Rengla one

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Review of SlowWays Route Rengla 1 (Renfrew to Glasgow)
I walked this route over two days in November 2021. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, especially the first half. It starts at the “fairytale palace” that is Renfrew Town Hall and passes some interesting shops and an old cinema, eventually arriving at the ferry terminal. There is then what must be one of the shortest ferry trips in the world in one of the smallest ferries. After two minutes, the ferry docks in Yoker. After crossing the busy Dumbarton Road, the next two or three kilometres are along the bed of an old railway. This stretch is quiet and peaceful (perhaps too isolated for some traveling alone) but not to be missed if possible, especially the elevated sections which could almost be from the High Line in New York. The railway section eventually drops down to street level at Smith Street and continues straight ahead, beside the busy South Street. The Rengla 2 route heads off near here to follow Dumbarton Road through Partick but Rengla 1 continues straight ahead, past waterfront flats on the right until reaching the footbridge over the Clydeside Expressway to the Transport Museum. Our route heads inland at this point (away from the Transport Museum), crossing the footbridge and turning right. The important Partick Travel Hub is passed on the left and the route eventually joins Dumbarton Road (and Rengla2) at Partick Cross (the bottom of Byres Road). The next part of the route passes Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a favourite destination for Glasgow families on rainy weekend afternoons. It then follows Argyll Street (mostly a busy road but with some traffic-free sections) all the way to where it was cut off by the construction of the M8 motorway. At this point the route crosses the motorway via an elevated walkway, dropping back down onto Waterloo Street. The end of the route is Central Station which is visible straight ahead. This route is easy to follow, accessible (at least during the hours when the ferry is running) and safe (although the section along the railway path could be frightening after dark). Long stretches are off-road or along quiet back streets, but there are also some busier sections. I agree with the previous reviewer that Rengla2 is more interesting but I am still happy to recommend Rengla1.

I made this route during lockdown based on looking at maps rather than local knowledge, and finally got the chance to walk it.

It does work, but I found it sufficiently disappointing in the way it swerves the best bits of Partick in preference for a busy unpleasant main road, that I made a new version, Rengla two, and I would recommend walking that one!

Walk from Renfrew town centre (good bakery near the meeting point) north to the ferry. Cross the Clyde on the small passenger ferry, £2, the ferry runs daily, on demand, but best to check he's running in advance.

At Yoker on the north bank the route picks up a combined cycle/foot path which runs most of the way to Partick. It's an interesting quiet path with a number of pigeon lofts, a local tradition.

After the quiet off-road path, you go alongside a busy main road for just over 1km. This is where the routing falls down imo, this part is not very pleasant, and in addition it then almost completely bypasses the interesting and lively high street at Partick (Dumbarton Road). In total I'd say there's about 1.5km of this route that is made more pleasant by taking Rengla two instead.

After Partick the route crosses the river Kelvin and goes past Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, free entry and a good cafe. Then through Finnieston and Anderston into central Glasgow. (This part is the same as Rengla two)

In my opinion you'll have a more pleasant and interesting walk by following Rengla Two, but this one will get you to your destination and shares a lot of the same paths.

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