Section F southwards

Greenock to Wemyss Bay

Waypoints: WP22 Beacon Arts Centre, WP21 Galt House, WP20 Inverkip St Cemetery, WP19 Spango Valley, WP18 Kip Marina, WP17 Wemyss Bay Station
Distance: X m, Y km; Time: Z hrs;
Terrain: tbd
Public transport: tbd
Toilets: tbd
Cafes: tbd
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Beacon Arts Centrephoto I J Dickson

Waypoint 22: The Beacon Arts Centre and adjacent Custom House
What3Words ///only.holds.daily

The Greenock Burns Club Exhibition and Archive Room is in the Custom House, featuring a history of the 'Mother Club' (founded in 1801), links with Highland Mary, who died and is buried in Greenock, Burns' career as an excise officer, and books of Burns' work dating back to the 19th century.
For an extra wander before leaving Greenock, go west along the Esplanade to the John Galt Memorial Fountain - Read about it . .

Follow the riverside path to the Wyllieum and Waterfront Cinema.
Cross Container Way to Tesco.
Follow the path passing Tesco entrance.
Cross Dalrymple Street and turn west to Westburn Street.

Take path south to Rue End Street.
Cross to Ginger the Horse and continue west on Cathcart Street.
Cross Cathcart Square and Clyde Square.
Take the path at the west side of Municipal Buildings to Central Library.
Follow the path at Hunters Place passing the entrance to Oak Mall to Westburn Street.

Galt's housephoto I J Dickson

Waypoint 21 – where Galt died (c.58 West Burn St)
What3Words: ///magna.mint.transit

When it was built by Galt's sea-captain father, their house here, on the town outskirts at the time, had a large garden and a view to the river. 
photo I J Dickson

Go south on Westburn St to the underpass.
Take the stairs and path to Kilblain Bus Station.
Cross Kilblain Street to Inverkip Street.
Cross to the east side of Inverkip Street.
Continue south and cross Roxburgh Street to Old Inverkip Road.
Take steps down onto Inverkip Road.

No. 72 takes you

Galt gravephoto I J Dickson

Waypoint 20 – (Inverkip Street Cemetery - John Galt's grave):
What3Words ///matter.media.bleat

A plaque at the gateway records this cemetery as the resting-place of John Galt. The grave itself is in the middle left of the graveyard. Recorded on the left are his parents and John Galt himself; in the middle his brother-in-law and family; and on the right, his sister.

Because the Spango Valley route follows the main A78 road, less keen walkers may prefer travelling by bus - see below - from the Cemetery to Inverkip.

Follow the A78 footpath to the junction with Brachelston Street.
Cross and continue on the footpath, passing South West Library.
Cross Dunlop Street and continue on the footpath beside the A78.

For the cemetery, you can park opposite the gate or visit and use the "One Bruce St" restaurant. For buses, McGill's bus service . . .

spango valley photo Google maps

Waypoint 19 Spango Valley
What3Words ///goggle.prominent.swoop
IBM – International Business Machines – opened in Spango Valley in 1954 and was a leading light in the 'Silicon Glen' electronics revolution.
In 1978 British Rail opened a station to serve what was at that time a thriving IBM computer manufacturing plant, employing over 4,000 people.
The last remaining building on the site - the call centre - was demolished in 2020. 


Follow the footpath on Inverkip Road all the way to Ardgowan Distillery at Inverkip.
Cross the A78 and follow the path to the junction with A770.
Cross the A770 and continue on the path to the west of the A78.
At the end of the path cross to Bridgend Cottages.
Follow the path into Inverkip village.
Cross the A78 at the pedestrian crossing towards Kip Marina

No. 72 takes you

quotation In 'The Ayrshire Legatees', Miss Rachel Pringle writes to Miss Isabella Todd:
"We entered the pretty village of Inverkip. A slight snow-shower had given the landscape a sort of copperplate effect, but  still the forms of things, though but sketched, as it were, with China ink, were calculated to produce interesting impressions." (Chapter 1, Letter 2)

Kip Marinaphoto I J Dickson

Waypoint 18 Kip Marina
What3Words ///.....
Scotland’s Premier Marina has 600 protected pontoon berths, all facing the prevailing wind, available 24 hours a day seven days a week for vessels up to 24m. Kip Marina is a 5 Gold Anchor marina.
For more about Inverkip, see Liz Smith's article in 'The Greenockian'.

quotation John Galt commented on Inverkip in "The Literary Life and Miscellanies of John Galt":
"One Sunday, happening to take a walk to the neighbouring village to Greenock, Inverkip, I observed that, from the time I had been there, some progress had been made by Sir John Shaw Stewart in turning it inside out. While looking at the various improvements around, my intention of writing a minister's sedate adventures returned upon me, as if the mantle of inspiration had suddenly dropped upon my shoulders, and I resolved to make the schoolmaster of the village the recorder of a register. A specimen of what I then designed is introduced into 'Eben Erskine'; but I did not proceed with that intention, and it was not till after my marriage that I altered my plan into the 'Annals of the Parish', nor did I then quite complete it, as I was informed that Scottish novels would not succeed ('Waverley' was not then published)." (Vol. 2, p. 153)

Wemyss Bay photo Liz Smith


Waypoint 17 (Wemyss Bay station):
What3Words ///glue.wounds.laughs
Take time to explore the wonderful award winning Wemyss Bay Station. As well as the terminus of trains from Glasgow, the station also boasts a café, bar and second hand book shop. Ferries to Rothesay (on Bute) arrive here and there is a frequent #901 bus service north to Glasgow or south to Largs.

quotation In 'The Ayrshire Legatees', Miss Pringle describes the scene to her friend Miss Isabella Todd:
"When we crossed the stream that divides the counties of Ayr and Renfrew, we beheld, in all the apart and consequentiality of pride, the house of Kelly overlooking the social villas of Wemyss Bay. My brother compared it to a sugar hogshead, and them to cotton-bags, - for the lofty thane of Kelly is but a West India planter, and the inhabitants of the villas on the shore are Glasgow manufacturers.” (Chapter 1, Letter 2)

The Wemyss Bay Caravan Park now takes the place of Kelly House which was destroyed by fire in 1913. The "West India planter" who owned the property was John Wallace and it was inherited by his son Robert Wallace in 1803. Robert Wallace later became Greenock's first MP in 1832.

Section E Sections map
John Galt Way

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