The Hidden Glasgow Forums

There are plenty routes that you can go for walking, and it's nice along the street and along the old railway line, or you can walk along the shore to the basin, although the track is slightly overgrown and a bit rough in places. Its a four mile circular walk from the station, along to the Saltings and around the old industrial site and dock at old Kilpatrick. You can also head up towards Dumbarton and watch the Bats catching the crickets in the field just past the Esso Garage in the evening, or stop at the Dumbuck Hotel for a tasty coffee on nice leather couches.

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

Cheers for that info, JYC. I'll be printing it out as it will help me persuade my buddy to come with me. Could maybe manage the 4 mile walk on a good day (got ME, so the legs don't always work). I definitley feel an explore coming on, though.

I was kayaking into the harbour on Friday and had a wee blether with the guy that owns the large tug in the centre of the previous photo.
It's an ex-Mississippi tug called Utah. He lives on board and also owns the torpedo boat moored alongside which he is planning to restore. The tug was suffering feom an infestation of wasps whilst I was there.
I paddled on down into the basin of Scotts shipyard...eerie place,,,easy access from the water though, no fences to climb.
The other tug in the pic is filled with concrete to seal the holes in the hull.

Jedi, the door you are wondering about is interesting. When I was younger, you used to be able to get in there, and climb up some ancient machinery and get up onto the railway.

As far as I am aware, you can still get onto the old railway from the cycle path.

I'm afraid that the old railway bridge was fenced off about a year ago, so you can't get through on your bike any more - shame really because it's spoiled a good MTB route.

Oh.. Well it has been a good number of years since I was last along the old railway.

The last time I walked quite far along it, then got down to the beach.

You used to be able to access it from the cycle path as it runs along past the canal it was a bit of a steep embankment but it was possible.

Yeah, you can still get along the beach, and there are still tons of routes. It's just that you have to climb fences to get onto the old railway bridge, because it is in a bad way. The tracks are all still used a lot, a bit more overgrown through the trees, and the scramblers have made a good job of widening the muddy trenches on the path along the Clyde waterfront. the canal path is in ok nick, great for Health Walks too.

Also was wondering if anyone knew were the door in the above pic leads to or what is used to be

Perhaps there was an upper station? - i'm sure the pillars support a disused railway track

Seamey wrote:

Also was wondering if anyone knew were the door in the above pic leads to or what is used to be

Perhaps there was an upper station? - i'm sure the pillars support a disused railway track

There was just ancient heavy gear machinary in that room. The room was quite tall and I remember being able to clamber up the winch like thing onto another level then up between the sleepers of the railway onto the track it's self.

It was always wierd clmbing up throughthe sleepers and emerging onto the tracks.

The railway station served by the harbour bridge is an island platform and sits behind Scott Avenue in Bowling on the old Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire Railway.
The small gate in the picture leads in two directions. Down into the flooded foundations of the bridge where a ladder leads up to the track level. Heading upwards you encounter the wheels that the bridge rotates on.
There used to be a signal box on the bridge, raised over the tracks.

Hi All Since I am new to this board how do you put on the photo,s ? Cheers Flim

http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/vie ... php?t=2418

That`s how I found out the secret Possilonian

Photobucket makes it very easy to link your pics to the site.

Alex.

Bowling from the Erskine side of the Clyde.

Nice pics mate from the other side i like it.