Gourock’s biggest
Gourock Park
Park or garden
13 ha (32 acres)2.4 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.4 km of path
18 pitchesfootball pitches would fit
Centralin the middle of Gourock
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Photo: Dave souza · CC BY-SA 2.5–Not graded
Outdoors in Gourock · parks, paths & countryside
Gourock is on the coast
The sea makes up 48% of the area within 5 km. The Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park begins 2.8 mi from the town’s edge. Footpaths add up to 25 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 1.3 for every square kilometre. Gourock has no Outdoors Grade: Scottish towns aren’t graded on the outdoors yet.
Green space
2.5 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical town in England and Wales 2.1
Near a park
78%
of residents within 400 m
Typical town in England and Wales 83%
Footpaths
25 km
1.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical town in England and Wales 3.0 per km²
Protected landscape
0%
of the land within 5 km
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park starts 2.8 mi out, past the 5 km
The sea
48%
of the area within 5 km
A coastal town
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Gourock?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On the coast48% of the area within 5 km is sea; 6 beaches mapped.Countryside both waysLoch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park starts 2.8 mi north-west, Loch Lomond 5.9 mi north-east.
Gourock’s strongest suit is the sea, followed by two protected landscapes close by.
The map
Parks, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Gourock’s locality.
Green space: parks, gardens, playing fields and play spaces, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · Contains OS data © Crown copyright · Scottish Government, NatureScot
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Gourock
The biggest is Gourock Park, 13 ha (32 acres). Directions go to the park’s nearest public entrance where Ordnance Survey maps one.
Darroch Park
Park or garden
0.5 ha (1 acres)
0.5 mi north-eastfrom the centre
1 listed
Directionsto the nearest entrance
Close to home
8 in 10 Gourock residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (NRS Census 2022 output areas against OS Open Greenspace).
Within 400 m (78%)Further (22%)
Gourock78%
Inverclyde towns72%
Towns in England and Wales83%
About 2,300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees; 27 playgrounds are mapped in and around the town, about one for every 373 residents.
National Parks & National Scenic Areas
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and Loch Lomond both start about 6 miles from Gourock
Protected landscapes within 30 km, by direction and distance from the edge of the locality; circle size shows each one’s area. National Scenic Areas are Scotland’s finest landscapes, chosen by NatureScot.
National ParkNational Scenic AreaThe 5 km the grade counts
National Park
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
2.8 mi north-west1,861 km²since 2002
Official siteNational Scenic Area
Loch Lomond
5.9 mi north-east281 km²since 1980
National Scenic Area
Kyles of Bute
9.1 mi west45 km²since 1980
Protected landscape begins just outside the 5 km ring the Outdoors Grade measures, so Gourock scores 0% on it even though the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is 2.8 mi away. Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park covers 1,861 km² and has been a National Park since 2002.
Footpaths & waymarked walks
5 waymarked walks pass through or near Gourock
25 km of footpaths, tracks and core paths are mapped in Gourock and the kilometre around it, 1.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical town in England and Wales has 3.0). Bars show each route’s kilometres within 2 km of the town.
RegionalLocal
Clyde Coastal Path: 1A: 2 Lunderston Bay to Greenock Esplanade10.8 km
Clyde Coastal Path: 1: 4 Wemyss Bay to Victoria Harbour2.4 km
The Greenock Cut2.4 km
Clyde Coastal Path: 1A: 1 Wemyss Bay to Lunderston Bay1.0 km
Clyde Coastal Path: 1A: 3 Greenock Esplanade to Victoria Harbour0.3 km
4 regional routes pass through, including the Clyde Coastal Path: 1A: 2 Lunderston Bay to Greenock Esplanade, Clyde Coastal Path: 1: 4 Wemyss Bay to Victoria Harbour, Clyde Coastal Path: 1A: 1 Wemyss Bay to Lunderston Bay and Clyde Coastal Path: 1A: 3 Greenock Esplanade to Victoria Harbour.
Waymarked walks are OpenStreetMap walking routes. Scotland has no rights-of-way register: everyone has a right of responsible access to most land, so tracks and councils’ core paths count. Paths are only as complete as the map in each area.
