The Kelly Cut

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Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   Text © Copyright January 2009, Thomas Nugent; licensed for re-use under a Creative Commons Licence.
Images also under a similar Creative Commons Licence.


What is The Kelly Cut?

The cut is a narrow 4 mile long non navigable canal which once fed water from The Kelly Reservoir on the hill behind Wemyss Bay and Crawhin Reservoir on Crawhin Hill near Cornalees to The Compensation Reservoir at Cornalees which in turn fed The Greenock Cut which fed water to Greenock for industrial and domestic use.

Built in 1845, the Kelly Cut is less substantial than the Greenock Cut in terms its construction and footbridges, as can be seen within this article. The cut runs around Wenchly Top, Brown Hill and Crawhin Hill at around 500 feet above sea level.

This article describes a 12 mile circular route based on the cut and (mostly) minor roads. There is no maintained footpath for most of the length of the cut, but it is walkable with care if boots are worn. Experienced mountainbikers shouldn't have a problem, but I would not recommend it for a family bike ride due to the generally muddy and rutted narrow paths. Best stick to the adjacent Greenock Cut if cycling with children.

How To Get There

By road: Greenock Cut Centre (formerly known as Cornalees Bridge) is clearly signposted in both directions from the A78 main road from Greenock to Largs.
NS2273 : The A78 dual carriageway at Spango Valley by Thomas Nugent


By Rail: Take a Wemyss Bay train from Glasgow Central and get off at Inverkip (the last station before Wemyss Bay) and it's a three mile journey from there, past Inverkip Church and up the picturesque Shielhill Glen Road to Cornalees. The service is hourly and the journey from Glasgow takes about fifty minutes.
NS2071 : Inverkip Railway Station by Thomas Nugent NS2071 : The Kyles by Thomas Nugent NS2072 : Inverkip Church by Thomas Nugent NS2272 : Majeston farm and Inverkip from Greenock Cut by Thomas Nugent

Alternately, to tackle the route in the opposite direction, stay on the train to Wemyss Bay which is the terminus.
NS1968 : Ticket office at Wemyss Bay station by Thomas Nugent NS1968 : Wemyss Bay railway station by Thomas Nugent NS1968 : Wemyss Bay station tower by Thomas Nugent

Bikes are carried free on these trains and there is no need to book. Look out for the cycle logo on the side of the train to show where the bike accommodation is located.


Greenock Cut Visitor Centre

Formerly known As Cornalees Bridge, the centre and the cut lie within the Clyde Muirshiel Regional ParkExternal link. Much of the park is desolate moorland, which is an attraction in itself, but there are many other areas which can be easily accessed on foot or by mountain bike. This is one of several ranger manned visitor centres within the park which stretches from the moors to the Clyde Coast beaches.

Toilets, parking and hot & cold snacks are available at the centre or at the adjacent Ardgowan Fishery which appears to be open 24 hours all year round.
NS2472 : Ancient and Modern by Thomas Nugent NS2472 : Cornalees Bridge Centre by Elliott Simpson NS2472 : Cornalees and Dunrod Hill by Thomas Nugent


Kelly Cut Bridges

There are many bridges along the cut, mostly quite narrow and providing access across the cut for sheep. There are one or two wider ones which can handle tractors or quad bikes. The Kelly Cut bridges are simple girder and concrete prefabricated section constructions, much less substantial than those on the Greenock cut as can be seen below.
NS2270 : Footbridge at Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : Footbridge at Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent . . . NS2373 : Bridge over Greenock Cut by Thomas Nugent
Kelly Cut Bridge Examples . . . Greenock Cut Bridge Example


Compensation Reservoir

Water flowed from The Kelly Cut and the adjacent Loch Thom into this reservoir which in turn fed The Greenock Cut, keeping the water there at a constant level. The reservoir is a stocked fishery which attracts anglers from many parts of Scotland and beyond.
NS2472 : Cornalees Bridge Centre, Clyde Muirshiel by wfmillar NS2472 : Fishing Shack by Thomas Nugent NS2472 : Ardgowan Fishery by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : Cornalees Farm by Thomas Nugent NS2572 : Compensation Reservoir by Thomas Nugent NS2572 : Compensation Reservoir by Thomas Nugent NS2572 : Compensation Reservoir by Thomas NugentNS2472 : Compensation Reservoir by Thomas Nugent


Start Of The Cut

Kelly Cut enters Compensation Reservoir near the spillway which feeds the Greenock Cut. A signpost near the road at Cornalees Bridge shows the start of the cut.
NS2472 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : Cornalees Bridge by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : Finger sign at Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent


Shielhill Glen Section

The first half mile or so of the cut is part of a circular nature trail centred on Greenock Cut Visitor Centre. This stretch of the Kelly Cut runs parallel with The Greenock Cut, but on opposite sides of Shielhill Glen. After the boardwalk off to the right, the path will become less busy and also less maintained.
NS2471 : Shielhill Glen by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : Benches at Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : Shielhill Glen by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : Sluice on Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2471 : Cornalees boardwalk by Thomas Nugent


Crawhin Hill Section

After passing the boardwalk, the cut skirts around Crawhin Hill. The path gradually deteriorates, as does the condition of the cut itself, but is still walkable for those with suitable footwear. A pair of sluice gates mark the spot where Crawhin Burn joins the cut from Crawhin Reservoir.
NS2371 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2371 : Dusk on the Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2371 : Old sluice gates by Thomas Nugent NS2371 : Sluices on Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2371 : Sluices on Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2371 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2371 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2371 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent


Brown Hill Section

After the sluices, the cut continues around Brown Hill which is part of Leap Moor. Daff Reservoir and Leapmoor Forest can be seen to the north.
NS2370 : Daff Reservoir by william craig NS2370 : Daff Reservoir by Thomas Nugent NS2370 : Daff Reservoir by Thomas Nugent NS2370 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2370 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2370 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2370 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2370 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2270 : Daff Reservoir by Thomas Nugent NS2270 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2270 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2270 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2270 : Footbridge at Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2270 : Leapmoor Forest by Thomas Nugent


Wenchly Top Section

The cut continues through Leap Moor, winding its way along from Brown hill to Wenchly Top, following the contour line to avoid the need for bridging the many small glens encountered along the way. The halfway point between Cornalees Bridge and Wemyss Bay is passed within this section.
NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : Leap Moor and Leapmoor Forest by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : Leap Moor by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : Marker on the Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : Leap Moor and Leapmoor Forest by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : Leap Moor and Leapmoor Forest by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent

The final section of the cut, around Wenchly Top to Kelly Reservoir, has been upgraded and runs in a concrete channel. It appears that this section feeds water from Kelly Reservoir to Daff Reservoir via Glenshilloch burn, which runs under the footbridge in the first photo below, to the southeast corner of the Daff.
NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by william craig NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2269 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2268 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2268 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2268 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent NS2268 : The Kelly Cut by Thomas Nugent


Kelly Reservoir

Kelly Reservoir is the starting point of the Kelly Cut. From here, a dirt track leads down the hill to Kelly Bank Cottage at which point a tarmac road continues all the way down the hill, through the caravan parks to Wemyss Bay.
NS2268 : Kelly Reservoir by Thomas Nugent NS2268 : Kelly Reservoir by Thomas Nugent NS2268 : Kelly Reservoir by Thomas Nugent NS2268 : Kelly Reservoir by Thomas Nugent NS2268 : Guidepost at Kelly Reservoir by Thomas Nugent

KML

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