Jump to content

Greenock, Scotland


Grumpy100
 Share

Recommended Posts

We are headed to the Tattoo mid-afternoon. Is it possible to walk around Greenock in a couple of hours? Can you tell me more about the free tour?

 

Here is a link to their free 2-hour tours (donations welcome I'd imagine). :cool:

 

http://inverclydetouristgroup.co.uk/tours

 

The folks here seem so sweet. I can't wait to meet them. :o

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greenock is one of the most interesting ports of call on the Princess Cruises Uk cruise - but the company, and the people who supply tours are not in the slightest bit interested in promoting the town. They are much more interested in driving you miles away to Inverary and Culzean (which are much more profitable) than taking you to equally interesting local sights.

 

Greenock has some of the most spectacular views in Scotland - and you can almost walk to them from the Cruise Terminal!!!! A taxi from the terminal to Overtoun, will cost about $10, and this is what you get. The walk is on the flat and goes round in a circle and takes about 2 hours, past the ranger centre and through the regional park.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHvlfjR0Fpk

 

There is a national wildlife park and ranger center at Cornalees (15 minutes) which organises environmental projects for children. . . . and its free. Princess Cruises don't want you to know about that either.

 

http://www.clydemuirshiel.co.uk/countryside-rangers/environmental-education/

 

Or about the fact that there are Castles and country houses to visit much closer than Culzean and Inverary - these two are less than 20 minutes from Greenock

 

http://www.finlaystonehouse.com/

 

http://www.kelburnestate.com/

 

Oh and the it costs you $10 or so to get a train ticket from Greenock to the centre of Glasgow with trains every 20 minutes. The journey takes about half and hour. It's quicker than the tour bus which costs $69.00

 

It's a rip off. . . . . . .

 

Superb info. I'm the type that likes to do-it-on-their-own. Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The info here is excellent. We will be docking inGreenock in July 2013 and I really want to focus on the Scottish outdoors , castles , Lochs.....we are thinking of renting a car to explore. If we were to visit Kelburn ( looks fun for our kids) , what else nearby could we visit for great scenery?

 

Thanks

Ki

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The info here is excellent. We will be docking inGreenock in July 2013 and I really want to focus on the Scottish outdoors , castles , Lochs.....we are thinking of renting a car to explore. If we were to visit Kelburn ( looks fun for our kids) , what else nearby could we visit for great scenery?

 

Thanks

Ki

 

Various easy excursions with scenery :

 

1. Near Kelburn is Largs, a popular seaside town, with the usual British seaside amenities, and a train station (to get to Greenock change at Paisley Gilmour St), and a small ferry to Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae. (Caledonian MacBrayne ferries) frequent departures.

 

2. Train from Greenock to Wemyss bay (1/2 hour) and ferry to Rothesay (35 minutes) on the Isle of Bute (another scenic island). If you have time and it is open a bus meets the ferry to take you to Mount Stuart, the home of the Marquess of Bute, generally open in the summer to the public.

http://www.calmac.co.uk/timetables/summer-timetables.htm?id=summer-bute--wemyss-bay-rothesay.png

 

3. There are frequent buses that run along the road to Largs and beyond. (change at Ardrossan for Ayr) You can go as far as you like along the coast and then stop. These will be the cheapest option, and very popular with local pensioners going on a little jaunt (bus travel is free in Scotland for the over 60s).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Greenock has a lot to offer, but visitors just drive out of it. It has some of the most spectacular golf courses in Scotland, available to visitors at minimal cost (15$ a player)

 

http://www.greenockgolfclub.co.uk/visitors.html

 

The walk round the cut, and if you are fit enough, a climb up Dunrod Hill has one of the most awesome views in Europe. They are both less than 10 minutes by taxi from the quay

 

 

And you can go fly fishing for trout in Loch Thom (which is behind the hill you can see from the ship)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nancy,

 

I am not exactly sure what you meant by 'walk to all of them' but I will try to explain.

 

When we docked we were right in from of the port building. As we were exiting the ship we were greeted by some fanfare, bagpipers etc. We walked the hundred yards or so into the building.

