We took the 9.30 train from Euston on which we had booked two bikes.  In spite of Virgin Customer Relations saying: “We would be unable to accept a tandem on board that service (a Pendelino) as it would not fit into our Cycle storage racks on board”, the tandem fitted in easily. On arrival in Glasgow at 2:05 pm we had a hard time getting the tandem out through the other door, but got going by about 2:20.

Glasgow to Troon on Sustrans routes 7 and 75

We left on the east side of the station and went down to the river Clyde, riding west on the north side until past the motorway, then crossed over. The Sustrans route was rather fiddly to follow out of Glasgow and it took a long time to get to Paisley, but quite a lot of it was in pleasant parks.

Then we followed a good (dismantled) railway track untll Lochwinnoch whose north bank we followed, seeing herons. We continued on attractive country roads past hills with wind farms to Irvine which seems attractive with many green spaces in the town, a wide river and a sea loch and a good old centre.

The route should follow the coast but turns inland with views of the sea. We arrived in Troon as it was getting dusk.

All along the way we saw many examples of Sustrans sculptures.