Why this ride
224 km from Glasgow to Glasgow, about 3 h 45 of riding. On the way it passes New Lanark, The Forth Bridge, back through The Forth Bridge and back through New Lanark.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Glasgow day out · The Forth Bridge
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 224 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 45
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Glasgow
Glasgow is a Victorian city that learned to like itself again. In the nineteenth century it was the second city of the British Empire, building ships and locomotives on the Clyde, and the grand sandstone buildings of the Merchant City and the West End are the evidence. In the twentieth century, as the shipyards declined, the city went through hard times, but today it has a thriving music and arts scene, and a reputation for warmth and humour that people from elsewhere often find startling.
Read the complete Glasgow write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Glasgow is where the day begins. Next is New Lanark.
2. New Lanark
Coming down the steep, wooded road from Lanark into the gorge of the Clyde, you see New Lanark all at once: a cluster of tall, plain sandstone mill buildings and tenements packed onto the riverbank at the bottom of the valley, with the water rushing past. It is one of the most remarkable industrial villages in Europe, founded in 1786 by David Dale and the inventor Richard Arkwright to harness the river for cotton spinning, and later turned into a social experiment by Dale's son-in-law, Robert Owen. It is a World Heritage site.
Read the complete New Lanark write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
New Lanark comes up 28 km in. Next is New Lanark.
3. New Lanark
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete New Lanark write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
55 km in you reach New Lanark. Next is The Forth Bridge.
4. The Forth Bridge
When the Forth Bridge opened in 1890, it was the longest cantilever bridge in the world, and it still looks like nothing else: three enormous diamond-shaped steel towers, joined by long arms, striding across the Firth of Forth to carry the railway between Edinburgh and Fife. Its engineers, Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker, designed it after the collapse of the Tay Bridge in 1879 had shaken public faith in iron and steel, and they overbuilt deliberately, with great tubes of steel that made the structure look as strong as it was. The bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 2015.
Read the complete The Forth Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Forth Bridge, about halfway. Next is The Forth Bridge.
5. The Forth Bridge
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Forth Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Forth Bridge sits at 110 km, about halfway. Next is back through The Forth Bridge.
6. back through The Forth Bridge
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Forth Bridge write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Forth Bridge comes up 138 km in. Next is back through New Lanark.
7. back through New Lanark
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete New Lanark write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
165 km in you reach back through New Lanark. Next is back through New Lanark.
8. back through New Lanark
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete New Lanark write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through New Lanark, late in the day. Next is Glasgow.
9. Glasgow
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Glasgow write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 224 km.
Leg by leg
Glasgow to New Lanark
Glasgow → New Lanark is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
New Lanark to The Forth Bridge
New Lanark → The Forth Bridge is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Forth Bridge to back through New Lanark
back through The Forth Bridge → back through New Lanark is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through New Lanark to Glasgow
back through New Lanark → Glasgow is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.