Moira and I are setting off on our latest adventure , the pilgrimage from Canterbury to Rome. While we are on this walk I won’t be posting any blogs in SUZMARUK TRAVELS. If you want to follow us on the Via Francigena go to my other blog, Via Francigena at
We are doing the walk on behalf of Pancreatic Cancer UK and if you would like to donate to this worthy cause do so at,
thank you.
Last Saturday it was the Edinburgh Tattoo. Moira had booked seats as far back as January so we were glad that we were able to fit it in before heading for Cardiff and our next grandchild. The previous years that we have visited the tattoo the weather has been warm and dry. This year was the exception, it rained. We had planned to leave early and have a day in the city looking at the buskers, jugglers and magicians advertising their shows in the Fringe. The rain started mid-morning and we postponed leaving until after lunch. The rain got heavier us Moira drove through to the capital. Luckily when we got there the rain had eased and we were able to walk up the Royal Mile and around the Grassmarket. When the rain came on again we made for Pizza Hut for dinner and shelter.
The rain cleared as we made our way up to the Castle for the show. We had seats near the Castle entrance and up at the back which gave us a great view over the whole esplanade. This year it was predominately bands: from New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and closer to home, the Royal Marines and the kilted pipe bands. It was a very enjoyable night and finished in the traditional way with the piper high on the ramparts, the last post and Auld Lang Syne. The pipe bands as they left playing the Black Bear went into the Castle to prepare for the next performance this evening instead of marching down High St.
It was the usual bottleneck getting down from our seats at the top of the banking and then out of the front gate. Fortunately the rain had cleared and the sky in the west was looking brighter as the sun began to set. The weather had held up to allow the fireworks to be set off near the end of the tattoo and it was magnificent.
The weather, untypical for Scotland, has been magnificent. Brilliant sunshine and very hot, so we had to take advantage of it. We went out for some nice local day walks, getting started just after breakfast when it was still cool.
Tuesday 22 July.
The Greenock Cut and Shielhill Glen.
After an initial walk across open moorland, most of the remainder of the route keeps beside the Greenock Cut, a channel constructed to transfer water to Greenock, as it contours along the side of the hills above the Firth of Clyde. The extensive and constantly changing views over Greenock and the Clyde to Dunoon and the hills of Cowal, the Isle of Bute and the Cumbraes are outstanding. In contrast, the last part of the walk is through the beautiful, steep sided, wooded Shielhill Glen.
from: ‘Glasgow, the Clyde Valley, Ayrshire and Arran’ a Pathfinder guide
I had an appointment with the dentist late in the afternoon so we couldn't go too far for a walk today. The weather was lovely and the forecast good, it was a pity to waste such a good day. I suggested that we do the Greenock Cut Walk that we always like to fit in when we are here and it isn’t a long one, just about 4 hours at the most. We decided to leave after breakfast, take lunch with us and get back in the afternoon with plenty of time for my dental visit.
We left at 9am and reached the waterman's cottage at Overton half an hour later. There is plenty of parking there but we were all right anyway, no other cars were there yet. I was wearing just a golf shirt and shorts but Moira had on her fleece as well. We only got to the bridge over the Cut when she decided to go back and leave her top in the car, it was going to be a hot one today.
It was a steady climb right off as we made our way on the path over the moorland. It went past two small reservoirs and continued climbing. Moira was glad she had left her fleece in the car; it was very warm especially as we were taking the climb at a brisk pace. As we climbed there were magnificent vistas of the Firth, the lochs on the other side, Gareloch, Loch Long and the Holy Loch could be clearly seen. At the top the reward was another outstanding view, Loch Thom and the Compensation Reservoir with the rolling emerald green hills behind. It was an easy descent on the other side, down to the Muirshiel Park visitor's centre at Cornalees.
While we looked at the notice board there to see if anything of interest was on: nothing, but we did see some birds nesting in her eaves of the building. Moira thought they were swallows but one of the wardens said they were house martins, similar but smaller than the swallows with a white stripe at its tail. The warden said there were swallows in the eaves at the side of the building and they had a camera monitoring it. He took us inside and we watched the screen, the swallow arrived and entered the nest but we couldn't see if it was sitting on eggs or feeding little ones. The warden told us he had also been to Yorkshire for the ‘Grand Depart' of the 'Tour de France' and we spent some time talking to him about cycling.
