Photographs, route description and map of Gleniffer Braes Country Park above Paisley in the West of Scotland

Location: Gleniffer Braes, East Renfrewshire
Map: 05 Landlanger 64 ( GR 480 607 )
Distance: 4 miles ( 6.5km )
Time: 2 hours
Terrain: tracks and waymarked paths

The high ground above Paisley is known as the Gleniffer Braes - the area is fairly close to main roads and oﬂers bracing moorland walking with fine views north to Ben Lomond and the highlands.
The eastern end of the escarpment is much the wilder and best accessed from Glen Park in Glenburn on the southern edge at Paisley.
From the car park follow the path from its far end to gain open ground and a tarmac route through woodland above the ponds.
Continue through more open hillside, passing a signpost indicating a route right to the waterfall.
Cross a burn and swing left at the next junction where a sign points to the Robertson car park. Ascend a path up through woodland, exiting on to a track (the continuation of the access mad to Paisley Golf Club ). Follow that up and left to a gate, then through that towards Glenburn Reservoir.
Skirt the reservoir on the right, following the fencing, round to a wooden footbridge over the burn at the reservoirs southern tip. Follow a path on the right side of the burn which leads to a kissing gate. Go through it, cross the burn and ascend directiy. passing below the pylon wires to a few trees and a cairn marking Point 219 metres on the OS map.
Continue round and down to the right to another kissing gate and down past a sign to Paisley via Harelaw Reservoir.
Follow this down to gain the reservoir access road and follow it left to the end. Go through a gate then left on a path heading back to Glenburn Reservoir over the crest, turn right at a signpost to Paisley and descend between the wall and fence to gain a track on the right.
Descend this aover Burnside Braes to a sharp right bend.Turn left here and follow the signposted route hack to Glen Park.

Paisley's "car park in the sky” at Robertson Park is the starting point for this ﬁne circuit of the two western sections of the Gleniffer Braes above the town. In his classic Rambles Round Glasgow (1854), Hugh MacDonald praised the view from here as the fairest in Scotland. While MacDonald's view has changed somewhat in the past 150 years, it remains a ﬁne prospect north over the Clyde valley to the Kilpatrick Hills and Ben Lomond.
Leave Robertson car park and cross Gleniffer Road on to a path signposted Brandy Burn. Follow the main path round with good views over to Ben Lomond, then left towards conifer plantations and a ﬁrebreak. Turn right at the junction and continue to clear the trees, then go left below pylon wires to gain the trig point at point 218m and open views north. Facing Ben Lomond, descend diagonally left to gain a lower path and follow it below the woodland edge veering right where the path divides, to descend below the plantation past old concrete marker blocks. Go through a tongue of conifers and drop down right to gain a well-worn path that leads to a kissing gate at the edge of Bardrain Wood. Turn left and ascend to the conifer boundary and follow it round towards the electricity substation.
Follow the path round the perimeter fence past two gates and into woodland. Pass the ﬁrebreak and on to where the fence turns sharp right. Turn left here and follow a path through the woodland, right, then left, to a junction. Go left, climb to a high point with a bench and ﬁne views, then follow the path down right and cross the road back to Robertson car park.
Turn right in the car park and up through an old pedestrian gate into open meadow, keeping right where the grassy paths divide, then swinging round left past a solitary tree to meet a track leading to the ear park on Sergeant Law Road. Pass through a metal kissing gate and follow the boundary of Paisley Golf Club down past the clubhouse to the crest of the Gleniffer Braes, where a large wooden post with horseshoes indicates a path heading off to the left. Contour the braes west to gain a tarmac path beside Gleniffer Gorge. Turn left and follow the tarmac and earth path up and over the gorge then back down the other side, before heading west over the braes to reach Sergeant Law Road again. Cross over and go right on a good path signposted Tannahill Walkway, Robertson Park and Brandy Burn Way, which leads back to the Robertson car park.