Learn to Skate - inline skating
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Where to skate
(Photo by Lenny Willcox)
On this page you find information about the best places to skate safely in Scotland.
GliDE the GREEN (Glasgow City Centre)
Due to Glasgow being a bit "hilly" and having many street surfaces that are not ideal for recreational, street or fitness skating it has been very difficult to locate places where skaters can meet to enjoy recreational skating in one another's company. Glasgow Green, has been considerably upgraded, is skater friendly with long runs, reasonable surfaces (some smooth, some rough) with flat skating on the neighbouring streets. This is a good central spot for everyone to reach with easy access by car or public transport.
BELLAHOUSTON PARK (Glasgow South)
Due to resurfacing many of the pathways are now skater friendly. Add to that the renovated outdoor running track and you have especially good skating on mainly smooth flat surfaces. Good skating on the pathway beside Mosspark Boulevard. Competent skaters can cross the road to Pollok Park where surfaces are a bit more mixed.
CRAMOND/SILVERKNOWES (Edinburgh West)
The Esplanade (recently extended towards Granton) gives skaters a chance to skate longer distances, which helps improve striding technique. Nice and flat, most of the surface is smooth with some rougher parts. Private Lessons are held here most Saturdays, all year round, weather permitting.
LOCHWINNOCH LOOP (cycle path)
Lochwinnoch Rollerstrollers
A popular venue for the ROLLERSTROLL a relaxed informal skate along the "off the road" cycle path at Lochwinnoch aimed at skaters who have taken lessons or have previously skated and can manage the basics of stopping to cope with the entry/exit hill. The stroll is a slow pace skate on Sundays and allows time for everyone to catch up but if you are a first-time beginner we do recommend lessons before you join in. Wednesday evenings (Easter to September) are at a quicker pace. (The Wednesday Whizz) We meet, and leave from, the Water Sports Centre car park, skate for about an hour or longer depending what skaters want to do on the day. The stroll is completely FREE and you take part at your own risk. Juniors must wear safety pads and a helmet. All dates and venue changes are posted on the "lets Go skating" page.
Always remember to wear safety pads and a helmet when you skate. When skating in a public area, please be on your best behaviour giving precedence to pedestrians especially children, elderly and disabled people at all times.
| Location/Maps | How Difficult | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen Esplanade | Very Easy | Surfaces generally good, some rough patches. Easy access. Recommended |
| Airdrie to Bathgate | Easy | Temporarily closed due the re-opening of the adjacent rail line. The cycle path is supposed to be back in service 2011. |
| 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. |
| 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 practise. |
| Edinburgh West, Cramond Esplanade | Easy | Esplanade off Marine Drive, mainly flat and smooth, some rough patches, steep hill access/exit at Silverknowes. Recently extended smooooooth 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 possibilites 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 | Good surfaces, a bit hilly, skate park. Smaller skating area but in the heart of the West End! |
| Glasgow West, Victoria Park Gardens | Easy | Good for beginners, flat reasonable surfaces, narrow pathways, can get very busy. |
| Greenock Esplanade | Easy | Mostly flat, hill at one end, reasonable surfaces. Easy access. Can be windy. |
| Irvine to Prestwick using cycle path 7 | Difficult | A challenging route. Take care when crossing railway lines and on gritty pavement beside busy road. |
| Kilmacolm towards Johnstone | Easy | Undulating terrain, mostly smooth surfaces, some rough patches. Good "off the road" skating. Recommended. |
| 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 | Must be capable of stopping on public roads, cope with some rough surfaces, steep hills and crossing busy roads. |
| Monifieth to Carnoustie cycle path | Easy to Difficult | Must be capable of stopping 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. |
| 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 small pavement section that runs beside the A91, turn and come back. |
| Troon | Easy | Skate anywhere, the town is flat. |
Grading skate locations 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.
Lochwinnoch start point
- We like to know what you think of the routes. If you have skated one and would like to email your comments we will add it to our review page.
- Found somewhere good to skate in your area with decent surfaces and mainly flat? Share it with other skaters by having it listed.
- Not sure you can handle any of this? Can't skate rough surfaces? Take a lesson or book a skate clinic. Details on the lessons page.
The pic shows the Rollerstroll starting point where we join the Lochwinnoch Loop. For a full calendar of skate events go to the "lets go skating" page.