Hello all. Booked a British Isles cruise for next spring. I know the downside of cruising is so little time in any one port. But, we enjoy cruising for other reasons (unpack once). So with our one day in Glasgow, not sure whether to focus on city or surrounding highlands. Leaning toward the latter. I hear Stirling Castle is well worth a visit. Oddly, there are no excursions offered through the ship. There's one that goes to Stirling and the Loch Lomond, but its an eight- hour day. Husband says too much time on the bus! Should we just settle for a simple lake tour to take in some of the magnificent scenery? Is there an easy way to get from Greenock to Stirling without breaking the bank? Thanks in advance! (I would do a search for this topic but can never figure out how it works in the forum!)
Posted by
Delaware
1427 posts
Hi, Wanderlust,
Do you know how much actual time you will have on the ground in Strathclyde? What arrangements are being made to transport passengers in to central Glasgow?
Trains run from Glasgow Queen Street Station to Stirling approximately every 20 minutes. Round trip fare is under 11 pounds, so it won't break the bank!
If no arrangements are being made to transport passengers in to Glasgow, you could take a train from Greenock. However, that train terminates at Glasgow Central, so you'd have to take the free bus or walk (approx. 15 minutes) to Queen Street to catch the Stirling train. Greenock round trip to Glasgow Central should be approximately 10 pounds round trip.
Best thing to do at this point would be to contact your cruise coordinator to find out what arrangements are available for passengers who don't want to take the eight hour bus tour. Then you can schedule your own time.
Best wishes,
Mike (Auchterless)
p.s.: If you do decide to visit Stirling Castle, it's straight uphill from the train station. If you're pressed for time, or want to conserve your energy, you could take a taxi up and walk back down. There are many good restaurants in central Stirling.
Posted by
Lake District, England
7324 posts
At Greenock the railway station is about a 10 minute signposted walk from the terminal. From there there is a train every 30 minutes to Glasgow Central. Then a 10 minute walk across town or use the free electric bus #398 to Glasgow Queen Street for a train every 30 minutes to Stirling.
Including the cross city transfer Greenock Central to Stirling is a 90 minute journey.- £20.10 each at 2024 prices.
If you wanted to go to Loch Lomond then train as above to Glasgow Central, cross to Queen Street, Then train to Balloch every 30 minutes from Queen Street LOW LEVEL. Total journey time 2 hours.
Fare £9.10. Journey time 2 hours. Then you can do a 1 hour or a 2 hour loch cruise with Sweeney's from Loch Lomond Shores at Balloch.
If you jump in a taxi at the cruise terminal it is a 45 minute drive over the Erskine Bridge, for the 24 miles to Loch Lomond Shores- should be a £60 or so fare.
So you could go out by taxi, get another taxi for the short drive to Balloch station then come back by train if you wanted.
Loch Lomond is about as far as you could get.
Another very easy option is to catch a train the other way to Gourock. Then the short ferry ride (from the adjacent pier) to Dunoon, then jump in a taxi the short distance to Benmore Gardens.. Buses do also go to Benmore.
You could even easily do Edinburgh by train.
Greenock is an alongside port and almost all cruises have 10 to 12 hours there, so all these options are good.
PS- Another thing you could do is to hop on the frequent McGills bus 901 or 906 (headed for Largs) as far as Wemyss Bay. Then the ferry to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute- a traditional Glasgow holiday resort. Among other things in Rothesay is Mount Stuart House. Also Rothesay Castle is apparently the only castle in Scotland with a moat that is in water. It also has the only circular curtain wall in Scotland.
You will have done something unique among your fellow passengers on the ship.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2202 posts
There are several companies that do day trips from Greenock - do a google search. Explain to husband that the ttour may take 8 hours but not all of that time is spent sitting on the bus as you will be getting off and seeing different places...
Use the ScotRail website to check out trains .
Posted by
Preston UK
1079 posts
I would factor in the other ports you will be visiting. Are they other cities or rural locations? If the latter I would seriously consider a day in Glasgow itself, which has a lot to see and is pretty easy ton access with a short train ride. But, at the end of the day, if you want to see countryside then as the posters above outline, it's fairly straightforward to do.