The Clyde Walkway is a foot and mountain bike path which runs from

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, to just above the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

New Lanark New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometres) from Lanark, in Lanarkshire, and some southeast of Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded in 1785 and opened in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housi ...

. The path runs close to the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

for most of its length. It was completed in 2005, and is now designated as one of

Scotland's Great Trails Scotland's Great Trails are long-distance "people-powered" trails in Scotland, analogous to the National Trails of England and Wales or the Grande Randonnée paths of France. The designated routes are primarily intended for walkers, but may have s ...

NatureScot NatureScot ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and ...

. The route is long, and combines rural sections on the upper Clyde in

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

, including the

Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve The Clyde Valley Woodlands National nature reserve (Scotland), National Nature Reserve (NNR) comprises six separate woodland sites in the Clyde Valley region of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. These six sites are located along a 12 km section o ...

and the Falls of Clyde, with urban walking through the centre of Glasgow. About 155,000 people use the path every year, of whom about 7,750 undertake multi-day journeys including those covering the entire route.

Route of the path

Glasgow to Cambuslang Bridge

This section, which is long, starts at Partick station (which is on a railway line from Glasgow Central station) and proceeds on the north bank of the River Clyde to

Cambuslang Cambuslang ( sco, Cammuslang, from gd, Camas Lang) is a town on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 30,000 residents, it is the 27th largest town in Scotland by population, although, never having had a ...

Bridge. The bridge is a short distance from Cambuslang railway station. The path passes by a number of other long distance paths, including the Glasgow to Inverness National Cycle Route, the

Kelvin Walkway The kelvin, symbol K, is the primary unit of temperature in the International System of Units (SI), used alongside its metric prefix, prefixed forms and the degree Celsius. It is named after the Belfast-born and University of Glasgow-based eng ...

and paths to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Irvine and

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of ...

. The path passes a number of sites of interest.

Cambuslang Bridge to Strathclyde Country Park

For most of this section the path stays close to the River Clyde. It passes Bothwell Castle,

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of ...

Centre, the remains of Craighead Viaduct,

Raith Haugh Nature Reserve Raith may refer to: People * Robert Ferguson of Raith (1769–1840), Scottish politician * John Melville of Raith (died 1548), Scottish laird executed for treason * Julius Raith (1819–1862), German-American military officer * Sissy Raith (born ...

and

Bothwell Bridge Lido Bothwell Bridge Lido was a lido on the south-west side of Bothwell Bridge in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The lido was opened in the 1930s and was in use until the early 1980s, when much of the area was built over by the A725 road, kn ...

. After crossing Bothwell Road at the Lido the path used to return to the side of the river, but since the Raith Interchange upgrade now shares the cycle paths over the interchange and under the M74 in to Strathclyde Park. This section of the path ends at the Watersports Centre in

Strathclyde Country Park Strathclyde Country Park is a country park located on the outskirts of Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, named after the former Strathclyde region of Scotland. It is often commonly referred to as Strathclyde, or simply Strathy. D ...

. The nearest railway station is approximately away at

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...

on both the

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

and

Argyle Line The Argyle Line is a suburban railway located in West Central Scotland. The line serves the commercial and shopping districts of Glasgow's central area, and connects towns from West Dunbartonshire to South Lanarkshire. Named for Glasgow's Argy ...

. This section is in length.

Strathclyde Country Park to Cardies Bridge

This section, which is long, follows the north bank of the River Clyde (apart from a short section at the end) through open country. It passes the Avon Walkway which can be followed to

Chatelherault Country Park Chatelherault Country Park is a country park in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

. The section ends at Cardies Bride which is from the closest train station at

Wishaw Wishaw ( sco, Wishae or Wisha ; gd, Camas Neachdain) is a large town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the edge of the Clyde Valley, south-east of Glasgow city centre. The Burgh of Wishaw was formed in 1855 within Lanarkshire. it form ...

Cardies Bridge to Crossford

This section runs through attractive open countryside. This part of the Clyde Valley was famous for its orchards and greenhouses. Many remain, though few of the orchards are still in commercial production. The path passes the well preserved 16th century

Craignethan Castle Craignethan Castle is a ruined castle in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located above the River Nethan, a tributary of the River Clyde, at . The castle is two miles west of the village of Crossford, and 4.5 miles north-west of Lanark. Built ...

. This section ends at the village of Crossford. There are bus services to Lanark, and to Hamilton. The nearest railway station is approximately away, uphill at

Carluke Carluke (; gd, Cathair MoLuaig) is a town that lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, northwest of Lanark and southeast of Wishaw. Carluke is largely a commuting town, with a variety of small stores ...

Crossford to New Lanark

This section, which is long, is arguably the most attractive section of the path. The path proceeds through open country along the banks of the River Clyde. It first passes Stonybyres Hydroelectric Station. This was built in 1927. The falls here are high and migrating salmon and sea trout cannot get any higher up the river. After passing

Lanark Lanark (; gd, Lannraig ; sco, Lanrik) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9 ...

(founded 1180) the path enters the UNESCO World Heritage village of

. The village and mills were built in the 18th century to harness the power of the River Clyde to process cotton. It is now a restored industrial village in a rural setting. Beyond the village the path enters the Falls of Clyde Nature Reserve and passes the Bonnington Hydroelectric Station, and the remaining three Falls of Clyde. The most spectacular of these is the high

Corra Linn The Falls of Clyde is the collective name of four ''linn'' ( Scots: ''waterfalls'') on the River Clyde near New Lanark, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The Falls of Clyde comprise the upper falls of Bonnington Linn, Corra Linn, Dundaff Linn, and t ...

. The path ends in open countryside at the top fall, Bonnington Linn, where there is a dam to divert water to the power station. Lanark railway station is approximately from New Lanark. The station is one of the termini of the

References

External links

Clyde Walkway Official WebsiteClyde Walkway
guide and maps on Walkhighlands
Annotated map of the Clyde Walkway
{{authority control Tourist attractions in Glasgow Tourist attractions in South Lanarkshire Cambuslang Scotland's Great Trails Mountain biking venues in the United Kingdom Cycleways in Scotland Partick Glasgow Green Bridgeton–Calton–Dalmarnock Bothwell and Uddingston Blantyre, South Lanarkshire Motherwell River Clyde Clydesdale Lanark 2005 establishments in Scotland