Strathkelvin Strathkelvin ( gd, Srath Chealbhainn) is the strath of the River Kelvin in west central Scotland, close to the city of Glasgow. The name Strathkelvin was formerly (1975–96) used for one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde r ...

Railway Path is

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

following the route of several dismantled railway lines extending from

Gartcosh Gartcosh (Scottish Gaelic: ''Gart Cois'') is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies a few miles east of Glasgow, and about northwest of the town of Coatbridge. According to a 2012 estimate, the population of Gartcosh was 2,13 ...

Strathblane Strathblane ( gd, Strath Bhlàthain, ) is a village and parish in the registration county of Stirlingshire, situated in the southwestern part of the Stirling council area, in central Scotland. It lies at the foothills of the Campsie Fells and the ...

. It goes for 10 km from one end to another

History

The northern section follows the route of the

Campsie Branch The Glasgow to Aberfoyle Line was a railway line in Scotland, built in stages, leaving the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway near Lenzie. Tourist traffic was a dominant part of the motivation for building the line, and road tours to the Trossachs fro ...

of the

Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was authorised by Act of Parliament on 4 July 1838. It was opened to passenger traffic on 21 February 1842, between its Glasgow Queen Street railway station (sometimes referred to at first as Dundas Street) and ...

which was extended as the

Blane Valley Railway The Blane Valley Railway was a railway line in Scotland to the east of Glasgow. It is now closed. In 1891 the railway company was absorbed by the North British Railway, which had operated the line and been a major shareholder from the start.Aw ...

line and closed in 1951 (although some parts of the line were still used for freight into the '60s). The southern section follows a branch of the

Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway The Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway was an early mineral railway running from a colliery at Monklands to the Forth and Clyde Canal at Kirkintilloch, Scotland. It was the first railway to use a rail ferry, the first public railway in Scotla ...

. Starting in

Kirkintilloch Kirkintilloch (; sco, Kirkintulloch; gd, Cair Cheann Tulaich) is a town and former barony burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal and on the south side of Strathkelvin, about northeast of central Glasgow. ...

it runs south and currently terminates at the northern tip of

; just before the original railway junction would have split east to Bedlay Colliery and south to

Glenboig Glenboig (Scottish Gaelic: An Gleann Bhog) is a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland lying north of Coatbridge and to the south east of Kirkintilloch and is approximately from Glasgow City Centre. According to a estimate, the population of ...

Future Plans

It has been announced by

Sustrans Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United Kin ...

that the path will become part of the

National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

and called route 755. In the future it is planned that the path will be extended to the north further following the route of the dismantled railway to incorporate part of the

West Highland Way The West Highland Way ( gd, Slighe na Gàidhealtachd an Iar) is a linear long-distance route in Scotland. It is long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking in the r ...

towards

Drymen Drymen (; from gd, Druiminn ) is a village in the Stirling district of central Scotland. Once a popular stopping place for cattle drovers, it is now popular with visiting tourists given its location near Loch Lomond. The village is centred aroun ...

where it will link to National Cycle Network no. 754 (Forth & Clyde Canal) and National Cycle Network no. 7. To the south there are plans to continue the path to

Drumpellier Country Park Drumpellier Country Park is a country park situated to the west of Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The park was formerly a private estate. The land was given over to the Burgh of Coatbridge for use as a public park in 1919, and was design ...

and then the

Monkland Canal The Monkland Canal was a canal designed to bring coal from the mining areas of Monklands to Glasgow in Scotland. In the course of a long and difficult construction process, it was opened progressively as short sections were completed, from 177 ...

where it will link to National Cycle Network no. 75 in

Coatbridge Coatbridge ( sco, Cotbrig or Coatbrig, gd, Drochaid a' Chòta) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, Coatbridge forms the area known as ...

References

External links

Sustran Glasgow & West Central Scotland maps

Strathkelvin Railway Path (North)

Strathkelvin Railway Path (South)
{{coord, 55.9482, N, 4.1524, W, region:GB, display=title National Cycle Routes Cycleways in Scotland Rail trails in Scotland Footpaths in East Dunbartonshire Footpaths in North Lanarkshire Footpaths in Stirling (council area)

History

Future Plans

See also

References

External links