Hiking near Glasgow?

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Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby Elgar » Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:49 pm

Hi,

I am on a quest to get fit and would like to go hiking somewhere fairly close to Glasgow. The problem is I don´t drive, can anybody recommend a rail route that I could use? Which station should I alight? What is ther terrain like?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards.
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby Dave » Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:16 pm

Hi Elgar

My first suggestion would be the old railway line that goes through Bridge of Weir and Houston and the likes. You would alight at Paisley Canal Street station which is now the terminus of the line all you do is follow the rest on foot. The terrain is fairly easy going with most of it being tarmac.
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby peter » Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:29 pm

Train from Queen street to Old Kilpatrick and up the Humphreys road to the Kilpatrick hills and as much walking as you like. Or Highland train to many stops on Highland line as you can shake a walking pole at.
Or even walking west end of city Kelvin walkway, Clyde walkway, Train to Milngavie and back down the Kelvin a part of West Highland Way. Or Forth and Clyde Canal through much of north end of city. The list is endless. :P
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby Elgar » Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:33 pm

Thanks guys, some good ideas there which I´ll investigate!
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby tobester » Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:34 pm

If you take the train to Kilpatrick, get the Balloch train as not all the Helensburgh Centrals stop at Kilpatrick during the week.
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby deevlash » Fri May 02, 2008 11:17 pm

pop down to queen st and ask about trains to fort william, plenty of stops along the way including bridge of orchy which has loads of mountains nearby.

Of course the west highland way starts at milngavie and goes for 93 miles to fort william. A days hike does the first leg to drymen or balmaha. You could always bus it back again. If you do the full thing, it took my mate and I 5 days walking for half of each day you can get the train back to glasgow from fort bill.

http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby aliferste » Fri May 09, 2008 6:49 am

I am pretty sure you can get the bus out to Luss as well - at this time of year you will be able to do the Ben Dhu horseshow with ease - a good day out walk. Check out http://urbanflyfisher.com/a-bit-of-a-wa ... einn-dubh/ for some dodgy photos. That book in the post is great as well :D
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby southsider » Sat May 10, 2008 10:01 pm

Hi Elgar,

I am a walker and don't drive like yourself.

I have found numerous walking/ Hill walking routes. Like aliferste getting the bus to Luss and then walking up Glen luss is extremely enjoyable with fantastic views. Also the bus to Crianlarich or Tarbert. In the summer months you can get a bus from the new Silverburn centre which will take you to Loch Katrine where you can walk up Ben An which is one of my favourite hills.
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby Snapshot » Tue May 13, 2008 7:59 pm

Although it's not much of a "hike" and more of a "walk", I did the first part of the West Highland Way (Milngavie->Balmaha) on Saturday myself, entirely supported by local public transport. It's ~20 miles, goes via Carbeth huts, through some forest, over Conic hill, and gets you to Balmaha where a nice pint awaits at the local.

Get train from Central to Milngavie (or any train to Partick, etc, and on to Milngavie) - costs about £2.30 or something, single.

From there: walk - now that it's summer there will be a veritable motorway of WHWayers especially at the weekend. Get stuck in, say hullo, everyone's friendly enough. Look for the wee thistle signs, and you'll probably be ok. I'd get a map, but I'm a worrier/planner by nature.

If you stop at Drymen, you can walk on a cycle route back to Balloch (I've never done this, it could be a trap!). Or you can get the 309 bus, which goes to Balloch and then terminates at Alexandria, again for a few quid, tops. Depending on where you're going, you may want to get bus to Alexandria instead of Balloch... both provide trains back to Central, I believe.

Alternatively, walk on to Balmaha (more forest, and conic hill, but no dogs allowed during lambing season, i.e. NOW). You can then get the same 309 bus back to Balloch (or Alexandria).

The bus is great, its one of those wee small-town affairs, where folk have thoughtfully left paperbacks in the luggage area for you to pick up and read, etc. The driver (probably) isnae too psychotic - you'll love it. I was the only guy on the bus, and the guy dropped me right ootside Balloch train station, as a train was waiting on me. Sweet.

I reckon the train to Milngavie was about £2.30, the bus maybe £2, and the train back from Balloch perhaps £4. No transport prices were ridiculous, so they weren't that memorable to be honest.

Check out http://www.travelinescotland.com/ for more info on timetables. I'm surprised the public sector have made a web app that Doesn't Suck.

Hope this helps, mind and pack some bananas, but keep them to the top of your rucksack, or they'll get mushy.


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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby deevlash » Sat May 24, 2008 11:49 pm

Snapshot wrote:Although it's not much of a "hike" and more of a "walk", I did the first part of the West Highland Way (Milngavie->Balmaha) on Saturday myself, entirely supported by local public transport. It's ~20 miles, goes via Carbeth huts, through some forest, over Conic hill, and gets you to Balmaha where a nice pint awaits at the local.

