Visit
Head out your front door and dive into the world of Microadventures in Renfrewshire.
Leave the car at home. Go someplace different. Reveal new views. Whatever your ability, we think microadventures have something for everyone.
We’re spoilt for outdoor choices in Renfrewshire. With incredible travel links across the area, it’s not hard to find yourself in wild woodlands or open moorland. You can find real adventure without going far from home.
Microadventures are about exploring your local area in new ways. Challenge yourself at whatever level you feel comfortable. And for us, microadventures in Renfrewshire are about looking at the places you know well, but in a new light.
Whether it’s a long weekend, an after-work ramble, solo or with friends—what the adventure looks like is up to you!
Alastair Humphreys, the inventor of the term ‘microadventure’ says, “the appeal of microadventures is that they make adventure accessible to people who may have very little outdoor experience”
You might also want to check out our Easy Outdoors section.
Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park ranger led walk
Here’s some inspiration for a microadventure in Renfrewshire.
A 5-9 escape
- This is all about taking advantage of those long summer nights to have an adventure in the time where you aren’t at work.
- Leave your desk at 5pm. Run, walk, cycle or bus to your chosen spot. Set up camp and sleep under the stars. Watch the sunrise. Pack up your kit, leaving no trace.
- Head back to your desk and ask your colleagues what they got up to last night.
Connecting parks
- Pick up a map of your local area.
- Look at all the local parks in your area and see if you can find a fun route between them.
- Try to avoid main roads, and plot paths you’ve not been down before.
- Try to make it circular so you are always moving forwards.
- Then pack some sandwiches and go exploring.
Horizon spotting
This one is particularly good if you live up a hill or in a flat.
- Pick something interesting from your view.
- It might be a windswept tree on a hill, an electricity pylon, a large tower, or a strange building.
- Now locate it on a map and see if you can plot a route to it, sticking to paths, roads, and trails.
- How close can you get? Can you see your starting point? Was it what you thought it would be?
Time limit photography
- Pack a camera, or your phone, and pick a time limit and a place.
- You might choose twenty minutes in your local park, or an hour up the braes, or two hours in a new village.
- Wander around, take photos, look for the little details. Listen to the wildlife, spot the birds, document the wildflowers.
- If you’re in a village, why not try a local café or pub for a bite to eat?
- Spend some dedicated time getting immersed in the space, explore somewhere you’ve not been before or look in closer detail at a place you already know.
Connecting stations
- We’ve got a lot of train stations in Renfrewshire.
- Why not try picking two and see if you can plot a route between them?
- Depending on which ones you pick, you might need a bike for this one.
- Take advantage of the National Cycle Network for some traffic-free riding.
Trig bagging
Did you know at one time there were 6,500 trig points in the UK? Trig points are used to survey land and were generally built on the highest bit of ground in an area.
- Take a map of your local area and locate your nearest, or highest, trig point—then go find it!
- The trig point on the Gleniffer Braes has a stunning view of Ben Lomond on a clear day, and just over the Renfrewshire/Glasgow border, the Hurlet trig point is an alien!