After our break at the visitor centre we made our way to the Cut. After a short distance we crossed the road at the farm. It looks as if the farm has been taken over by yuppies, it has been all done up and is looking very smart not like the usual farm with rubbish and old machinery lying about. A little bit along the Cut there was a bench where we sat down for a cup of coffee and a biscuit. The bench had a memorial on it from a deceased couple’s family; we thought that was a better idea than an expensive tombstone.
As the Cut now followed the contour round the hill the views extended first of all over Inverkip down the Firth to Bute and the Cumbraes. The panorama has improved considerably now that the power station at Inverkip had been demolished and the eyesore of the large chimney removed. Further round there were the Hills of Cowal and Dunoon. Then we had the outskirts of Greenock; Braeside, Larkfield, the other eyesore of the Royal Infirmary and then the town centre. It was a delightful walk and the path took twists and bends into where streams cut into the hillside.
It had been a very pleasant walk and we were back at Overton and the waterman's cottage at 12:30pm, it had only taken us 3 hours. We looked to see if there was a picnic table there for lunch but when we couldn't find any place to sit we decided to drive to the esplanade and have our picnic there. As we sat eating our sandwiches we had the magnificent view over the firth to the Argyll hills before returning home and the dentist.
Thursday 24 July.
Great Cumbrae Island
Despite its name, Great Cumbrae is a small island in the Firth of Clyde, 'great' only in comparison with its much smaller neighbour of Little Cumbrae, and it has a distinct charm and atmosphere of its own. On the first part of the walk across fields to the west coast at Fintray Bay, the views over the water to the mainland and encircling islands and peninsula are outstanding. The return is along the coast road, the B896, which is quieter than most country lanes and is highly scenic.
extract from Pathfinder guide.
This quote was from our 'pathfinder guide' book, Glasgow, the Clyde Valley, Ayrshire and Arran. We didn't quite follow this route but instead omitted the inland track and kept to the coast road round the island.
The weather was beautiful again today and the forecast was that it was going to be very hot, temperatures at nearly 30*C. We decided that it was another day for walking and the plan was to go to Millport on the Great Cumbrae Island. Originally we thought about going there and cycle round the island as we did a few years ago but I suggested that we walk round instead. We left just before 9am and Moira drove down to Largs and parked in our usual place at the start of the esplanade, there were plenty of parking spaces this early in the morning. As we walked along towards the pier a ferry came round the point to the slipway, we ran to get tickets, managing to get on just in time before it pulled out.
It had been a bit cloudy as we drove down to Largs but the sun was getting higher in the sky and burning off the early haze. As we crossed the river the sky was now blue but a breeze blowing down the river was keeping us cool. When we landed we turned right and headed for the end of the island and the cool wind was still blowing. As we turned round the point and headed down the other side the wind was then at our backs and it was starting to get warmer. Later the breeze disappeared and it became definitely hot and probably close to 30*C.
It was a nice easy walk on the flat coast road. It was mainly traffic free on the top end and western side, the buses and cars to and from the ferry went straight to Millport on the eastern side. The only others on the road were cyclists, they come over on the ferry and get the bicycles from the hire shops in Millport. There weren't many at first but as the day went on there were more and more of them. The view we had as we went down that side was of the Isle of Bute and behind that the high mountains of the Isle of Arran. We stopped half way down at Fintray Bay for a cup of coffee and a biscuit.
After continuing there was the path signposted that went inland and over the hill to Millport but we kept to the coast and the road. When we reached the town we walked along the main street and looked at he shops. The view now from the coast was to the Little Cumbrae. We stopped at the park where the 10 mile race I ran a few years ago started and had lunch in the shade of a tree. It was still over an hour's walk to the ferry and the road was now busy with buses. They must have put on extras as each one coming from the ferry was full, lots of people were coming over to the island, taking advantage of the exceptional weather. We were now opposite the mainland, the views were of Hunterston power station, Fairlie and Largs. We tried to make out the Pencil Monument in Largs but couldn't pick it out until we were practically opposite; it is surprisingly small. About halfway to the ferry there is an unusual geological feature. It is layers of rock with holes though at the bottom. It is called the Lion Rock because somebody thought it resembles a lion. We couldn’t see this ‘animal’ but in one direction could make out an elephant while from the other side it looked like a large lizard.