 

Once inside there were some information areas, currency exchange, and vendors. The Inverclyde tourist group had some tables set in the middle where you could get local information, maps or sign up for the free tours.

We signed up for the castle one for the morning and the church/city hall one in the afternoon.

 

When it is time for your tour it is right outside the exit doors and onto a tour bus.

 

On each tour there was some walking necessary but not too much . I believe a person with some mobility issues would be okay. If someone was in a wheelchair then I would say that this is not suitable.

 

The tours are indeed free. If you would like you can make a donation at the end that goes towards offsetting the cost of the petrol. Knowing this I had made up two goodie bags from home (maple cookies, Canadian pins and little notebooks with the Canadian flag in each). My intent had been one bag for the volunteers for each tour. As it turned out I just gave them at the volunteer tables and they were able to share them with everyone.

 

When I returned at the end of the day a volunteer I had not met was looking for me and greeted me with a big hug. Apparently it had been 30 years since she had one of those maple cookies and she LOVED it.

 

I will never forget that lady-- actually all the volunteers were all quite memorable.

 

After our first tour we went directly back to the ship and had lunch onboard. After the afternoon tour we stayed in town, went for a beer and had a leisurely stroll back to the ship through a mall (if you like shopping) and along the waterfront.

 

As I said before, the send off they gave us was wonderful. The tours were informative and the volunteers ( mostly retired folks) really love their community. The whole day was definately a highlight of our cruise.

 

On our trip there did not seem to be many signing up for the free tours, but I would still get off the ship early and sign up just in case there is more interest on yours. My guess is that we did not have more than 15 people on either tour but the buses could have held many more.

 

Hope this helps answer your questions. If not feel free to ask away.

 

Rochelle

T&T Bumped this for you

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The info here is excellent. We will be docking inGreenock in July 2013 and I really want to focus on the Scottish outdoors , castles , Lochs.....we are thinking of renting a car to explore. If we were to visit Kelburn ( looks fun for our kids) , what else nearby could we visit for great scenery?

 

Thanks

Ki

 

 

there is Newark castle in Port glasgow but its the opposite direction of Kelburn which is on the outskirts of largs and you would need to get two buses to.

 

But if your hiring a car not a problem getting to kelburn from the port the local town of Largs is worth a visit in itself not as good as it used to be but still nice.

Edited by sparkieplug24
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

We signed up for a very expensive tour to Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile and Princess Street..for our trip on Emerald Princess.

Is there any other way of seeing Edinburgh Castle without spending so much money. We are in port from 7a.m.-7.p.m. We would like a guided tour through the castle.

First time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We signed up for a very expensive tour to Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile and Princess Street..for our trip on Emerald Princess.

Is there any other way of seeing Edinburgh Castle without spending so much money. We are in port from 7a.m.-7.p.m. We would like a guided tour through the castle.

First time.

 

Where is your ship docking?

 

Are you talking about travelling through to Edinburgh from Greenock, or are you docking at one of the Edinburgh venues (Rosyth or South Queensferry).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Greenock is pretty simplistic. There's not much to do but it's a cute town filled with nice people. We didn't have any interest in Glasgow so we stayed in Greenock and walked around that day. It's an easy walk from the ship.

 

Here's my review of it with photos if that helps any.... :)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=34185163&postcount=115

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First time Copenhagen, Iceland, Greenland and Norway Explorer..Emerald Princess..

Need advice about currency and would love to know if anyone is going on this trip.

Marsha

 

Go to the Roll Call thread, look for Princess, then look for Emerald, look for your date.

Edited by phabric
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greenock is pretty simplistic. There's not much to do but it's a cute town filled with nice people. We didn't have any interest in Glasgow so we stayed in Greenock and walked around that day. It's an easy walk from the ship.

