Overview of Gourock

A small town in Inverclyde, Gourock lies on steep slopes 3 miles (5 km) west of Greenock and 26 miles (42 km) west of Glasgow on Gourock Bay, an inlet of the Firth of Clyde. Created a burgh of barony in 1694, Gourock lay on the road to Cloch Point where a ferry once crossed to Dunoon. It developed in association with ropemaking, a trade that eventually moved to Port Glasgow), copper mining, textile weaving and the production of kippers (cured herring). In 1820 a pier was opened with a direct ferry service to Dunoon and later that century Gourock became a popular holiday resort largely frequented by day trippers from Glasgow travelling 'doon the watter' by steam boat. Today Gourock has electronics industries, an amazon.co.uk fulfilment centre (the second in Britain, opened in 2004) and is the headquarters of the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry company. Car ferries operate services to Dunoon and Hunter's Quay, and there are passenger ferries linking with Helensburgh and Kilcreggan. The Cloch lighthouse, first illuminated in 1796, is still in operation and overlooking Gourock Bay is Granny Kempock's Stone, a 1.8m (6 feet) high prehistoric stone said to offer protection to shipping and good luck to young couples seeking 'Granny's blessing'. There are fine views of the Firth of the Clyde from above the town and an 18-hole golf course to the west.