Another interesting piece of information about the island was a plaque commemorating the arrival of the ship ‘Scotia’ after an expedition to Antarctica in 1902–04, was organised and led by William Speirs Bruce, a natural scientist and former medical student from the University of Edinburgh. The expedition was supported by the wealthy Coats family of Paisley, and a part of the Antarctic was named Coats Land in honour of their support. Millport was its port of call when arriving back in Scotland
After our break to read the plaque we were rewarded with a final attraction, the picturesque paddle steamer, the Waverley, making her way down the river. We then spotted a ferry coming towards the jetty as we came along the final stretch of road and had to hurry to catch it. It took 15 minutes to cross again to the mainland and Largs, again there was a nice cool breeze on the river. The esplanade was busy as we made our way along to the car and on the grass, lots of people sunbathing in the unusual, for Scotland, hot sunny weather.
Friday 25 July
Mugdock Country Park
Considerable variety is packed into this relatively short but thoroughly absorbing walk. It takes in some beautiful areas of open grassland, a loch and a reservoir, two ruined castles - one medieval and the other 19th century - and a stretch of the West Highland Way. From many points on the route there are views of the Campsie Fells and Kilpatrick Hills, and occasional glimpses of tower blocks - a reminder that Glasgow is surprisingly close.
extract from Pathfinder guide.
Another grand day was forecast and it was correct, extremely hot with blue skies. We decided to go for another walk and take advantage of this unusually non-Scottish weather. There was another nice route in our guide book of day walks in the Clyde valley and West Coast. The one we selected was in a Country Park near Milngavie. We left after breakfast again and it didn't take long to get there by car. It was over the Erskine Bridge and just a short distance from the Great Western Road to Bearsden and Milngavie. If we had gone by bus it would have been the long journey we experienced when we were doing the John Muir Trail in this area, about 2 hours and having to go via Glasgow city centre for a bus connection. The Mugdock Country Park was north of Milngavie and I navigated to it by a narrow minor road. It climbed up a steep hill known as the Kyber Pass and we parked at the Kyber car park entrance to the Park.
There was a signpost pointing to a gravel track to Mugdock Castle and we headed that way but a short way along I decided to consult the guide book. It said to start at the visitor's centre and ignore the sign directing to the Castle. We backtracked to the Kyber car park and followed the indicators to the visitor's centre. I thought it would have been nearby but it turned out to be about a mile through the trees and past another castle, Craigend Castle. This castle was fenced off and seemed to be in great disrepair overgrown with trees and bushes. It wasn't very old, 19th century and between 1949 and 1956 there had been a zoo in the grounds. We eventually arrived at the visitor's centre and it also looked like a castle sitting through the trees with turrets and crenelated towers. We looked for an info office but there was only a cafe and souvenir shop.
The guide book said to ignore the signpost pointing to Mugdock Castle but to take the path going through the trees to a little outstanding pond surrounded by trees. The instructions now weren't very clear but I followed the accompanying map and took a path that was hopefully the right one. The book said it ran beside a wire fence and this one did just that. After that we became confused at a junction and picked the best looking route, a nice gravel track that took us to Mugdock Loch. There was another track that ran down the side of the loch and at the next junction a signpost directed us to the 'Park South Gate'. The guide book said that at that gate we left the Park and followed the road to the Mugdock Reservoir. We had somehow missed the castle but decided to continue and check out the castle later. When we reached the South Gate we were confused again and surprised when the route we chose somehow took us to Mugdock Castle. It was an old 14th century fortress but now in ruins with only some of the outside walls and a towers still standing. It had been the seat of the Graham family and later the earls of Montrose who played a prominent role in Scottish politics and the wars between Scotland and England.
We followed the map again and returned to the Mugdock Loch. This time when we reached the South Gate we found where we had gone wrong previously and this time made our way to the road leading to the reservoir. There was a long straight gravel path down the side of the reservoir. It was a magnificent stretch of water sparkling in the sun that was bright and very hot now, fortunately most of the walk had been among trees which gave welcomed shade. Before heading down a slope from the dam we had a view over the houses of Milngavie and the small Tannoch Loch. Below the reservoir we entered a housing area but soon turned down a lane which led to a footpath that was part of the West Highland Way. We were again sheltered from the hot sun by the trees of Mugdock Wood as the path ran beside Allander Water. On the other side of this small stream was Milngavie Golf Course. After about a mile we came to the lane we arrived on by car and this was the climb up the steep Kyber Pass to the car park.