 

Here's my review of it with photos if that helps any.... :)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=34185163&postcount=115

 

My husband & I will be on the Caribbean Princess TransAtlantic cruise at the end of August- stopping in Greenock on August 28. We opted not to take an organized tour here. Thanks for the info & photos of this port. Looking forward to exploring the town on our own!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2. Train from Greenock to Wemyss bay (1/2 hour) and ferry to Rothesay (35 minutes) on the Isle of Bute (another scenic island). If you have time and it is open a bus meets the ferry to take you to Mount Stuart, the home of the Marquess of Bute, generally open in the summer to the public.

http://www.calmac.co.uk/timetables/s...y-rothesay.png

 

 

You cannot get a train direct from Greenock to Wemyss Bay. You would need to get a bus from Greenock town centre to Port Glasgow Station or a bus to Branchton Station - a taxi would be cheaper and cost under £20.00 ferry cost around £7 return fare

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did the Princess Great Britian Cruise May 26, 2012. This port was

fabulous. From the moment we stepped off the ship and were offered a sip of Scotch; we felt that we were enveloped not only in the warmth of the whiskey, but in the collective arms of the people:

The gentleman who enlightened me about my clan, The McNeills of Barra.

The driver and informative guide on the FREE tour we took. They even dropped us off at a train station so that we could go into Glasgow. Glasgow was a big, modern city. Next time, I think I would stay at Greenock and enjoy the rest of their interesting bus tours, and shop in the town.

Finally, they sent us away with the bagpipes playing and the volunteers waving flags, and an inflatable mascot who was amusing and enthusiastic. It was so sad to leave. But, the sailaway was beautiful, with the sounds of the pipes still playing in our heads.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Loved your response to my question. We have scheduled an excursion for many hours..to see Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile and Princess Street. We love to wander and relax..this tour will be from 7:30a.m until 5p.m. and our ship leaves port at 7pm.

Should we pass on the Edinburgh Castle? We are so confused..this is our first time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Loved your response to my question. We have scheduled an excursion for many hours..to see Edinburgh Castle..Royal Mile and Princess Street. We love to wander and relax but afraid to miss the castle. The tour will be from 7:30a.m - 5p.m. and the ship leaves port at 7pm. Should we pass on the castle? We are so confused..this is our first time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greenock is also my home town, been really nice seeing all the ships coming and going the last few months. Gets me excited for my cruise in November!

 

To the last poster going to Edinburgh. It would depend how you were getting there? If going by train, I would allow 2.5 hours each way as you have to change station in Glasgow and Greenock West or Central train station is a taxi ride from the port. Much wiser to not have all that travelling and just stay in either Greenock or Glasgow. Maybe spend the morning in Glasgow and after lunch get the train down to Greenock for a wander.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Loved your response to my question. We have scheduled an excursion for many hours..to see Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile and Princess Street. We love to wander and relax..this tour will be from 7:30a.m until 5p.m. and our ship leaves port at 7pm.

Should we pass on the Edinburgh Castle? We are so confused..this is our first time.

 

It is a long way to Edinburgh from Greenock, on the other side of Scotland. Aren't you stopping there? We did. If not, then I would make the trek. (Just like we did a very long day from Le Havre to see Paris for the day.) Edinburgh is a beautiful city. I never saw a single bit of graffiti or even a tag. Perhaps workers head out at 4am to scrub off all ugliness, or perhaps the people of Edinburgh teach their children that it is wrong to vandalize buildings...I don't know; but I was very impressed. We are going back next May to spend more time in Edinburgh. I heard good comments about Holyrood Palace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
Got tears in my eyes reading all the comments about Greenock, my wee home town, anyone got any questions just shout - and I will try my best to answer:D

 

Hi Highlandlassie!

 

We would like to see Stirling Castle. Would it be better to rent a car or get a taxi from the cruise terminal. There are 4 of us and the ship's tour is very expensive and includes a stop that we would prefer not to see.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Mel

Edited by melody hounddog
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We would love to go to Edinbough. Has any used anyone or is there a group that is going . May /15. Queen Mary.

My husband and I wold love to join.

 

Our ship will be docked for 9 hours.

 

Is it possible?:)

Edited by Hockeygirl123
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...