Glasgow Leisure Route

[CharlesF]

Mmmmmm.....

Not sure if this is the right place to post this.

I am looking for a round trip in Glasgow that I can ride at the weekends, ideally it would pass through the West End.

I want to ride about 30 miles as I am not sure if I could keep up with a club ride. I do have one shorter loop but it involves traffic and intersections which means I can't settle down to a decent/consistent pace.want

 

[Fubar]

I can't help but @Rasmus @Pat "5mph" [USER=27584]@Edwardoka and @Harry_Palmer79 may be able to give you some pointers...[/USER]

 

[Rasmus]

Plenty of choice in most directions:

North: Out Maryhill Rd and through Bearsden, up the Stockiemuir Road, return past the Glengoyne Distillery and through Milngavie. 30-35 miles

West: Pick up NCN 7 in Whiteinch or Scotstoun and head for the Erskine Bridge. Return through Inchinnan and Renfrew and through Clyde Tunnel or Squinty Bridge. 25-ish miles

South: To Paisley and up Gleniffer Braes. Return through Barrhead. 30-ish miles. Traffic possibly unpleasant in places

East: Use the NCN clydeside paths to get through the city to Cambuslang or Uddingston. Cut back up through Ballieston and into the city on the wide and low-traffic Edinburgh Rd. 25-35 miles.

 

[Rasmus]

Also, 30 miles is not really enough distance to escape the city and associated traffic lights.

Consider taking a train to somewhere more rural and doing a loop from there. Suggestions would be Caldercruix or Bishopton

 

[arranandy]

Train to Larkhall and from there its access to network of lanes and quiet roads to Strathaven, Muirkirk and beyond or get the train to Lanark and its the same kind of roads out to Biggar and beyond

 

[Brandane]

NCN route from city centre, over squinty bridge, to Paisley Road West, across foot bridge over M8, through Pollock Park and keep following sign-posted NCN route to Paisley canal train station. There join disused railway line (now good tarmac path). This path can then take you to Kilbirnie where there is a nice (NCN sign-posted) route to Dalry, Kilwinning, Troon, Ayr, and Girvan. It follows the main train line with plenty of opportunities to bail and take the train back to Glasgow. Alternatively take the train south to any station along that general direction, and ride home. Your choice can be dependent on the wind direction .

Or ride the path to Kilmacolm, then back roads to Greenock/Gourock.
Or via Garshangan (muddy - MTB better suited) to Loch Thom and Largs.

Or out the city towards Clarkston then pick up back roads to Eaglesham. Or the old A77 (now quiet with path adjacent) down to Fenwick. Or Stewarton. Or Kilmarnock!

Or, or, or ........ you are spoilt for choice! All we need is some dry weather, and a bit less wind .

 

[CharlesF]

Thanks Rasmus, Arranandy and Brandane. Some very interesting suggestions routes and I never thought of using the train, luckily for mee CC has plenty of experts

 

[ufkacbln]

NCN route from city centre, over squinty bridge, to Paisley Road West, across foot bridge over M8, through Pollock Park and keep following sign-posted NCN route to Paisley canal train station. There join disused railway line (now good tarmac path). This path can then take you to Kilbirnie where there is a nice (NCN sign-posted) route to Dalry, Kilwinning, Troon, Ayr, and Girvan. It follows the main train line with plenty of opportunities to bail and take the train back to Glasgow. Alternatively take the train south to any station along that general direction, and ride home. Your choice can be dependent on the wind direction .

Or ride the path to Kilmacolm, then back roads to Greenock/Gourock.
Or via Garshangan (muddy - MTB better suited) to Loch Thom and Largs.

Or out the city towards Clarkston then pick up back roads to Eaglesham. Or the old A77 (now quiet with path adjacent) down to Fenwick. Or Stewarton. Or Kilmarnock!

Or, or, or ........ you are spoilt for choice! All we need is some dry weather, and a bit less wind .

The Lochwinnoch route broke my Airnimal !!!!!!

Had a few days so sleeper to Glagow and then South to Carlisle via relatives in Ayr, and the Galloway hills.

Left Glasgow and intended breakfast at Lochwinnoch.

Went into the car park and as I crossed the small kerb there was this almighty "CRACK" and the frame had sheared!

