Four outside locations we recommend are:
-
Glasgow Green (City Centre) -
Bellahouston Park (Glasgow South) -
Crammond / Silverknowes (Edinburgh West) -
Lochwinnoch (cycle path)
| Location/Maps | How Difficult | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen Esplanade | Very Easy | Surfaces generally good, some rough patches. Easy access. Recommended |
| Aberfeldy, Victoria Park | Easy | Good venue for beginners. |
| Airdrie to Bathgate | Easy, but a challenge. | Re-opened at last., April 2011. More information to follow. |
| Ardrossan & Saltcoats | Very Easy | Skate the two towns along the sea front. Flat, smooth, a few kerbs. |
| Ayr Esplanade | Very Easy | Good surfaces, flat, sometimes busy, can be windy. Easy access. Recommended. |
| Isle of Cumbrae | Easy | A good skate but poor road surfaces spoil it a bit. |
| Culross | Easy | Mile long cycle track at sea front beside rail line. Flat, smooth surface, grumpy locals. Good for beginners. |
| Dumbarton to Bowling using cycle route 7. | Easy | Good tarmac surface, some rough patches, mostly flat, a couple of hills. There and back about 7 miles with one road to cross, take care. |
| Dundee | Easy | Riverside Drive, about 4½ miles long, runs along beside the main road. |
| Dunfermline to Clackmannan cycle path | Easy | Straight undulating cycle track. Some rough surfaces, can be a bit gritty, mostly easy skating. Best with a following wind. Worth a good try. |
| Dunfermline Pittencrieff Park | Very Easy to Difficult | Well kept park & surfaces. Very hilly. Good for a short work out or early beginner for practising. |
| Eaglesham Windfarm | Easy | Park ¾ mile past visitor centre. Very smooth surface, a few speed bumps. Short, just over a mile long. Good for beginners. |
| Edinburgh cycle path circuit | Easy to difficult | Some rough surfaces & hills, cross & skate a couple of busy roads, a few steps, only for the competent skater. A cycle path map would be handy. |
| Edinburgh West, Cramond Esplanade | Easy | Esplanade off Marine Drive, mainly flat and smooth, some rough patches, steep hill access/exit at Silverknowes. Recently extended smooth surface. Highly Recommended. |
| Edinburgh East, Portobello | Easy | Smooth surface, some cobbles, slight gradient, can be busy and windy. |
| Edinburgh Central, Victoria Park | Very Easy | Off Ferry Road. Ideal venue for the first-time beginner. Easy access. Recommended. |
| Edinburgh - Various Routes | Variable | Dave Henniker's videos show you skating possibilities throughout the city. |
| Glasgow Central, Glasgow Green | Very Easy to Difficult | Some rough surfaces, a couple of steep hills but mainly flat. Plenty of easy skating. Easy access. Recommended |
| Glasgow South, Bellahouston Park | Very Easy to Difficult | Mainly good surfaces, some rough, flat, a few hills, one steep. Cycle track, good out of the park skating, plenty of easy skating. Highly recommended. |
| Glasgow West, Kelvingrove Park | Easy to Difficult | Mainly good surfaces, a bit hilly, skate park. Smaller skating area but in the heart of the West End! |
| Glasgow West, Victoria Park Gardens | Easy | Suitable for beginners, flat variable surfaces, narrow pathways, can get very busy. |
| Glasgow East using Cycle Route 75 | Easy | Follow cycle route 75 from Glasgow Green. Closed at present for upgrading. Looks (7.03.11) as if it could be closed for some time. |
| Greenock Esplanade | Easy | Mostly flat, hill at one end, reasonable surfaces. Easy access. Can be windy. |
| Irvine to Prestwick using cycle path 7 | Easy to Difficult. A Challenge. | Take care when crossing railway lines and on gritty pavement beside busy road. Some rough surfaces. |
| Kilmacolm towards Johnstone | Easy | Undulating terrain, upgraded smooth surfaces. Good "off the road" skating. Possible to skate to Lochwinnoch. Recommended. |
| Kilmarnock to Irvine | Easy | Using cycle track 73. Smooth flat surface from Kilmarnock to Springside, thereafter surfaces become rougher and narrower. Occasional hill. |
| Largs Esplanade | Easy | Flat, mainly good surfaces, sometimes busy near the ferry terminal. Can be windy. Easy access. Recommended |
| Lochwinnoch Loop | Easy | Steep start/finish hill. Good "off the road" skating slight undulating terrain. Skater friendly pathway. Recommended. |
| Lochwinnoch Loop to Bellahouston Park | Easy to Difficult. A Challenge. | Use Cycle Routes. Must be capable of stopping on public roads, cope with rough surfaces, steep hills and crossing busy roads. |
| Monifieth to Carnoustie cycle path | Easy to Difficult | Ability to stop is necessary on this cycle pathway, cope with some rough surfaces and hills. |
| Montrose | Easy | Skate anywhere, the town is flat. Recommended. |
| Newton Mearns to Fenwick using the A77 cycle path | Easy | Smooth surfaces with rough patches. Some sections spoiled by grit on the pathway. More suited to big wheel skates. A good skate with a following wind. |
| Perth, North Inch Park | Easy | Mostly flat, reasonable surfaces. Easy access. Good for beginners. Highly recommended. Can be busy at popular times. |
| Prestwick Esplanade | Easy | Smooth surface, some paving, slight gradient. Can be windy. Recommended. Easy access. |
| St. Andrews to Guardbridge cycle path | Easy | Good skating. Unless competent don't skate on the very small pavement section that runs beside the A91, turn and come back. |
| Troon | Easy | Skate anywhere, the town is flat. Recommended. |
You can read about skaters' experiences on some of these routes in more detail in TrySkating's newsletter archive. Subscribe (free and private) to our monthly newsletter and keep up to date on local skating activities.
Skate Routes
Grading skate routes can be tricky because, dependent on ability, what one skater finds easy another finds difficult. Should you be reasonably fit and capable of stopping proficiently then all the skate locations are relatively easy. If you can't stop competently you must not skate on public roads. Not sure you can handle any of this. Can't skate rough surfaces, then take a lesson.
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