When we had passed beside the reservoir we thought about coming back there to have our lunch near the water. But when we reached the car we found it was nicely shaded with lovely views of the Campsie Fells so we settled on staying there. We had our camp chairs with us and after our picnic sat down to read our books. Suzy disturbed our peace and quiet when she phoned then Moira decided to give Margaret a call. She is keeping all right but the heat is tiring her out and she can't wait to get the birth over with. Moira passed on the arrangements for us coming down to Cardiff and that we are now travelling by National Express Bus and arranged for Margaret to pick us up when we arrive there. When the phoning was over it was time to head home. Moira found a more direct route to the Great Western Road, by mistake, and we were home in 45 minutes.
Tuesday 29 July.
The hot sunny weather seems to have gone though it was still dry when we got up. The forecast on TV said that there would be a few showers today but we decided to for a walk and chance it. We left after breakfast our waterproofs packed with the sandwiches and flask, just in case.
The plan was to go on the Clyde Walkway. The full walk from Partick to Lanark is a long 5 day trek, we were only going to do the first section as far as Cambuslang on the outskirts of the city. We weren’t going to the ‘official’ starting point either but from the car park on the river front below the M8 motorway and the Kingston Bridge. The starting plan didn’t quite work out, when we reached the car park it was roped off presumably for the use of Commonwealth Games customers. There were lots of security people about in fluorescent jackets to make sure you didn’t sneak in. Moira drove about and found a spot in an industrial area not far away. Most of the streets were full of parked cars, the Games must be causing a huge disruption. There were no restriction signs regarding parking where we stopped but when we left the area there was a notice saying the gate that we had just noticed closed at 5pm. I asked a woman who had just parked next to us about it and she said that she parked here regularly and had never noticed the gate being closed. We decided to chance it and we were going to be back well before 5pm anyway.
We walked to the riverside path and then crossed the bridge to the north bank. Glasgow is now a beautiful city, a big change from its industrial past. The river is clean and the path well maintained. After going under the railway and road bridges going into the city centre, a maze of pillars and arches, there was a monument to the volunteers from Glasgow who had fought in the Spanish Civil War. We came up to the street after a short distance and on the corner was the Clutha Bar that the helicopter crashed into last November. Back onto the river path again we were heading towards Glasgow Green and met the first of our detours. The walkway was fenced off because of Commonwealth Games events taking part there. We had to cut up to London Road and follow the road to near the People’s Palace where we re-joined the walkway. We spoke to a group of Games volunteers who told us that there was a free event on today, a concert by the Scottish Philharmonic Orchestra playing music from the films. They were rehearsing this morning and we could have gone in, walked through and out the other side where there was another security gate.
Where we cut back down to the walkway was at the ‘Doge’s Palace’. This building was the former Templeton’s carpet factory built in 1892 from polychromatic bricks in yellow and blue. The architect, William Leiper, based his design on the Doge’s Palace in Venice. What we could see was only a façade behind which had been the operational carpet factory. It is now apartments and at the end was a pub, restaurant and a micro-brewery. Near the river is the People’s Palace, a collection of symbols and memorabilia depicting the social history of Glasgow. We had visited this wonderful museum a few years ago but by-passed it this time.
Back on the walkway again it was on a tree lined path close to the river which had now narrowed considerably and hard to imagine how it widens and spreads to what we can see from our lounge window. The Glasgow people are very friendly and stopped to talk as they passed. One guy cycling stopped and told us about a stadium nearby we had noticed with flood lights blazing, it was the new hockey stadium for the Games we were informed. He also said to look out for the Athletes village and the cycling velodrome a short distance further. Another man out with his two small children told us about a cyclist he met who was doing the John O’Groats to Land’s End ride for charity. I told him that shortly we would be walking from Canterbury to Rome for charity and he asked for our website address to make a donate.