When to get out
The best walking months in Gourock: May to September
The town’s 1991–2020 averages (Met Office HadUK-Grid) and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have 12½+ hours of daylight, highs of 15 °C or more and little rain for the town.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 7.6 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 14.1 | 16.3 | 17.6 | 17.0 | 15.1 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 8.1 | 7.0 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 212 | 198 | 164 | 123 | 100 | 111 | 131 | 149 | 137 | 209 | 193 | 229 |
May is the driest month (100 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7 hours of daylight in December, and 229 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 25 nights a year. The climate in Gourock →
The coast
The coast and beaches near Gourock
48% of the area within 5 km of Gourock is sea. 6 beaches are mapped within 5 km, 0 with a name.
Sea: the area outside the ONS coastline (mean high water). Bathing water quality is published by SEPA; check it before swimming.
Things to do
3 viewpoints and 27 playgrounds
Mapped within 2 km of the town in OpenStreetMap. Named places are listed with directions; unnamed ones are only counted.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 2
Lyle Hill130 m (427 ft) · 0.2 mi from town
DirectionsBunston Knowe86 m (282 ft) · 0.8 mi from town
DirectionsNature reserves 1
Coves Community Park Local Nature Reserve43 ha · 0.3 mi from town
DirectionsPlaygrounds 27
Albert Road Play Areain town
DirectionsCove Road Playparkin town
DirectionsPlus 25 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Slipways 10
Plus 10 slipways without a name on the map.
Next door
The outdoors in nearby towns
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles. Tap a town for its outdoors page.
GreenockInverkipDunoonHelensburghPort GlasgowKilmacolmGourock
ABCDOutdoors Grade
| Town | Outdoors | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Near a park | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gourock | – | 2.5 | 78% | 0% |
| Greenock 2.1 mi | – | 1.5 | 77% | 0% |
| Inverkip 3.5 mi | – | 0.3 | 3% | 0% |
| Dunoon 3.8 mi | – | 0.7 | 74% | 9% |
| Helensburgh 5.4 mi | – | 1.0 | 72% | 24% |
| Port Glasgow 6.3 mi | – | 2.9 | 72% | 0% |
| Kilmacolm 8.7 mi | – | 1.9 | 42% | 0% |
Questions about the outdoors in Gourock
What is the biggest park in Gourock?
Gourock Park, 13 ha (32 acres), with 2.4 km of path. Darroch Park (0.5 ha) is second. 2 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is Gourock near a National Park?
Yes. Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park begins 2.8 mi north-west of the town’s edge. It covers 1,861 km² and has been a National Park since 2002.
What are the best walks near Gourock?
5 waymarked walking routes pass within 2 km of the town, including the Clyde Coastal Path: 1A: 2 Lunderston Bay to Greenock Esplanade, Clyde Coastal Path: 1: 4 Wemyss Bay to Victoria Harbour and The Greenock Cut. Gourock Park alone has 2.4 km of path.
How many people in Gourock live near a park?
78% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a public park, garden or playing field (NRS Census 2022 output areas against OS Open Greenspace). The typical town in England and Wales is 83%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Gourock?
May to September: the longest days, the warmest afternoons and the least rain of the year, from the Met Office 1991–2020 averages.
How is the Outdoors Grade worked out?
From five measures, each placed among UK towns of 1,000 or more: public green space per resident, the share living near a park, National Park or National Scenic Area within 5 km, footpaths per square kilometre, and the sea within 5 km. It is a character grade and isn’t part of Gourock’s overall grade.
Sources
Where Gourock’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks and green space: Ordnance Survey OS Open Greenspace (parks and gardens, playing fields, play spaces, and their access points). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- National Parks and National Scenic Areas: Scottish Government and NatureScot boundaries (Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, Cairngorms; the 40 National Scenic Areas), clipped to land, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Footpaths, tracks, core paths, walking routes, beaches and things to do: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License (ODbL), via Geofabrik’s Scotland extract, October 2026.
- Historic gardens, listed buildings and monuments: Historic Environment Scotland designations, Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Rain and temperature: Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the town; daylight calculated from its latitude.
- The sea: ONS Countries (December 2024) boundaries clipped to mean high water. Residents near a park: NRS Scotland’s Census 2022 output areas.
- Grade: Scottish towns have no Outdoors Grade yet.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.