Walks in Lanarkshire by train

Easy, flat Kelvin Walkway and Forth & Clyde Canal towpath out of Glasgow, Kelvin Aqueduct to Bowling, through varied landscape and habitat.

Warnings: Towpath can be slippery after rain; good footwear advised.

Walk details: ScotRail (tips).

Time: 2h30–5h30

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a third of the walk.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A route following the Clyde Walkway between the two stations. Follows the Clyde Walkway.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Time: 2h–4h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Tarmac and compacted-earth riverside footpaths (sometimes narrow) with good views over the river and plus longer stretches of pavement through Bothwell and a retail park. A varied route with an uphill finish. Follows the Clyde Walkway / National Cycle Route 75 along the riverside. Bothwell Castle was undergoing extensive restoration and closed to visitors (Sept 2022).

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–5h

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk. The riverside sections can feel isolated and may become muddy after rain.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A combination of paths and roads and off-road tracks with few climbs.

Time: 2h–4h30

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Time: 3h30–7h30

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Time: 3h–6h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 2h30–5h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 4h–8h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Some beautiful stretches. Some beautiful stretches through Greenhall Park and along the Clyde and with a path parallel to Stoneymeadow Road. A river crossing and the descent to the Clyde can be problematic.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 3h–6h

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk. The Rotten Calder crossing in Greenhall Park is only passable when the river is low (otherwise continue to the road via a slight scramble); the path down to the Clyde is unclear and can be very overgrown with nettles and brambles.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Wide pavements through Hamilton give way to a well-surfaced wooded cycle track, then long, undulating riverside paths along the Clyde and River Avon through wooded gorge and countryside. Moderately demanding with frequent changes of gradient, some steep steps and muddy sections. Passes through Chatelherault Country Park; a road alternative reaches Chatelherault House (with cafe and excellent views) avoiding woodland steps. The narrow Millheugh Steps can be bypassed via Sunnyside.

Woodland: half under tree cover.

Time: 3h30–7h

Warnings: After crossing the busy Bothwell Road, the riverside gorge path undulates with some steep steps. The route wrongly suggests access to the Duke's Bridge from the path below; leave the riverside about 1km earlier (signposted). A muddy path leads into Larkhall near the finish.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 2h–3h30

Warnings: A fifth urban.

Walk details: Slow Ways.