Cycle Routes in Scotland : Glasgow – Loch Lomond (NCN 7) – ROUTE DETAILS

The following is a brief summary of the key details for Cycle Routes in Scotland : Glasgow – Loch Lomond (NCN 7).

This route is one of the cycle routes in Scotland that I have cycled over the years. Some of the other routes I have cycled over the years are listed in the page “Cycle Routes in Scotland”. (Click here to go to this page.)

Route Map

This route is part of the National Cycle Network route number 7 (NCN 7). The National Cycle Network is run by a charity called Sustrans and they have teamed up with Ordnance Survey (OS) to provide an interactive map for the whole of the UK.

To access the map for this route go to Sustran’s website by clicking on the following website address : www.sustrans.org.uk.

From the Home page in Sustran’s website click on “National Cycle Network” in the top menu bar. Then scroll down to the section headed “Map of the National Cycle Network” and click on the link “Open the National Cycle Network map”.

A map of the National Cycle Network for the whole of the UK will be displayed, starting in the south of England. Move the map up to the west of Scotland and expand the map using the “+” button in the vertical black bar at the top right of the screen. Keep moving and expanding the map until it is focussed on the NCN 7 route between Glasgow and Balloch at Loch Lomond.

Route details –

Cycle Routes in Scotland : Glasgow – Loch Lomond (NCN 7)

Start Point

The start of this route is on the north bank of the River Clyde near the SECC and the Hydro. It runs alongside the front of the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

The route is across the river from BBC Scotland headquarters and the Glasgow Science Centre. The Glasgow Tower is next to the Science Centre. It is an observation tower and is the tallest free standing structure in Scotland. This is also where the PS Waverley is berthed. It is the last seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world.

Glasgow – Clydebank

After a few hundred yards the route continues on shared use pavements and roadside cycle paths. It passes by the Transport Museum. Then it goes through an underpass and along through residential areas to a commercial area. At a road called South Street you cross over the road at a pedestrian crossing. You then pick up this part of the NCN 7 cycle track that has been built on a disused railway track.

The cycle track continues slightly higher up on a former railway embankment  through residential areas of Glasgow and surrounding districts. A popular pastime in this area is pigeon fancying. This is demonstrated by the impressive DIY corrugated iron structures dotted along the cycle track. These are pigeon lofts that are home to the pigeons and they are called dookits.

Bowling – Dumbarton

The route continues to Bowling Basin, where many barges and boats are moored, including the one below with two skeletons sitting on top!

At Bowling you leave the canal tow path and cross over a busy road at traffic lights. Then turn left onto a cycle path that eventually leads to the town of Dumbarton. Here you negotiate your way through some built up areas and the outskirts of the city centre. Finally you will emerge at a bridge over the River Leven. You turn right after crossing the bridge. From here the cycle path runs alongside the river all the way to Balloch. At Balloch the end of the cycle path goes underneath the bridge over the River Leven. It veers round to the left at the harbour and up into the Main Street.

Balloch

Balloch is at the southern end of Loch Lomond and is a bustling little tourist town. It has some shops, hotels, restaurants, cafes and a large park. There are boat tours of Loch Lomond available at the harbour. There is a large retail and leisure facility called Lomond Shores on the banks of Loch Lomond. This is just off the end of the Main Street in Balloch. This has a small shopping mall anchored by Jenners of Edinburgh together with shops, restaurants and cafes. There are also many leisure facilities such as the Sea Life Aquarium, Bird of Prey Centre, Tree Zone adventure park, bike hire, watersports, crazy golf, etc. It can be accessed by turning right when you come off the cycle path and travelling along the Main Street. Then turn right at the large roundabout at the end. This takes you into a large, free car park and the entrance to the facility.

Cafe/Toilet Stops –

Cycle Routes in Scotland : Glasgow – Loch Lomond (NCN 7)

There are a few cafe/toilet stops on this route.

At the start of the route, there is a second pedestrian bridge across the river called the Millennium Bridge. This is a short distance along from the Bell’s Bridge. On the south bank of the river across this second bridge is the Glasgow Science Centre, within which there is a Starbucks that sells hot food & drinks and which has toilet facilities.

As mentioned above, there are many facilities at Clydebank. When you turn left onto the towpath for the Forth & Clyde canal there is McGonigles fish & chip cafe. Further along a bridge takes you into a shopping mall where there are cafes and toilet facilities. There are also facilities in the indoor market to the left of the bridge.

Bowling Harbour has been developed as a tourist and leisure destination, with a few shops, a cafe and activity hubs. When leaving the harbour you cycle up the incline to the main road. If you turn left onto this busy road when you come off the cycle track, there is a cafe a short distance along on the right hand side.

Further along from Bowling, at Milton, the cycle track runs directly behind a budget hotel. Here there is also a Costa Coffee and a filling station with a shop.

When you cycle through the town of Dumbarton you pass by several eating places.

In Balloch there are several shops, cafes and restaurants as well as public toilets in both the Main Street and in Lomond Shores retail and leisure centre.

Alternative Start and End Points –

Cycle Routes in Scotland : Glasgow – Loch Lomond (NCN 7)

This route is only a small section of the very long NCN 7 cycle route so it can be extended or shortened to suit individual needs.

If you want to shorten the route you could of course turn back at any point in the route. For example, one option would be to cycle to Clydebank and return from there. This would result in a round trip of 12 miles.

There are several options to extend the route. For example, you could cycle on from Balloch up the west side of Loch Lomond on the West Loch Lomond Cycle Path, or part thereof. Or you could continue following the NCN 7 to Drymen or further.

Train options

If you want to do the one way, 20 mile option you can return from Balloch to Glasgow by train. Balloch train station is just off the Main Street and the train line is practically right up to the edge of the street. Trains run regularly to Glasgow and the quoted journey time is 47 minutes.

If you want to access the start of the route by train your options to do so will of course depend on where you live and what train lines are nearby and where they run to, which each person will need to investigate for themselves. Click on the following website address for a website that can help with this : https://www.thetrainline.com.

For example, it is possible to access the start of the route from Glasgow city centre by taking the train to either Glasgow Central or Glasgow Queen Street stations. You could then make your way down to the banks of the River Clyde from the train station, either by cycling on busy roads or by walking. There you can pick up the NCN 75 cycle path. This runs along the north bank of the river and joins up with the NCN 7 at the Bells Bridge pedestrian crossing over the river, just at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This is the start of the route detailed above.

Also, there are several train stations along the route such as Yoker, Clydebank, Dumbarton East, Renton and Alexandria.