Another local route this one, not everyone's cup of tea but a very different ride from our recent long distance coastal paths and other trails deep in our countryside. But, we are out on our (mountain) bikes and discovering new sights and sounds so its a win in our book.
Bonnington Linn to Garrion Bridge
We opted to start midway on todays leg at Crossford and headed up the Clyde Walkway (CWW) in "reverse". The route started out on good riverside singletrack taking us up to the weir at Linnville, stopping briefly to cut a shearling free from it's entangled state in discarded barbed wire - you never stopping being a cub scout!
A little bit of black top over the Clydesholm Bridge and we were soon back on the muddy stuff at Castlebank and steep zigzags down to the river.
We now continued on wooded singletrack that also involved a few steep stepped climbs into the grounds of the New Lanark mills. The world heritage site was pretty much deserted this time of year as we headed through the surrounding walks up past power stations and waterfalls.
Once at the Bonnington Linn, we crossed the Clyde to the west bank for a different route back. More wonderful views of the river gorge and some quite interesting singletrack. Certainly wouldn't ride here in peak summer but we virtually had the woods to ourselves this wintry day.
Once retraced to Crossford we now headed off on the second half of todays ride. A little more sedate riverbank riding but with the additional challenge of dilapidated boardwalk sections that were actually fine if you used common sense. Some large houses down this way with a contentious looking diversion sign (with CCTV monitoring) directing you away from a designer house at Milton-Lockhart estate.
Eventually we reached our turning point at Cardies Bridge and it was about turn and back to Crossford
Garrion Bridge to Bothwell Castle
Again, we opted to start from a mid-point, in this case Strathclyde Country Park, thinking it would be empty on a Baltic winters day but didn't anticipate a massively attended 5k park run taking place, doh! Didn't take long to leave the joggers behind as we headed up river and around the nature reserve at Dalzell Estate and on along muddy farmland and riverbanks.
After reaching Garrion Bridge we returned with a diversion up past the old Cambusnethan Priory and back through Dalzell.
Around the lake back at Strathclyde Country Park and then it was all very urban as we travelled over the M74 and through the outskirts of Bothwell into the abandoned grounds of the once magnificent Craighead House (later Retreat) - now seemingly a impromptu racetrack for local yoofs on their quads? Over the David Livingston Memorial Bridge (I presume) and through woodland to Bothwell Castle. Sarnies then hacked back to the van with a diversion through Hamilton and it's magnificent race course.
Bothwell Castle to Glasgow Green
Parked up at the Redlees park and headed out past the massive scrappies, sorry, "express gearbox and engine centre" and east along the river to Bothwell Castle for completeness.
Back to Redless then headed west picking up disused railway track at Westburn before back on the riverside paths past an impressive looking fire brigade training centre.
Hopped over the Cambuslang Bridge and now easy going tarmac-topped paths kept us following every twist and bend of the Clyde as we made our way through the wonders of post-industrial east Glasgow.
Eventually reached our destination for today - Glasgow Green, rammed with 5K runners so an about turn and headed back the away we had come.
Glasgow Green to Riverside Museum (and onwards)
For our final leg we started at the Riverside (transport) museum and headed east for the short urban ride across town to the Green, then back.
It was early on a Saturday so we wanted a bit more riding and decided to continue our exploration westwards following NCR 7 through Whiteinch (past my old place of work at Albion Automotive), Scotstoun, Yoker and across the newish Renfrew Bridge. Stuck to the waters edge around Renfrew Golf Club, over another newish (cycle) bridge at White Cart then wiggled across Inchinnan to the old Erskine ferry crossing.
Sarnies then about turn and back we headed, but for a varied diversion, we opted to cut through the Clyde Tunnel (never cycled this before) then along past the Govan shipyards and across another new bridge connecting Govan with the Transport Museum.
And that, ladies and gentlefolk, was the Clyde Walkway. Maybe a bit of a stretch as "mountain biking" but that's what we rode and certainly a suitable option for the trails up at the Falls of Clyde end, maybe less so west of Motherwell - but it's always a good day when we are on any bikes exploring (even if the elevation gain reads less than 50m sometimes).
Thanks for that. In your first picture, would that be the T-Rex that used to live at the entrance to Glasgow Uni? Also your 2nd to last picture with the art-deco style bridge arches is just lovely. I would have that up on my wall.
Great thread, I have ridden much of it, at least the more western sections, in bits and pieces but it’s good to see it joining up !
Thanks for that. In your first picture, would that be the T-Rex that used to live at the entrance to Glasgow Uni? Also your 2nd to last picture with the art-deco style bridge arches is just lovely. I would have that up on my wall.
Sorry, I don't know the history of the man-eating TRex but it's currently roaming around the entrance to the Clyde Valley Family Park. Thanks for kind comment on piccy.
Lovely write up - what were the distances for each section please ?
Nice! The earlier pics are basically a travelogue of my teenage drinking haunts.
From about 2005 to 2015 I lived local to the walkway in Cambuslang. A network of trails was cut , that may still be there, and you could stick together maybe a good 20km of urban mountain biking which did actually have a bit of technical and or fast singletrack. It took local knowledge to find but there was a good crowd of us who used to go out at one point.
Some of it stills shows on Strava Global heat map. I remember the segment trainline singletrack on the bank of the Clyde opposite Bothwell Castle, and the woods (Old Brickworks) behind the scrapyard you mention had multiple fast singletrack sections. The only problem was the loop back ascent was through the scrapyard so best used outside scrappy hours. There was/is also a singletrack section from Dechmont Hill past Mid Lettrick Farm down to the Rotten Calder. Happy days!
Excellent write up and pics as usual....thanks!
Superb journey 😀 and thanks for the Scottish Cycling PR
Clyde tunnel - Personally never liked that route. Damn cold especially when you go through in the height of summer and you suddenly find you're not dressed for it.
And I always worried about meeting the wrong sort.
Roadies and the like 😉
@allfankledup we chopped it up into roughly 40km loops or out-and-backs. We are not fast riders and enjoy lots of stops and general looking around at "stuff".
I'd never heard of this one - I'll maybe have a crack at this this year.
And to add, I really love these threads of yours. They're always an inspiration.