 

[Ian193]

Apologies for hijacking this thread but as it's to do with Scotland I thought it would be easier to put this here Can anyone help with routes around Bathgate and Boghall areas without to many hills approx 15 miles
Cheers
Ian193

 

[Brandane]

The Lochwinnoch route broke my Airnimal !!!!!!

Had a few days so sleeper to Glagow and then South to Carlisle via relatives in Ayr, and the Galloway hills.

Left Glasgow and intended breakfast at Lochwinnoch.

Went into the car park and as I crossed the small kerb there was this almighty "CRACK" and the frame had sheared!

Did you manage to find a good welder in Lochwinnoch, or was the ride abandoned?

 

[Edwardoka]

I'd agree with much of the above, particularly the assertion by @Rasmus that it's difficult to get a 30 mile route from the city centre that isn't heavily urbanised.

Going with @Brandane's suggestion, the NCN7 southwest of Paisley is a fantastic bit of track (the ability to cycle from my house to the sea was what got me into cycling in a big way), so long as you don't mind slowing fairly often for dog walkers (and exercise caution when negotiating kerbs )

While the Pollok Park section is very pretty, a train to Paisley Canal Street would drop you off right at the bit where the route stops following every loop of the River Cart and negotiating every housing scheme. From there's it's about 25 miles to Irvine.

You don't say what your fitness/climbing aptitude is, the route @Rasmus mentioned going north via Bearsden can be a bit of a leg burner if like me you're not a climber.

Easily one of my favourite roads in the central belt is west of Dumbarton, out past Helensburgh, Faslane, up the Gare Loch, over the pass to Loch Long and down to Arrochar (about 25 miles from Dumbarton Central), although trains back from Arrochar-and-Tarbet train station are infrequent.

 

[Edwardoka]

Apologies for hijacking this thread but as it's to do with Scotland I thought it would be easier to put this here Can anyone help with routes around Bathgate and Boghall areas without to many hills approx 15 miles
Cheers
Ian193

Hi Ian, I don't know the area, I've only ever cycled there once (and to give you an idea how long ago that was, it was before the railway line was reopened!)

ridewithgps.com is usually a pretty good resource for scoping out potential cycling routes.
It seems that your options are somewhat limited to either hilly and rural or flat and urban, unfortunately.

 

[ufkacbln]

Did you manage to find a good welder in Lochwinnoch, or was the ride abandoned?

Long story....

Took taxi to Girvan, and pub!
Contacted the LBS that supplied the Airnimal who could not do anything theree and then, but if I returned the bike to them they would sort.

Sat down and decided what to do

Decided that if I abandoned, lost deposits, rail fare at peak (cut price sleeper with fixed date) and hotel deposits etc I would lose enough o buy a cheap bike.

So I bought a 2nd hand Ridgeback hybrid and arranged for Irvine Cycles to send the Airnimal back to the Bike Shop from which I purchased it

Then continued.... the Ridgeback did extremely well

Shop did well as less than ten days later I had a new frame with all the bits transferred delivered to my door, and they refunded the cost of sending them the bike

The downside is that although I still have the Airnimal and enjoy riding it, I have never had the faith to tour on it again

 

[CharlesF]

I'd agree with much of the above, particularly the assertion by @Rasmus that it's difficult to get a 30 mile route from the city centre that isn't heavily urbanised.

Going with @Brandane's suggestion, the NCN7 southwest of Paisley is a fantastic bit of track (the ability to cycle from my house to the sea was what got me into cycling in a big way), so long as you don't mind slowing fairly often for dog walkers (and exercise caution when negotiating kerbs )

While the Pollok Park section is very pretty, a train to Paisley Canal Street would drop you off right at the bit where the route stops following every loop of the River Cart and negotiating every housing scheme. From there's it's about 25 miles to Irvine.

You don't say what your fitness/climbing aptitude is, the route @Rasmus mentioned going north via Bearsden can be a bit of a leg burner if like me you're not a climber.

Easily one of my favourite roads in the central belt is west of Dumbarton, out past Helensburgh, Faslane, up the Gare Loch, over the pass to Loch Long and down to Arrochar (about 25 miles from Dumbarton Central), although trains back from Arrochar-and-Tarbet train station are infrequent.

More useful info, Edwardoka. Especially the warning about north of Bearsden; hills are one of the reason I asked for ideas, I am useless at climbing.

 

[Rasmus]

More useful info, Edwardoka. Especially the warning about north of Bearsden; hills are one of the reason I asked for ideas, I am useless at climbing.

Only one way to fix that