Best walks near Coatbridge by train

Highly recommended: The highlight of the route is the spectacular Avon Aqueduct. A simple, direct and easy-to-follow walk mostly along the Union Canal towpath, with an uphill section from Polmont at the start and a downhill section into Linlithgow. Good surfaces with no road sections and though the towpath is narrow in places and there are stepped sections in Linlithgow. Follows the Union Canal towpath. Linlithgow has plenty of history to explore.

1 destination pub: the Granary

Warnings: The towpath is narrow in places. Stepped sections in Linlithgow may present problems for some, though alternatives exist.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: excellent views of Bowling Harbour and the Clyde. A very straightforward, level walk following a national cycle route, almost entirely on good surfaces alongside the canal and River Clyde. It includes a beautifully landscaped elevated walk/cycleway over Bowling, tree-shaded cuttings and a section running alongside the railway and ending through suburban streets and a park. Follows a national cycle route, largely free of steps. There is a replica Roman distance stone marking one end of the Antonine Wall near Old Kilpatrick.

Lunch: Shops and a cafe under the old railway arches at Bowling, plus services accessible from the cycle track about halfway along.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: Urban walk with some climbing, through parkland with views over the city, and along Portobello promenade.

Warnings: Some climbing.

Walk details: Railwalks.

Recommended: A very green, quiet and largely traffic-free route, gently downhill towards Edinburgh for most of the way, with a good surface throughout. It follows the Water of Leith Walkway and then the Union Canal towpath and ending through the city's parks and streets. A few steepish slopes but no stairs; the river path can be muddy in places. Follows National Cycle Route 75 for most of its length and is part of the John Muir Way; the Colinton Tunnel is a highlight. Princes Street Gardens open at 7am and close at dusk.

Lunch: Cafes near the route at Juniper Green, though most open around 10am.

Warnings: The Slateford Aqueduct has only a narrow, cobbled towpath with a drop, so take care and be patient when passing others.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Recommended: Route into Edinburgh along the shoreline and old railway path, with some modest climbing.

Walk details: Railwalks.

Residential streets and a well-surfaced cycle track give way to rough, potentially muddy unsurfaced paths, then the attractive North Calder Heritage Trail beside an abandoned canal, before busy roads into Holytown. Urban at both ends and attractive in the middle. Follows the North Calder Heritage Trail for about 2km, with the abandoned canal on one side and the North Calder river on the other. Extensive woodland.

Warnings: A middle section over rough ground via unsurfaced, potentially muddy and isolated paths needs care (boots advised; cyclists may struggle). The section along the B802 and Bo'ness Road through roundabouts into Holytown is very busy and noisy (though with a good wide pavement). The mapped route was closed by a temporary barrier at Holytown, requiring a short diversion via Melrose Avenue.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Follows a shared railway path between Caldercruix and Plains and then climbs behind houses and through a park before pavement walking on the main Airdrie road and quieter parallel residential streets.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

An urban route mixing busier roads (the B765) with the off-road Clyde Walkway into Uddingston and avoiding a rural 60mph road with no verges. Follows the Clyde Walkway. Detours possible into Cambuslang or Newton to break the journey. Sustrans plan to reopen the Carmyle–Westburn viaduct as a walking and cycling route.

Lunch: The only facilities on the route are a small shop and a pair of pubs in Carmyle, about a third of the way along.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A direct, mostly off-road route on paths and grass through parkland, with some single-track paths and stairs. A short and sometimes overgrown section near a petrol station at Mount Vernon.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

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). Extensive woodland.

Warnings: The riverside sections can feel isolated and may become muddy after rain.

Walk details: Slow Ways.