Get train from Central to Milngavie (or any train to Partick, etc, and on to Milngavie) - costs about £2.30 or something, single.

From there: walk - now that it's summer there will be a veritable motorway of WHWayers especially at the weekend. Get stuck in, say hullo, everyone's friendly enough. Look for the wee thistle signs, and you'll probably be ok. I'd get a map, but I'm a worrier/planner by nature.

If you stop at Drymen, you can walk on a cycle route back to Balloch (I've never done this, it could be a trap!). Or you can get the 309 bus, which goes to Balloch and then terminates at Alexandria, again for a few quid, tops. Depending on where you're going, you may want to get bus to Alexandria instead of Balloch... both provide trains back to Central, I believe.

Alternatively, walk on to Balmaha (more forest, and conic hill, but no dogs allowed during lambing season, i.e. NOW). You can then get the same 309 bus back to Balloch (or Alexandria).

The bus is great, its one of those wee small-town affairs, where folk have thoughtfully left paperbacks in the luggage area for you to pick up and read, etc. The driver (probably) isnae too psychotic - you'll love it. I was the only guy on the bus, and the guy dropped me right ootside Balloch train station, as a train was waiting on me. Sweet.

I reckon the train to Milngavie was about £2.30, the bus maybe £2, and the train back from Balloch perhaps £4. No transport prices were ridiculous, so they weren't that memorable to be honest.

Check out http://www.travelinescotland.com/ for more info on timetables. I'm surprised the public sector have made a web app that Doesn't Suck.

Hope this helps, mind and pack some bananas, but keep them to the top of your rucksack, or they'll get mushy.


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posts like this are what makes forums so great :D
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby Snapshot » Sun May 25, 2008 12:48 pm

awww thanks :o)
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby dave2 » Wed May 28, 2008 1:09 am

Personally I hate traveline as a route planner and recommend the alternative http://www.planajourney.co.uk/mobile/bus/

But other than that can only endorse the suggestions above of the great walks to be had round Loch Lomond and the Trossachs accessed by Bus.
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby jodieohdoh » Wed May 28, 2008 7:00 am

What a great thread. The only recommendation I have is if you're hiking anywhere near Inverarnan on Loch Lomond, you have your tea at the Drovers Inn. Best mince an tatties I've ever had! (Essential carbohydrates, of course, and so directly related to getting fit :wink: )
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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby Snapshot » Wed May 28, 2008 7:30 am

Aye,

And there are a few half-decent eateries in Balloch (no, really!) if you're getting the train home from there.

If, like me, you enjoy paying too much money for food you could cook at home (e.g. Gammon Steak, Egg and Chips for £7) in a nice pubby surrounding, then I'd highly recommend The Balloch House:

http://www.vintageinn.co.uk/theballochhouselochlomond/food/

Although curiously.... they had a much-smaller menu on offer last weekend, and signs up in the gents saying they were looking for new kitchen staff - lots of new kitchen staff. I think the last guy ran amok with a meat cleaver. It's just a rumour, but I'd appreciate if you spread it around.

Any other culinary delights in the area? I was officially "gutted" to see that The Stagger Inn is now closed (when was this? why wasn't I informed?).

Later,


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Re: Hiking near Glasgow?

Postby Reenie Bujman » Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:43 am

I went for a walk the other day...

From Calderwood in EK along Calderglen, across the A725 and followed the Calder to Blantyre. I walked through Blantyre to the David Livingstone Memorial and then followed the Clyde Walkway via Bothwell Castle to Uddingston where the railway line crosses the Clyde. Things became trickier from here on. The paths marked in my A-Z seemed to have disappeared. I picked up the walkway again by the railway where it crosses the Calder before it disappeared into a patch of waste ground near Newton. I had to retrace my steps to pick it up again where it supposedly follows the bank of the Clyde to Cambuslang.

After about half a mile, the path petered out in the undergrowth and progress was slow. I had to concede defeat when I got to the bridge that carries a pipeline across the Clyde to the sewage treatment plant on the north bank. By now, there were too many nettles and no sign of the path whatsoever. I don't know if it continues like this to Cambuslang, but I wasn't prepared to battle with the weeds at this late stage of the day to find out.

I waded through head-height thistles to the abandoned Newton Farm and ended up like a pincushion with all the spiky bits that had made their way through my fleece. I came home via Westburn, Cambuslang Public Park and Kirkhill Golf Course.

Ten hours on the hoof in all with only a ten minute break for lunch at Bothwell Castle.
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