Undiscovered Scotland

 

Inverclyde is one of the 32 unitary council areas into which Scotland has been divided since 1996. It extends inland from the south side of the Firth of Clyde and includes the settlements of Port Glasgow, Greenock, Gourock, Kilmacolm and Wemyss Bay. For accommodation in Inverclyde and a full list of features, see our Glasgow & Clyde Valley area pages.

 

Inverclyde is one of the smallest of Scotland's council areas, ranking 29th in terms of physical size and 27th in terms of population. Historically it was a centre for shipbuilding: only one shipyard now remains on this stretch of the Clyde. But Greenock remains a significant port. The Greenock Ocean Terminal is the main container terminal for the west of Scotland and has daily feeder links to international shipping services via Southampton, Liverpool and Belfast. It is also becoming increasingly popular as a stopping off point for cruise ships.

Inverclyde is bordered on its south by North Ayrshire and on its south-east by Renfrewshire.

From the point of view of local authority coverage, the area now covered by Inverclyde formed part of the traditional county of Renfrewshire right up to a major reorganisation in 1975. At that point, the Inverclyde District came into being as one of 19 district council areas within Strathclyde Region, itself one of the 12 regions into which Scotland was divided. When regions disappeared from the scene in the 1996 reorganisation, Inverclyde became one of the 32 unitary council areas into which the country has since been divided.