Visit Renfrewshire Places

Visit Renfrewshire Place – things to do & explore

  

Renfrewshire places overview by Walkfo

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Renfrewshire history

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Toponymy

Renfrewshire derives from its county town, which has been attested since the Roman occupation of Britain . The name is believed to originate from Common Brittonic/Cumbric, from ren, as in Scottish Gaelic: rinn .

Emergence as a county

The county of Renfrew was established by King Robert III from lands centring on the ancient lordship of Strathgryfe in 1402 . Previously religious authority had extended over the area through the authority of Paisley Abbey over local churches .

Local government reform

Renfrewshire was divided into three districts between 1973 and 1996 . The modern council area was subsequently created as one of the 32 local council areas following the 1996 reform of local government in Scotland . Barrhead, Neilston and Uplawmoor which were formerly in Renfreeshire joined with Eastwood District to form East Renfreeshire .

Industry

During the 17th and 18th century, the Industrial Revolution caused a mass increase to the textiles industry in Paisley . Meanwhile, the shipbuilding industry was stimulated .

Boundary dispute with Glasgow

Braehead shopping centre formed part of a boundary dispute between Renfrewshire and the City of Glasgow . The centre straddled the existing existing boundary line when it was created in 1999 . In 2002, a Local Government Boundary Commission ruling eventually redrew the boundary to include all of the centre .

You can visit Renfrewshire places and use Walkfo Renfrewshire to discover the history & things to do in Renfrewshire whilst walking with our free digital tour app. Walkfo Renfrewshire has 115 places on our Renfrewshire map with history, culture & travel facts that you explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Renfrewshire, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route – you choose where you want to go, when you want to go and Walkfo Renfrewshire will keep up.
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With millions of places including tourist walks, Renfrewshire travel destinations, National Trust locations converted to audio experiences, our Renfrewshire places AI guide will help you get the best from your visit to Renfrewshire & the surrounding areas. The Renfrewshire places app for iPhone & Android delivers hidden history, interesting culture and amazing facts in interactive audio stories in response to where you walk at National Heritage sites, tourist attractions, historic locations or city streets, with no predefined walk map requirements.

“The Walkfo AI has curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 115 audio facts unique to Renfrewshire places forming an interactive Renfrewshire map for you to explore.”

Walkfo’s Visit Renfrewshire Places Map
115 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Renfrewshire historic spot	Renfrewshire tourist destination	Renfrewshire plaque	Renfrewshire geographic feature
Walkfo Renfrewshire tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Renfrewshire

  

Best Renfrewshire places to visit

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Renfrewshire has many places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Renfrewshire’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Renfrewshire’s information audio spots:

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park is the collective name for areas of countryside set aside for conservation and recreation on the South Clyde estuary in Scotland .

Castle Semple Church Castle Semple Collegiate Church is located in Renfrewshire, Scotland . The late Gothic church is under the protection of Historic Environment Scotland as a Scheduled monument .

Castle Semple Castle Semple (previously Castletoun) is a former mansion house located in Renfrewshire, Scotland . It is situated near the eastern end of Castle Semple Loch, within Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park .

Stanely Castle Castle is located in the waters of Stanely Reservoir, south of Paisley, Scotland . It was probably built in the early 15th century, on an island within a marsh . Since 1837 it has been partially submerged by the reservoir, and is completely inaccessible .

Braehead Braehead (Scots: Braeheid, Gaelic: Ceann a’ Bhruthaich) is a commercial development located at the former site of a power station in Renfrew. It is particularly notable for its large shopping centre, arena and leisure facilities. The shopping centre was rebranded in 2013 and carried that name until 2020.

Visit Renfrewshire plaques