Greenock
Greenock was once a town of some renown, a busy seaport bristling with
shipyards and industries like sugar refining and rope making. You can
see evidence of those long forgotten wealthy days in the grand houses
built for merchants, and in the many tall thin steeples and spires that
tower over the town.
These days Greenock's not so great. A few years ago, during the build-up to the town's hosting of the Tall Ships Race, a television reporter asked the owner of a fast-food stall how she was preparing for the huge expected influx of tourists. Her reply was something like, 'We'll be ordering in more sausage-rolls.' Clearly, visitors were in for a real treat. And that almost sums up the town. They're trying, but not quite hard enough. They put up boards with maps to allow visitors to find their way around, then pay them scant regard as moss and mould cover them up. They erect fine underpasses leading to waterfronts, then do little when they become coated in grime and graffiti. For the Greenock of today is very rough around the edges. There is a monstrous shopping centre that has cleaved the town in two, ripping out its beating heart and replacing it with one of glass. It's kinda sad.
But for all its failings, it is Greenock's location that is its jewel. Invigorating walks along The Esplanade towards Gourock offer visitors fine views across the wide Firth of Clyde, and that is thankfully something that can never change.
These days Greenock's not so great. A few years ago, during the build-up to the town's hosting of the Tall Ships Race, a television reporter asked the owner of a fast-food stall how she was preparing for the huge expected influx of tourists. Her reply was something like, 'We'll be ordering in more sausage-rolls.' Clearly, visitors were in for a real treat. And that almost sums up the town. They're trying, but not quite hard enough. They put up boards with maps to allow visitors to find their way around, then pay them scant regard as moss and mould cover them up. They erect fine underpasses leading to waterfronts, then do little when they become coated in grime and graffiti. For the Greenock of today is very rough around the edges. There is a monstrous shopping centre that has cleaved the town in two, ripping out its beating heart and replacing it with one of glass. It's kinda sad.
But for all its failings, it is Greenock's location that is its jewel. Invigorating walks along The Esplanade towards Gourock offer visitors fine views across the wide Firth of Clyde, and that is thankfully something that can never change.
THE WATERFRONT, GREENOCK
THE OLD CUSTOMS HOUSE, GREENOCK
WILLIAM STREET, GREENOCK
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How to
GET THERE
GET THERE
You can get a train to Greenock from Glasgow Central Railway Station.
