Best Places to Visit in Glasgow & Lanarkshire
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit in Glasgow & Lanarkshire are Kennetpans Distillery, Enoch Linn, Corrie Spout, Stonebyres Falls, Loup of Fintry Waterfall, Auchinlinnylinn Spout and Craigie Linn.
Glasgow and Lanarkshire ring a great city with the upper Clyde and the hills that rise around it, and their quieter places are mostly waterfalls and old industry. On the Clyde near Lanark, Stonebyres Falls drops in a stepped cascade into its wooded gorge, the lowest of the Falls of Clyde.
Out on the hill fringe, the Endrick leaps at the Loup of Fintry, the Carron drops at Auchinlinnylinn below its reservoir, and the burn falls half-hidden at Corrie Spout in the Kilsyth Hills. Closer to the towns, Craigie Linn tumbles through the Gleniffer Braes above Paisley, and Enoch Linn drops on the Eaglesham Moors south of the city.
On the Forth shore, the roofless ruin of the Kennetpans distillery recalls a once-great industry. Some are cared-for and signed spots, others quiet, unsigned corners out on the moor.
Here are seven places to visit across Glasgow and Lanarkshire.
Kennetpans Distillery
Photo: Chris Allen via Geograph.org.uk
Kennetpans is the ruin of an eighteenth-century distillery on the shore of the Firth of Forth, near Kincardine. In its day it was one of the largest distilleries in Scotland, run by the Stein family, with the remains of its stone buildings and an old pier still standing on the water's edge.
Roofless walls and the pier are all that survive, on remote, undeveloped ground. A local trust has worked to save and mark the site, free to visit.
Enoch Linn
Photo: Iain Thompson via Geograph.org.uk
Enoch Linn is a small waterfall on the Dunwan Burn near Eaglesham, in East Renfrewshire south of Glasgow, close to where the burn meets the Netherton Burn. It drops in open moorland country on the edge of the Eaglesham Moors.
Little is recorded about it beyond its name and position. It is a quiet, little-known fall away from any marked route.
Corrie Spout
Photo: Robert Murray via Geograph.org.uk
Corrie Spout High in the Kilsyth Hills of Stirlingshire, some fifteen miles northeast of Glasgow and close to old local waterworks, the Corrie Burn spills over rock to make this small waterfall. Seeing it well, however, has become tricky.
New deer fencing, put up to shield plantations of young native trees, combines with the shape of the ground to hide the main part of the fall as it drops off the rocks. This is more an obscure corner of the hills than a set-piece attraction, out on the moorland edge north of the city.
Go for the walk as much as the water.
Stonebyres Falls
Photo: Alan Pitkethley via Geograph.org.uk
Stonebyres Falls On the River Clyde near Lanark in South Lanarkshire, this is the lowest of the cascades collectively called the Falls of Clyde. The river plunges in a series of steps into a wooded gorge, at its most thunderous after heavy rain, and is best seen from a viewpoint near the road below Kirkfieldbank.
A hydro-electric station dating from the 1920s stands alongside and takes off some of the flow. It is a distinct fall from the more celebrated Corra Linn upstream at New Lanark, a quieter relation on the same mighty river.
Catch it after a downpour for the full spectacle.
Loup of Fintry Waterfall
Photo: Robert Murray via Geograph.org.uk
Loup of Fintry Waterfall A couple of miles east of Fintry village, in the hills that lie between the Campsie Fells and the Fintry Hills, the River Endrick pours down this waterfall. It falls in a cascade of about twenty-nine metres, and its name draws on the Scots word loup, meaning a leap.
A roadside lay-by nearby takes only a few cars, and from it a short, often boggy path leads to a view of the falls, with a further trail climbing toward the top of the drop. Picnic spots overlook the cascade at this quiet roadside stop.
Bring lunch and linger over the view.
Auchinlinnylinn Spout
Photo: hugh mcleish via Geograph.org.uk
Auchinlinnylinn Spout Down in the wooded valley just below the Carron Valley Reservoir, in central Scotland, the River Carron tumbles over rock to form this modest waterfall. It lies in a secluded stretch of country, with the Campsie Fells rising away to the south and the Fintry hills off to the north.
Barely anything has been written about the spot, and no signposted path leads to it, so it keeps its peace and quiet. Rough moorland and a scattering of trees frame the scene, with the young Carron threading its way through.
For those who like their waterfalls unmarked, it makes a rewarding find.
Craigie Linn
Photo: Richard Sutcliffe via Geograph.org.uk
Craigie Linn is a waterfall in Glen Park, within Gleniffer Braes Country Park on the hills above Paisley in Renfrewshire. The Glen Burn drops around eight metres over a rock face in a wooded cleft, reached on signed paths through the park.
It runs fullest after rain and thins in dry spells. It is a low-key spot on the edge of the town rather than a marked attraction.
FAQs
How tall is the Loup of Fintry waterfall?
The Loup of Fintry, on the River Endrick east of Fintry, drops in a cascade of around twenty-nine metres, the tallest waterfall in Glasgow and Lanarkshire, with a lay-by and picnic places nearby. On the Clyde, Stonebyres Falls is the most powerful after heavy rain, the lowest of the Falls of Clyde near Lanark.
Which places in Glasgow and Lanarkshire are easy to reach, and which are hidden?
Stonebyres Falls, the Loup of Fintry and Craigie Linn above Paisley are the easiest to reach in Glasgow and Lanarkshire, all with parking or signed paths close by. Enoch Linn, Corrie Spout and Auchinlinnylinn are quiet, unsigned falls out on the moor, with little recorded about them, so they suit those happy to seek them out.
Is there anything beyond waterfalls to see in Glasgow and Lanarkshire?
Yes, the ruined Kennetpans distillery on the Forth shore near Kincardine was once one of the largest in Scotland, and its roofless stone walls and old pier still stand on remote ground. A local trust has saved and marked it, and it is free to visit.
Conclusion
Glasgow and Lanarkshire keep their quieter places in the Clyde gorge and the hills around the city. On the Clyde near Lanark, Stonebyres Falls drops into its wooded gorge as the lowest of the Falls of Clyde.
Out on the hill fringe, the Endrick leaps at the Loup of Fintry, the Carron drops at Auchinlinnylinn, and Corrie Spout falls half-hidden in the Kilsyth Hills. Closer to the towns, Craigie Linn tumbles through the Gleniffer Braes above Paisley and Enoch Linn drops on the Eaglesham Moors, while the roofless Kennetpans distillery recalls a once-great industry on the Forth shore.
Most are quiet, unsigned corners best after rain. These are the places to seek out across Glasgow and Lanarkshire.
