Total Walking

Summer is a great time to head north and sample the delights of walking around the west coast of Scotland. We spoke to Pathfinder author Hugh Taylor to learn more about this wonderful walking area and the changes he’s made for the new edition of the Glasgow, the Clyde Valley, Ayrshire and Arran Pathfinder guide.

Glasgow, the Clyde Valley, Ayrshire and Arran covers a broad and varied area, from Glasgow’s industrial centre to the Isle of Arran, once the favoured holiday destination of well-heeled Glaswegians. It also includes the coastal resorts of Largs, Troon and Ayr and the traditional fishing areas of the Ayrshire coast. There are gentle riverside strolls as well as some more strenuous hill walking inland.

Hugh Taylor explains why the area is special to him personally. “The West Coast is probably my favourite part of Scotland,” he says. “I was brought up on a farm near Girvan, and in fact the new Walk 27 [The Old Coach Road to Stranraer] visits a number of my childhood haunts! Part of the walk runs along the old route of the Coach Road, through the ruined shepherd’s steading at Kilranny, which would have been a ‘motorway service station’ of its time. The walk also includes some climbs and a return along a modern farm track. On a fine day, from the Coach Road you can see all the way into Belfast Loch, the Mull of Kintyre, Campbeltown Loch and right up the Firth of Clyde – I may be biased, but I don’t think there’s a sight anywhere in the world that compares!”

The city of Glasgow itself gets more coverage in the new Pathfinder. “Glasgow probably has more green spaces than any other UK city,” Hugh points out. “In fact, ‘Glasgow’ means ‘'dear green place. So I decided to add a couple more walks in the city. One [Walk 9] in the new edition, runs along the River Kelvin to the Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour. It starts from the Clyde Auditorium, known locally as ‘The Armadillo’ because of its shape and then visits the Tall Ship, the Transport Museum and Kelvingrove Museum. From there it runs alongside the River Kelvin and into the Botanic Gardens, where you can see the newly restored Kibble Palace, a Victorian glasshouse.

“Another new walk [Walk 14] starts from the same point,” he continues. “It crosses Bell’s Bridge to the Glasgow Science Centre and then follows the Clyde to the rejuvenated Gorbals area and Glasgow Green, perhaps the oldest public park in the world. There you can see the incredibly colourful former Templeton’s carpet factory, its design based on the Doge’s Palace in Venice, or visit the splendid People’s Palace museum.”

The new edition also includes three walks using the Irvine Valley Paths Network. One [Walk 13] runs along the Irvine Valley to Darvel, where traditional cotton lace-making is still practised, in contrast to areas such as Nottingham where old looms were replaced with the advent of nylon.”

Another great route [Walk 7] visits Dunaskin Iron Works, the oldest complete surviving ironworks in Europe. “It was built near plentiful supplies of coal and iron ore, with cottage rows nearby for workers on what was known as ‘The Hill’,” explains Hugh. “After World War II, residents were re-housed, against their will, in nearby Patna and Dalmellington, and you can still see flowers left on the remains of houses commemorating the former community. Walk 21 in the new edition visits the Museum of Scottish Country Life at Wester Kittochside, a working farm of the early twentieth century. “It’s absolutely fascinating, just like walking through a time warp,” says Hugh. “You can see exactly how a farm of a century ago compares with today’s agriculture.”

The balance between Arran and the mainland has been altered to allow the inclusion of a few more routes in Ayrshire and Glasgow, but the Isle is still well covered, as is Bute. “We’ve got Goatfell, of course, which is probably the reason most people visit Arran,” notes Hugh. “But by far the best walk on Arran is on the west coast, an easy-going stroll to the splendid Machrie Moor Stone Circles. You can easily reach Arran by ferry, do the Goatfell walk and return to the mainland in the evening.”

Where would he recommend as a place to stay? “Central Glasgow’s a good base for the more northern walks,” replies Hugh. “If you wanted one base to reach all the walks in the new edition, I’d probably choose Ayr, or perhaps move from place to place.” The west coast and Glasgow are well connected by rail, as is Lanark.

Hugh offers a final tip for anyone considering a trip to the area – do it soon. “Early spring is the best time of the year to walk here,” he says. “In the summer, the Scottish midges, also known as the ‘flying piranhas’, will strip you to the bone!”

Hugh Taylor is an award-winning travel writer and photographer. He has revised most of the Scottish Jarrold Pathfinder Guides and several of the English titles, including both Lake District books. He also wrote the Jarrold Short Walks guides to Fort William & Glencoe and Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park.