Clyde Walkway over 2 days

[Robbiemo10]

With this walk being fairly accessible to me I decided to walk it across 2 different days during the summer of 2024. Due to the location I opted against camping and instead chose to do two full days of walking but returning home each night. I would drive to the end point on each day and get the train to the start point, before walking back to my car.

Day 1 - Saturday 1st June 2024 - Glasgow to Strathclyde Loch
I left Edinburgh at 0820 and arrived to Motherwell at 0930 and parked the car near the train station. Finding a space near the station was not an issue and there was no fee either (which is always nice!).

The train from Motherwell left at 0946 and arrived to Glasgow Central for 1015, costing £5.40. Upon arriving at Glasgow I grabbed a coffee in the station and then headed to Tesco for supplies for the days walking. I then caught the underground from St. Enoch at 1038 and arrived at Partick for 1055, costing £1.80.

I headed to the Riverside Museum which is the starting point and decided to take a look inside, impressive! I would have spent longer inside the museum but was keen to get going. It's definitely worth a look and is free to enter.

Inside the Riverside Museum

It was time to get going and I started on the route at 1127, later than I had hoped but I wasn't too concerned as I was in no rush to get back and the sun was shining. The benefit of walking back to your parked car is that there is no panic about finding a suitable camping spot or making sure you are not late for your train or bus.

Most of this day was very urban which was a change for me as I've not done many urban walks of this duration. It was interesting passing through Glasgow and and going past the SEC and the crane at Finnieston.

Finnieston crane in the sun

Before long it was onto Glasgow Green, which was rammed with people. There appeared to be some form of march going on but I wasn't close enough to see what it was, I could hear the drums and the flutes.. the walk becomes marginally more rural past this stage which was nice although there were a lot of mosquitoes flying around. I ended up with two large bites on my legs. Before long I was passing Celtic Park and Cambuslang.

Bothwell Castle was interesting and worth detouring for a look. There was a lot of scaffolding so I presume some form of conservation work is ongoing.

Bothwell Castle from below

Eventually I was crossing the David Livingston Memorial Bridge. I did head to the David Livingston Centre to try and find the cafe but annoyingly had just missed it as it was closed. You get a good view from the bridge however.

Fishing as seen from the David Livingston Memorial Bridge

View from the David Livingston Memorial Bridge

The final section involved a lot of urban road walking, which I wasn't too keen on. By this time my meet were beginning to hurt as well as much of this route is on hard surfaces. It was a relief to get away from the traffic and cars and to enter Strathclyde Country Park although it seemed to take an age to get around the loch to the watersports centre and the endpoint for this day. I was definitely hobbling at this stage and still had to walk up the long hill back to the car in central Motherwell.

Wildlife in Strathclyde Country Park

I finished at 1806 and left Motherwell after reaching the car at 1835. I arrived back to Edinburgh at 1935.

Stats as per Apple Watch: 1127-1806 (including breaks) - 33.61km

Day 2 - Saturday 3rd August 2024 - Strathclyde Loch to New Lanark
I couldn't believe 2 months had passed since I had done the first day, and I think my feet had just about recovered so decided to get one with day 2 and get another one of the trails done and dusted.

I left Edinburgh at 0830 and arrived to Lanark at 0940, parking on a residential street near the train station. The train from Lanark to Motherwell left at 0953 and arrived at 1015, costing £5.80.
Once in Motherwell I grabbed some supplies and a McDonald's coffee before heading down the road to Strathclyde Loch and todays starting point, picking up where I had finished on the first day.
I started at 1055 and before long was passing the Ross Viaduct

Under Ross Viaduct

The walk was definitely more rural feeling from the get go, and it was nice to see everything looking so green and vibrant. I was making good time and soon reached the impressive Mauldslie Bridge.

River Clyde looking summer

Mauldslie Bridge

Parts of this section were very overgrown as I imagine some stages do not see many walkers. I had on shorts and was stung a few times by nettles and thorn bushes, I did enjoy having most of the route to myself as I didn't see that many people considering it was a nice day.
This was quite a varied day as you pass some wooded areas and grasslands. Navigation isn't always that clear but if you follow the guide on this website then you shouldn't have too many issues.
I made it to New Lanark at 1555, where I visited the cafe and had a breather. I started the last section, around the Falls of Clyde at 1620 and finished back in Lanark at 1725.

The Falls of Clyde were very busy as is to be expected. I was impressed with the view on this section although the river would be more impressive in spate and during winter as when I visited the flow was not very fast.

Falls of Clyde

New Lanark

After sitting on a bench for 15 minutes, I left New Lanark to walk back to my car, stopping at Subway for some food. I made it back to the car for 1815 and was back in Edinburgh for 1930.
Overall this day was more enjoyable than the first, probably because the route is more rural. The walk overall was pleasant and I'm glad I did it. I would also go back and visit New Lanark Visitor Centre as a day out as you could easily spend 2/3 hours walking around exploring the area and viewing the mill.

Stats as per Apple Watch: 1054-1715 (including breaks) - 33.63km

Trail 7 completed, and I'll hopefully get another 2 or 3 in before the year is done. I am toying with the idea of recording my walks and uploading the footage to YouTube, so my next user report may be in video format, but until then: Instagram - robbiemo10