Kilbis one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Kilbis here.

The first half of this route from Kilmacolm was along a quiet single-track country road through very pleasant countryside. There were very occasional cars but the drivers were slow and considerate. There were also some good, distant views ahead, and this was really quite an enjoyable section.
After turning onto the B789 it got a bit busier and felt a bit less comfortable, but was it still manageable. Just after turning off this road, we passed an interesting castle/residence, at Formakin Estate, with stone monkeys on the roof ridges!
The route left the road via a tied gate into a grassy lane, next to a dog-exercising field. This lane was passable even in late summer, but it was obviously not in frequent use.
It was fenced off at the end, but there was a rock on one side which made it not too difficult to climb over. It felt as if the land owner was discouraging access but not prohibiting it entirely, and given the access rights in Scotland I found it difficult to decide whether or not to fail the route, especially as there are not a lot of alternatives to road routes here.
The route then took a very small dog's leg and followed an obvious well used path just next to where this Slow Way is actually plotted. A local was walking her dog along here and said this was the way to go.
After a bit this track became increasingly well defined, with some tarmac, and emerged into a new housing estate. This was pleasant and easy to walk but had a huge number of parked cars! Soon the road became surfaced in a traffic calming way and there were pleasing signs saying Pedestrian Priority.
Before long we reached the end of the route at Bishopton Station.
This was mostly a good route, and it would be good to find an alternative to try out at some future date to avoid the problematic bits.

Review of Slow Ways route Kilbis one (Kilmacolm to Bishopton)
I walked this route with a companion on an overcast afternoon in late summer 2023. The route begins in the centre of Kilmacolm and almost immediately follows a stone-stepped lane between two streets (Port Glasgow Road and High Street). For those on wheels, this short lane could be avoided by entering High Street a few minutes earlier at the town cross. The route then heads uphill and out of town, following High Street and then West Glen Road (this latter road is followed for most of the first half of the route). Any pavement disappears as the edge of town is (shortly) reached and there is then a very long section along mostly quiet country roads. The going is relatively easy with only a few blind corners and generally light traffic. There is much to see along the way with distant views, especially to the east and south. Eventually West Glen Road meets Barochan Road at a T-junction. This latter road is significantly busier and requires extra care as again there is no pavement. The route then turns right at a road junction, passes the fascinating Formakin House and arrives at an ornate gatehouse on the left. Just before this point, the route heads down a gated and rather overgrown track which runs along the right side of a field. The going here is much more difficult and would not be suitable for the wheeled traveller. Furthermore, the end of this rough track is blocked by a wire fence. The fence is not particularly high and there is evidence that it is regularly climbed over. However it is a significant barrier and in my opinion renders the route (or at least this section of it) inviable. On this occasion, my companion and I carefully crossed the fence and continued along the mapped route. This follows a well-used path between two fields and eventually leads onto a stoney track which is followed to the edge of the Dungavel development adjacent to Bishopton. It is then a relatively simple task to follow the mapped route through Dungavel to eventually arrive at Bishopton Station and the end of the route. This is a pleasant and interesting route which crosses attractive countryside and links two population centres which would otherwise be difficult to travel between without a car. The high proportion of the route being on tarmac is one drawback. However my main concern is the rough track which is gated at one end and fenced at the other. There was no obvious alternative, and for this reason I am unable to recommend the route in its present form.

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