Gogo Glen – Waterfalls and a View over Largs and the Clyde
About 3.1 miles on foot.
Gogo Glen cuts into the hills right behind Largs, and you can walk into it from the edge of town.
A track leads up the wooded glen to the Greeto Falls, where two burns meet in a run of waterfalls. From there a hill path climbs on to a mast on Auchenmaid Craigs and a rocky viewpoint over the town, Cumbrae and the Firth of Clyde. It's a short walk of about 5 km, but a steep one, and Nardini's on the seafront is the place to eat afterwards.
- Time
- An hour and a half to two hours: a circuit of about 5 km (3.1 miles) with 260 metres of climb, as a walker's guide measures it.
- The path
- A clear but steep and rough track in the glen, then a built hill path with wide steps. Not for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Where to start
- On the street on Bellesdale Avenue, on the east edge of Largs, about half a mile from the town centre. Keep clear of driveways.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From November to January set off by 1pm.
- Dogs
- Under close control on the open hill, where sheep graze.
- Children
- Steep, with drops beside the falls. The walk to the Greeto Bridge and back is the shorter outing.
- Before you set out
- Steep throughout, with drops beside the waterfalls.
The walk
Park on Bellesdale Avenue, a residential street on the east edge of Largs, about half a mile from the town centre. It's street parking, so keep clear of driveways. The walk starts where the houses end. A walker's guide gives the circuit as about 5 km, or three miles, with 260 metres of climb, and allows an hour and a half to two hours.
The first part is a track into Gogo Glen, with the Gogo Water down in the trees. Where the Greeto Water comes in to join it there's a string of waterfalls, and a footbridge, the Greeto Bridge, crosses right above them. Many people turn round here. The full circuit climbs on by a well-built hill path with wide steps to the mast on Auchenmaid Craigs, 290 metres up, and then to the viewpoint at the Cauld Rocks.
From there the whole of Largs lies below you, with Great Cumbrae across the water and Bute and the hills of Arran beyond. The glen track is clear but steep and rough in places, and the gradients are stiff all the way, so it's not one for a pushchair. Keep dogs under close control on the open hill, where sheep graze, and keep children back from the edges at the falls. From November to January, set off by 1pm.
If it rains
The glen is sheltered by its trees, and the falls are at their fullest after rain, but the track is steep and slippery when wet. In heavy rain or low cloud go as far as the Greeto Bridge and back, and leave the hilltop for a clear day.
Afterwards
Nardini's
Lunch
Nardini's is on the Esplanade at the north end of Largs seafront, three minutes' drive from Bellesdale Avenue. It's the big white art deco café that opened in 1935, looking out over the Clyde, and it's open seven days a week from 10am to 8pm. Fish and chips fried to order is the thing after a hill, or a sandwich and an Italian pastry, and the ice cream is made on the premises. You can't book: it's walk-in only, with 200 seats. Dogs are welcome at the outside tables but not inside. Over Christmas and New Year, check before going on 01475 675000.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Glenstriven House, 13 miles away. next free Sun 25 Oct to Tue 27 Oct.
Where to eat
Nardini's, a restaurant in Largs.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Rosalyn Bradshaw via Google