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The Clyde Walkway

The Clyde Walkway is some 40miles/65 km long, running between Partick in Glasgow and New Lanark in South Lanarkshire. It was created as a joint enterprise by the Glasgow City, South Lanarkshire, and North Lanarkshire Councils. Unlike other long distance paths it is close to urban centres with easy access to public transport, but even so good walking boots and suitable clothing is recommended.

The route begins in the bustling heart of the city and ends in a spectacular gorge complete with waterfalls. Its western terminus was once one of the busiest ports in the British Empire and its second city. Its eastern terminus is the New Lanark World Heritage Site, and there are a great number of places of interest to explore along the way. Those interested in very long walks can link the Glasgow end with the West Highland Way by using the Kelvin Walkway to Milngavie.

Stage descriptions Length Time Done
1: Glasgow to Cambuslang 14.5km 3½-4 hours
2: Cambuslang to Strathclyde Loch 17.5km 4½-5 hours
3: Strathclyde Loch to Maudslie 12.5km 3-4 hours
4: Maudslie Bridge to New Lanark 13.5km 3-4 hours
5: Falls of Clyde and New Lanark 6km 1½-2 hours

THE CHALLENGE

The route is partially waymarked and offers generally straightfoward walking. Paths can be muddy in places and many sections are unmarked, although the route is still being improved. In winter some sections can flood but an alternative is available.

ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICES ALONG THE WAY

Most walkers make use of public transport when tackling the Clyde Walkway, but there is overnight accommodation available for those walking the route in a single journey.

Glasgow is Scotland's largest city and obviously has a vast range of hotels. There are also several hostels.

Motherwell also has hotels and is close by Strathclyde loch.

The closest accommodation to Maudslie Bridge is at at Rosebank.

Finally there are Hotels at New Lanark and in nearby Lanark. There is also a SYHA hostel at New Lanark.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

There are good public transport links for much of the Clyde Walkway, with train stations at Partick, Cambuslang, Uddingston, Motherwell and Lanark.

Buses also serve most of the way, the one minor difficulty being Maudslie Bridge; the nearest stop to here is Rosebank which has a service between Hamilton and Lanark.

Timetables for all the routes can be found on Traveline Scotland.

Users' walk reports for the Clyde Walkway

There are 233 Walkhighlanders who have completed the Clyde Walkway. To record if you have completed the route, you must register and be logged in. Our users have contributed 5 public walk reports for the route. These are ordered below with the most popular ones first.

Title AuthorDate walked Likes
Clyde walkway - Worth it!  Caitlyn_morrison 15/12/2020  12
One for the Purists  AndyRitchie 03/04/2017  8
The Clyde Walkway  janeysdey 01/10/2008  3
Does a Flat walk count? Clyde Walkway  snodland 25/03/2010  1
Clyde Walkway  sudakoma 12/09/2015  0

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Walking can be dangerous and all walkers must take personal responsibility for their own safety. You should always carry a backup means of navigation and not rely on a single phone, app or map. Walkhighlands strives to provide accurate information but cannot accept responsibility for changes, errors or omissions.