Kelly Cut Show path on map

Start location: south of Cornalees Bridge ( NS 247 720 )

End location: Kelly Reservoir ( NS 220 684 )

Geographical area: Strathclyde and Lanarkshire

Path type: Industrial Path

Path distance: 6km

Accessibility info: Suitable for pedestrians

Route Description

South of the Greenock Cut Visitor Centre, the road crosses the overflow channel of the Compensation Reservoir and immediately on the right is a gated but signed path which forms the start of this route. There is also a West of Scotland Water notice announcing this as the Kelly Aqueduct. The grass-grown hard core route follows the 1m plus wide embankment of the aqueduct southwest over Leap Moor. Reaching the Kelly Reservoir, the aqueduct ends.

To reach Wemyss Bay is another 3km downhill. Turn west at the Kelly Reservoir to follow a track past Kelly Bank Cottages (NS208684). Here the track becomes macadam, but leave it at NS201684 to pick up a path heading more directly to the pier and railway station.

Note: the Kelly Cut could easily be combined with the Greenock Cut to provide a linear walk from Greenock to Wemyss Bay. 

OS Landranger 63 (Firth of Clyde area) or Explorer 341

Heritage Information

This redundant aqueduct, known as the Kelly Cut, was built in 1845 to take water from the Kelly Reservoir above Wemyss Bay to the Compensation Reservoir at Cornalees, the source of Greenock's water supply.