When we reached the place where the Athlete’s village had been built, the walkway was blocked off again. There were a few people about that looked like competitors, some with Cameroon track suits and a few cyclists from Trinidad and Tobago out for a ride. We had to detour all the way to London road again. Once there the road passed the Emirates Arena which incorporates the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and the courts for indoor ball games. There were volunteers with big artificial hands to point the way in, they were disappointed when we said that we were just out for a walk. One of them told us that today there was badminton taking place on the indoor courts. At Celtic Park we cut down to the river again and a policeman on guard directed us to the walkway. I spoke to the security man at this blocked off end of the walkway, he said his job was to let competitors in and out when they went for a walk or a training run along the riverside. A couple of NZ athletes were heading back to the village after a stroll.
The route had been well signposted and gave the distances to the different places in walking times. It now said an hour to Cambuslang and after stopping for a cup of coffee we strode out at a brisk pace. It was now an interrupted path running by the river all the way. It was very nice and peaceful and a very enjoyable walk.
The walkway crossed over the river by the Orion Bridge into Cambuslang, the route instructions we had said to carry on to the next bridge and go to the village of Carmyle where there were bus and train connections into the city. When we reached the next bridge we made our way up to Carmyle but found it was just a small place and not any buses into the city. The next bus in an hour only went as far as Parkhead so we headed back over the river and into Cambuslang.
This was on a regular transport route and we had only to wait 5 minutes for a bus. It went through areas of the outskirts of Glasgow that we hadn’t seen for years, Rutherglen, Shawfield, the Gorbals and over the river again. We got off the bus after crossing the river and picked the walkway back to the footbridge and up to the car. After a cup of coffee and a sandwich we headed home. The weather had held up when we were walking and we did have some sunny spells but now the wind had picked up and the rain had started.
Wednesday 16 July
The Queen’s Baton relay had passed through Port Glasgow on Monday but Moira had a tummy upset and stayed in. I was going to go but when it began to rain I changed my mind. Today the relay had moved to Giffnock where Suzanne and Gavin live. There were going to walk to where the cavalcade was to pass with Hollie, we decided to join them.
We were planning to take the motorhome to the storage farm at Burnhouse and this wasn’t very far from Giffnock. We dropped the ‘van off there and Moira who had been following in the car drove us to Giffnock. After lunch we all walked the short distance to the town centre. The weather wasn’t looking very promising so we were prepared with waterproofs and Gavin had his golfing umbrella.
There certainly weren’t the crowds we experienced viewing the Tour de France; there were a few people waiting but there wasn’t any problem picking a spot on the edge of the road. We were opposite the Sainsbury supermarket and a woman came out with a tray of snacks which she started to hand out to the people waiting. I thought it was going to be something exciting and tasty; it turned out to be little squares of bread and butter. Gavin said they probably used the bread that was at its sell-by date. Like the ‘Tour’ there were lots of false alarms with police cars and motorcycles with flashing blue lights coming along well in advance. Eventually the ‘relay’ did appear, there were a lot of runners in blue t-shirts and a woman carrying the baton. I got a video and they were gone.
We then took a short cut through the grounds of St Ninian’s school that Gavin went to and hopefully Hollie will attend to the next change over point of the baton. It was only a short distance and the baton and cavalcade were going a long way round. We met Gavin’s brother Brian, his wife Clare and family there. It was a 10 minute wait with a guy on stilts and the mascot of the games, ‘Clyde’, entertaining the crowd. I got another video when the baton arrived, it was a man that now had it, and they must have change after Giffnock. There was now a photo-shoot with a lot of people in fancy dress (I don’t know why). I managed to get in among the pro-photographers and tried to get Moira to move into the group of people in costume with the baton holder but she was reluctant. I took a selfie of me in front of the group instead.and discovered that she had sneaked in at the side. We moved round the corner to where the rest of the family were waiting and saw the baton leave on its way to Rouken Glen, it was another video to be taken.
The rain that had been threatening all day suddenly arrived as we start back to the house. It poured down and we made the mistake not sheltering as it went off after 10 minutes and the blue sky appeared. But we got soaked even with our waterproofs and decided when we got to the house to immediately head for Port Glasgow and get into some dry clothes. We thought that we might have got held up with traffic and the baton cavalcade when we drove past Rouken Glen Park but it was clear and the traffic moving freely. Definitely not the ‘Tour de France’. By the time we reached Langbank the sky was blue and the sun lighting up the river and the Argyll hills, it was a beautiful view.
BATON PHOTO ALBUM
Below three videos of the event, control + click to view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7tihaN4tMw
