Great thing about Bowling is that it is central for lots of great routes, as you are at the start of the canal, you could even walk or cycle to Edinburgh from there if you like, only takes about 5 hours. Trains are every half hour to Drumgelloch or Balloch.
Also, there are lots of great places for cycling if you are into that kind of thing - the most fun being the Erskine bridge, and the slope down to the shore at the Erskine side. For a really ace route, get off the train at Bowling, cycle through the trees along the track and then get back onto the canal path at Old Kilpatrick. Head up through Glen Lusset and over the bridge for a full day of fun exploring. Good cuppas, soup and homebakes at the Erskine Gardening Centre and pints at the Little Mill Inn in Bowling. Depending on the type of bike you have, I don't recommend taking it along the first part of the shore from the station though unless you have good suspension, you can see part of the track in the photo below
