Walks you can reach from Rutherglen 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).

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.

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: 2h30–5h30

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

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A straightforward route running largely beside a busy dual carriageway and with a lovely stretch through Kirkhill golf course offering views over the city.

Time: 2h–4h

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a third of the walk. The dual carriageway has to be crossed a couple of times; use the controlled crossings.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 2h30–4h30

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.

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.

Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.

Time: 3h30–7h30

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Mostly tarmac paths out of Hamilton through parkland and around the edge of Strathclyde Loch, with a short muddy wooded section and a stretch of road without pavement and then suburban pavements into Bellshill.

Time: 2h–4h

Warnings: A short stretch of Bothwellhaugh Road has no pavement (quiet, with a soft verge); a short wooded section can be muddy.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Some lovely sections. Some lovely sections, opening on a flat disused railway path, then a stretch along Stoneymeadow Road (a path runs parallel and a bit muddy) before passing through a green park near Blantyre. Pavement is intermittent in places.

Time: 2h30–5h

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a sixth of the walk. The Whirlies Roundabout is busy with no pedestrian crossings; a section of Stoneymeadow Road has no pavement, forcing walkers onto the verge; a busy junction and Main Street crossing near Blantyre need care.

Walk details: Slow Ways.