ferry across to Dunoon. Once there go to The Lorne, a nice pub that does good food. If you want to be a little more adventurous catch the 489 Ardentinny bus to Blairmore Pier. There is a good cafe here with splendid views of Loch Long and the Clyde. You may even see the occasional submarine on its way between Faslane to Coulport.

 

[Techniquest]

Not my area of expertise, but I absolutely recommend Loch Lomond. I rode along the trail by it way back in October 2020, and yes that feels like a long time ago to me too, it was an excellent experience. I'd recommend the route from Arrochar & Tarbet down to Balloch, but from the sounds of it it may be a bit too much of a walk for your trip. It would take much of a day after all if walking at a normal human pace, even for me at my average pace it would be a lengthy expedition.

I do highly recommend it for a future mission though, I absolutely loved my visit to Loch Lomond and I would love to go back and do that walk right now. Ideally starting the walk in daylight, and now gone 10pm as I type this, but you get what I mean, I'm sure!

Wemyss Bay station is pretty, no question of it. I can't remember which ferry Steve Marsh did, but it was to an island not far away and it looked good. I haven't been to the station for more than 10 years, close to 12 I do believe, so I can't comment on it too fairly from personal experience.

I went to Ardrossan with my Mum years and years ago, we did the ferry across to the island but sadly did not have long enough to explore too much. It was a nice place, Brodick if memory serves, with buses taking you around the island. Definitely worth a look!

Largs I have only ever been to the station and back out on a line coverage mission, so no opinion can be shared sadly. However, thinking about that area and trying to picture my Sustrans map, I have a memory of there being a RSPB site (or similar) near Glengarnock. I want to say Lochwinnoch is the closest station. Hold on, I'll check...

...yes it is, Maps confirms the presence of the RSPB Nature Reserve and says it's a 0.1 mile walk from the railway station. I notice too a bit further up that road is a waterfall, and that there's what appears to be a huge national park. I have now got some ideas for future exploring!

In terms of railway interest, I guess it also depends on whether you do line coverage or not, but a funky little trip could well be heading down to Troon, change there for the line to Kilmarnock and then head up to Glasgow. There certainly used to be a nice little cafe on the station in Kilmarnock, it's been years since I went so I can't say if it's still going.

Another thought is Erskine Bridge, a short walk from Kilpatrick's station. It's one I've not yet done, it's on my wishlist for a cycle tour though. I also like Kelvingrove Park a lot, highly recommend visiting there and especially so if the weather's good!

I've just been back to your opening post, and I see that indeed the expedition alongside Loch Lomond would be too much. Definitely a cruise on the loch, however, would be amazing. I haven't done a boat on it, but from what I saw it would be a nicely relaxed way to see the beauty of the loch.

Greenock and Helensburgh I can't really comment on, I only did them for line coverage purposes. I got as far as a local Subway for a meal in the latter on the ALR, but that was it. It is a nice ride along the coast though, especially in the Bowling area. There's a lot of canal walks available in Glasgow, and to be honest I'm struggling to think of any really good suggestions that would tick all the boxes.

I hope the above is helpful in some way, or at least helps inspire someone else reading this thread. I've certainly got myself in the mood for some Scottish adventuring, I can say that much!

 

[DarloRich]

Largs for the Ice cream. Get the ferry over to Cumbrae to walk it off.

 

[Springs Branch]

Thanks for all the suggestions. No-one has come up with a statement along the lines of "if you only do one trip, you must do this one!", so I'm thinking they're similarly pleasant.

I'm now leaning towards a Glasgow - Wemyss Bay - Largs - Glasgow circuit. A better option in the event of a misty, wet or windy day than a ferry trip to Bute. I hadn't realised until now how frequent the Clyde Flyer buses ran, and it's only a 15 min trip between WMS & LAR.

Based on her past experience, Mrs. S.B. is normally wary of my creative itineraries and "cunning plans" which might involve a wait at a wayside stop for a very infrequent bus which eventually shows up 15 mins late. But I'm sure there's minimum risk with McGill's finest in this case.

If it's a really nice day weatherwise I might even risk suggesting the Gourock - Dunoon - Blairmore Pier option. The 489 bus does seem to be a regular hourly service, so not much chance of being stranded in the wilds of Scotland.

Largs for the Ice cream.

My wife is originally Italian, so yes, an ice cream at Nardini's in Largs is a good call.
However she is duty-bound to always complain that any Italian food (gelato, wood-oven pizza, cappuccino . . .) is not as good as it is in Italy.

In terms of railway interest, I guess it also depends on whether you do line coverage or not, but a funky little trip could well be heading down to Troon, change there for the line to Kilmarnock and then head up to Glasgow. There certainly used to be a nice little cafe on the station in Kilmarnock, it's been years since I went so I can't say if it's still going.

I'm hoping - with a satisfactory Grand Day Out for the two of us under my belt - I will be able to negotiate leaving the missus in Glasgow on a subsequent day and seriously bashing some rails by myself. The Kilmarnock to Barassie line would certainly be on the list for yellow highlighter purposes. Disappointingly, I see the Strathclyde Daytripper ticket has been scrapped. That would have been ideal for me, given its (previous) wide area of coverage.

I went to Ardrossan with my Mum years and years ago, we did the ferry across to the island but sadly did not have long enough to explore too much. It was a nice place, Brodick if memory serves, with buses taking you around the island.

It's years since I last went to Arran, and it was pretty sleepy, laid-back and pleasant back then. A friend who's been there recently told me Arran has become seriously gentrified in the recent past with, for example, up-market eateries, expensive gift shops and luxury brands invading Brodick and elsewhere. Can anyone comment?

 

[ChrisC]

If it's a really nice day weatherwise I might even risk suggesting the Gourock - Dunoon - Blairmore Pier option. The 489 bus does seem to be a regular hourly service, so not much chance of being stranded in the wilds of Scotland.

If the weather is clear and sunny going over on the ferry from Gourock to Dunoon is well worth doing. Dunoon town centre is a bit run down these days but there’s nice walks along the sea front with views over the Clyde. The whole of the 489 bus route is worth doing if you like a coastal bus ride, right up to Ardentinny and also down to Toward Lighthouse. I know the area well as my sister lived for 20 years close to Benmore Botanical Gardens which are also worth a visit.

It's years since I last went to Arran, and it was pretty sleepy, laid-back and pleasant back then. A friend who's been there recently told me Arran has become seriously gentrified in the recent past with, for example, up-market eateries, expensive gift shops and luxury brands invading Brodick and elsewhere. Can anyone comment?

I did a day visit to Arran a few years ago whilst staying in Glasgow. Whilst there I did the circular bus route right around the island. Having had a number of holidays out on North and South Uist in the Western Isles I did find Arran more gentrified and commercialised but still pretty sleepy and laid back.

 

[Techniquest]

No idea on Arran as I think it was 2014 when I went. I really should go back, hopefully Brodick is still the nice place it was.

Agreed with you on the Daytripper thing, that has been a huge loss and a significant influence in trip planning. Thankfully they've kept the Roundabout, which is excellent value based on my visit last year.

If you haven't been yet, the journey along the coast at Saltcoats is worth seeing. I haven't been for years, when I last did Largs there was still a lot of coal industry stuff in the area. Quite, at least one of the smaller stations on the line was still using old-style TVs for train information!

Good to know that about the bus between Largs and Wemyss Bay, I haven't done that but it is good to know that there are options around.

I do hope after the adventure that you'll come back here and let us know how you got on. I'm certainly interested!