Walk: Greenock – a Cut above

📌 Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, Inverclyde
★★★

The Greenock Cut is a 9 km-long aqueduct running around three sides of Dunrod Hill above Greenock. Constructed in 1827 to supply the town’s industry and houses with a reliable water supply, it eventually fell out of use when it was replaced by a tunnel under the hills. More recently, lottery funding saved the aqueduct from falling further into disrepair, and a newish path constructed alongside it now provides a nearly flat, high-level walking route with fabulous views across the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, and over the Firth of Clyde with the Argyll hills beyond. A wide track over a low pass completes the circuit, with a visitor centre (and cafe next door) in the heart of the park explaining the history of the Cut – the water supply also incorporates a complicated chain of reservoirs, dams and sluice gates. They say that the best views require a lot of effort… but having experienced these easily-gained ones, we’re not so sure…

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish on Overton Road, 1 mi south of Greenock town centre

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NS 266749

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.935563,-4.776873

🚌 Glen Kinglas Road | 🚆 Drumfrochar (0.5 mi, steeply downhill)

🚗 Car park

📝 Key info

▶ 12 km / 7 mi | ▲ 180 m | ⌛ 3 hr

Features: 💧 Greenock Cut & reservoirs; 🏠 Greenock Cut Visitor Centre

⬤ Easy | Good tracks and paths – some ascent at first then mainly flat.

➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – Loch Thom Cottage – Greenock Cut visitor centre – start via Greenock Cut. Info leaflet with map 🔗 here (our route reverses the direction, starting at a different point)

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Tufted ducks and Canada geese on the reservoir; lots of sheep.

Weather: Afternoon sun with a few cloud banks, but feeling cold in the shade. Light winds, about 5°C with snow on the higher hills.

February 2018