Local Area
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
The Waverley
The last sea-going paddle steamer in the world. Built on the Clyde in 1947 for the London and North Eastern Railway, she is named after Sir Walter Scott’s first novel. She sails between April and October each year down the Clyde.
http://www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk/
Beacon Arts Centre (theatre, cafe and art gallery on Greenock’s waterfront)
Custom House Quay, Greenock , PA15 1HJ. http://www.beaconartscentre.co.uk/
Lyle Hill featuring the Free French Memorial
154 Lyle Rd, Greenock PA16 (11 minutes drive by car)
Scenic view point over the Firth of Clyde allowing you to see the Tail of the Bank and 3 lochs clearly. It also overlooks Gourock Bay. The view point features the WWII Free French Navy memorial – the Cross of Lorraine.
Ferry to Dunoon, Rothesay or Bute
There are terrific, very frequent and fast crossings nearby. It’s only a 14 minute train journey from Bogston train station (5 minutes down the hill from Silver Tides) to Gourock train station where the ferry terminal is to sail to Kilcreggan. From McInroy’s Point (Gourock) you can catch a ferry to Hunter’s Quay (Dunoon), or from Wemyss Bay ferry terminal you can travel to Rothesay. Visit www.calmac.co.uk and www.western-ferries.co.uk for sailing updates and timetables.
Distance to Gourock Ferry Terminal: 8.6 km
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
Breathtaking Loch Lomond is the largest land-locked body of water on the UK mainland and the focal point of Scotland’s first national park. There are many scenic viewing points for the Loch but some include the village of Luss, the Duck Bay Marina and Firkin Point (all on A82).
Balloch Castle Country Park, Drymen Road, Balloch, G83 8LX. 45 minutes by car.
Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve: Inchcailloch Island,Loch Lomond, G83 8BF – Small passenger ferry from Balmaha or 60 minutes by car.
Loch Lomond Seaplanes https://www.lochlomondseaplanes.com/
Exciting flights around Loch Lomond and the islands!
Ayr: Approximately 1 hr 10 mins drive via A78. Home of Robert Burns the poet. ‘Burns Cottage ‘ (Birthplace Museum) and Tam O’Shanter Visitors Centre in the Alloway area of Ayr. Ayr also has a splendid long beach and a family day out to Craig Tara.
http://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/robert-burns-birthplace-museum-p252331
Stirling Castle and the William Wallace Monument. 60 minutes by car.
Many monarchs were crowned at Stirling Castle, including James V in 1513 and Mary, Queen of Scots in 1543.
Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, Glasgow G51 1EA. Tel: 0044 141 4205000.
30 minutes by car.
ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN
Ravenscraig Activity Centre
https://www.inverclydeleisure.com/facilities/ravenscraig-activity-centre/
Soft play area, cafe, gym and indoor rock-climbing
Greenock Cut Visitor Centre, Cornalees Bridge, Loch Thom, Greenock, PA16 9LX. Tel 00441475 521458. 14 minutes drive by car. Great hilltop walk with amazing river views, petting zoo and nature trails.
Vikingar Experience, North Promenade, Largs. 30 minutes by car.
Interactive indoor and outdoor exhibits, costumed storytellers telling Viking tales and myths, swimming pools for adults and young children. For ages 0-12
Also in Largs: The famous Nardini’s ice cream parlour. Ferries sail from Largs to the seaside island of Millport (15 mins crossing).
http://www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/largs-p242571
Battery Park - a large, riverside park with playing fields, safe cycling and an outdoors play area for children.
Waterfront Leisure Complex, 8 Customhouse Quay, Greenock, PA15 1EW
Tel: 0044 1475 797979. Swimming pool, ice rink, gym. 7 minutes drive by car.
Loch Lomond Sea Life Aquarium, Loch Lomond Shores, Ben Lomond Way, Balloch, G83 8QL
Tel: 0044 1389 721500. 30 minutes by car. https://www.visitsealife.com/Loch-lomond/
Laser Matrix, Fort Matilda Industrial Estate, Eldon St, Greenock PA16 7QB, UK
Tel: 0044 1475 783004. 11 minutes by car. http://www.lasermatrix.biz/
Pandamonium Play Centre, 53 Kilpatrick Dr, Erskine PA8 7AF. Tel: 0044 141 812 6081.
Indoor play centre and cafe. 18 minutes drive by car. http://www.pandamoniumplaycentre.com/
Finlaystone Country Estate, Port Glasgow PA14 6TJ
Home of the Clan McMillan. Woodlands, play areas, gardens, tea room, falconry, visitor centre and gift shop, rangers-led activities. 13 minutes drive by car. http://www.finlaystone.co.uk/
The Experience, Hillington Park, Lothian St, Glasgow G52 4JR
Tel: 0044 141 883 4005. https://www.theexperience.org.uk/
23 minutes by car. Immersive sensory rooms for babies/toddlers, music and movement sessions for babies and toddlers, laser tag, go-carting. Suitable for babies to teenagers.
McMonagles Boat Restaurant, 1 Argyll Rd, Clydebank G81 1QA
Modern dining room on moored boat for fish and chips and eclectic menu, plus sail-through takeaway. Tel: 0044 141 951 2444. 23 minutes drive by car.
LOCAL HISTORY
Greenock is named after the green oak tree, which legend says early sailors tied their boats to. This area has a long seafaring tradition that still continues to this day.
The town began as a small fishing village in the 1500s. Over the centuries many trade ships from the Caribbean came to the port bearing sugar. Records show that by the year 1850 there were some 400 sugar ships docking at Greenock, which had set up some 14 sugar refineries. As the town grew in prestige, so did its buildings, for example the Italianate Municipal Buildings with an impressive 245 foot tower.
Greenock is part of a conurbation, with Port Glasgow lying on the east side and Gourock to the west. One town flows into the other. Gourock was a favourite holiday destination in the past for many Scots and is still a pretty town to explore. Port Glasgow was once the main shipping port. Goods from around the world were unloaded here and transported by road to Glasgow. Later, the deepening of the river Clyde finally allowed ships and boats to travel to Glasgow directly. The Clyde has a strong, proud tradition of shipbuilding. The yards were once the major employer of all the local men. Nowadays, the industry is undergoing regeneration. The only remaining shipyard on the lower Clyde, Ferguson Marine (located next to Newark Castle) underwent a massive expansion project in 2016. For the first time in decades, the shipyard took on apprentices.
Greenock was badly hit by World War Two and the Blitz of many towns on the river Clyde. Industry helped build up the town again, but unemployment became a problem in the 1970s and 1980s. Efforts have been made in the last few years to redevelop this large burgh and tourism has certainly assisted in this. Heavy industry such as the mills and shipyards has nearly disappeared. Then heavy industry gave way to an electronic industry, which has now been replaced by financial services. There is also a marine industry here and the newly developed James Watt Dock Marina (once a dock for sugar ships) is bringing new visitors to the area.
The town has twice hosted a stage of the International Tall Ships Race and has long been a port from which The Waverley, the oldest paddle steamer in the world, sails. Greenock regularly hosts international cruise ships from April to September months, including giants like The Queen Mary 2. While being located on the seafront, Greenock enjoys close links with Glasgow and Loch Lomond, both being less than an hour away. The area of Inverclyde is a gateway to several Scottish islands and towns including Bute, Millport (Cumbrae), Dunoon and Helensburgh.
