museum
Riverside Museum
Glasgow's Zaha Hadid-designed transport museum on the Clyde, packed with classic cars, a recreated cobbled street of vintage vehicles, and the tall ship Glenlee moored outside.
14 km · about 25 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomScotland
Johnstone
Scotland, United Kingdom · Europe
About Johnstone
Johnstone is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Bridge of Weir, 30km from Loch Lomond.
Johnstone is in Scotland, United Kingdom, with about 16,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Bridge of Weir, about 5 km away.
Johnstone (Scots: Johnstoun, Scottish Gaelic: Baile Iain) is a town in the administrative area of Renfrewshire and larger historic county of the same name, in the west central Lowlands of Scotland.
The town lies 3 miles (5 km) west of neighbouring Paisley, 12 miles (19 km) west of the centre of the city of Glasgow andRead more
12 miles (19 km) north east of Kilwinning. Part of the biggest conurbation in Scotland, Johnstone is at the western edge of the Greater Glasgow Urban Area.
Where to Stay in Johnstone
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Johnstone?
Within an hour or so of Johnstone: Riverside Museum (14 km), The Oak Tree Inn (28 km), Loch Lomond (30 km), Loch Achray and Ben A'an (46 km).
Are there any good drives near Johnstone?
The nearest famous roads are Rest and Be Thankful (A83), Electric Brae and Arran Coast Road (A841).
Where is Johnstone?
Johnstone is in Scotland, United Kingdom, about 5 km from Bridge of Weir.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 15,930
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- Scotland
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 55.8291, -4.5160
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Johnstone
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
cafe
The Oak Tree Inn
A popular stopping point on the A82 beside Loch Lomond, where road trippers heading to the Scottish Highlands pause to take in one of Scotland's most beautiful lochs.
28 km · about 35 min drive
natural wonder
Loch Lomond
Britain's largest freshwater lake by surface area, where Highland mountains meet Lowland shores in a landscape immortalised in song.
30 km · about 35 min drive
natural wonder
Loch Achray and Ben A'an
A small Trossachs loch under Ben A'an, whose short steep path yields one of Scotland's best effort-to-view ratios.
46 km · about 55 min drive
famous road
Rest and Be Thankful (A83)
The famous climb out of Glen Croe in Argyll with the old military road beside it; landslide-prone but a spectacular gateway to the west coast.
47 km · about 55 min drive
natural wonder
Loch Katrine
The loch of Scott's Lady of the Lake, cruised by the 1899 steamship Sir Walter Scott and encircled by a traffic-free cycle road.
47 km · about 55 min drive
castle
Stirling Castle
One of Scotland's largest and most important castles, sitting atop Castle Hill and closely associated with Scottish independence.
48 km · about 55 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Goatfell
Arran's highest peak at 874m, climbed from Brodick, with views over the Firth of Clyde and to Ireland on clear days.
48 km · about 55 min drive
Driving roads near Johnstone
- 47 kmRest and Be Thankful (A83)The famous climb out of Glen Croe in Argyll with the old military road beside it; landslide-prone but a spectacular gateway to the west coast.
- 48 kmGoatfellArran's highest peak at 874m, climbed from Brodick, with views over the Firth of Clyde and to Ireland on clear days.
- 49 kmRest and Be ThankfulA famous viewpoint at the top of Glen Croe where 18th-century soldiers carved the name into a stone after completing the military road.
- 52 kmElectric BraeFamous optical-illusion stretch of the A719 on the Ayrshire coast where cars appear to roll uphill. Drivers have pulled over to test the gravity-defying slope since the 1930s.
- 53 kmArran Coast Road (A841)The 90km loop around Arran, taking in the Boguillie and the Ross road climbs — a classic day's drive or ride from the Brodick ferry.
- 71 kmQueensferry CrossingThe world's longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge, opened in 2017, carrying the M90 high over the Firth of Forth alongside its famous Victorian and 1960s neighbours: three centuries of bridges in one view.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
May to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
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