Renpol one

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Well, this route was certainly longer than it needed to be, but the most direct alternative would be to follow the A8 for most of the way – no thanks!
The first quarter of this route from Renfrew mostly followed the waterfront of the Clyde. The start was a bit disappointing in that it was lined with trees which interrupted the view although there were gaps in places, but it did open out more later, to be very pleasant. It ended by going through the edge of the giant retail park at Braehead.
On leaving the river, there was more car-based retail (although there were bus stops, pavements and cycle lanes). This part was a bit tedious. Then it got worse as it reached the M8 (and it started to rain although not for long fortunately). It was nice to reach the off-road track. Even though it was right next to the motorway, it was screened by trees which kept the noise and pollution down a bit. The off-road path continued with a bridge over the motorway, then over the railway, eventually bringing me out to the cemetery and crematorium, at about half way through the route. This was surprisingly pleasant.
A friend who lives close by joined me for the second half of the route and we soon started through Bellahouston Park. The route here apparently follows the core path, which swings quite a long way round. It would have been better to head straight east and across past the Palace of Art. Either way you arrive to excellent close-up views of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's House for an Art Lover.
There was a slightly difficult road crossing (of the B768 Dumbreck Road) just after we came out of the park. If you are walking from Pollockshields to Renfrew, I’d recommend heading north slightly to where there is an island, because otherwise you’d be crossing at a blind bend.
After crossing the railway and the M77, we proceeded along a surprisingly pleasant bit of cycle track right next to the motorway but screened by trees with a reasonable viewpoint at the end. This was another bit of a long way around, but meant we passed some rather grand houses and then through Maxwell Park. A few more streets of housing brought us to Pollokshields East (the lovely library had a useful toilet available!) and its station, where there was a view across to the mosque.
This route was considerably longer than it needed to be, but it did pass through many interesting and nice sections, and one, probably unavoidable, tedious section. Overall, a pretty enjoyable route if you’re not in a hurry.

Review of SlowWays Route Renpol1 (Renfrew—Pollokshields)
I walked this route over two days in November 2021, starting on both days around the middle and walking to either end. However for the purposes of this review I will describe it from end to end. The route begins at the very prominent landmark that is Renfrew Town Hall. It heads south-east along the pedestrian-friendly and very attractive High Street before turning sharp left at Andrew Avenue. This road leads directly to the Clyde via a road crossing over the busy King’s Inch Road and the path through Clyde View Park. This little park is a hidden gem with statues depicting some of the history of Renfrew, a water feature with Mallards and Moorhens, some lovely trees and lots of semi-wild flowers. Once out of the park, the route turns right to follow the walkway adjacent to the Clyde. This enables the busy Braehead Shopping Centre to be bypassed completely, although there is ample opportunity to stop off for some “retail therapy” if wished. The walkway continues until it ends at a raised platform with seating which must have had a great view up and down the river before the planted bushes grew too high. A path off to the right here passes behind the supermarket and joins Kings Inch Drive opposite a well-known Swedish furniture store. The next stretch is alongside busy roads and becomes noticeably noisier as it nears the M8 motorway. Some relief is provided by a diversion into Cardonald Park but the motorway is never far away. At the end of the park, the route goes up onto an elevated footpath over the motorway and its feeder roads, skirts a roundabout, then turns right onto a ramp which drops down to Queensland Drive. A left turn leads to the crossing over Berryknowes Road and the gateway to Craigton Cemetery. A walk through a cemetery may not be everyone’s idea of fun, but after the proximity of the motorway, I found the greenery and tranquillity quite soothing. However it is easy enough to go around the cemetery if preferred by taking Berryknowes Road then Paisley Road West. The route emerges from the cemetery at “Halfway” and follows Paisley Road West for a few hundred metres before entering Bellahouston Park. It then takes a rather circuitous route (presumably following the core path) before leaving the park at Dumbreck Road. There are shorter routes through the park which could be taken if time was limited, but the park has many attractions, not least the sculptures scattered around the “House of an Art Lover” near the dry ski slope. The most direct way of getting from Dumbreck Road to the end of the route (Pollokshields East Railway Station) would be to follow the traffic along Nithsdale Road. However Renpol 1 takes a number of twists and turns to take advantage of the green spaces along the side of the M77 motorway (you are never far from a motorway in south west Glasgow) and in Maxwell Park. These meanders also allow the traveller to enjoy the many beautiful villas and mature trees in this part of Glasgow. At last the route reaches the busy Albert Cross area (some excellent shops here) and Pollokshields East railway station is just across Darnley Road. Overall this is an interesting, varied and accessible route. It is less than direct in places and I have deducted one star accordingly. However I enjoyed walking it and would do so again.

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