C62 (Inverclyde)

This article is about the Class III road numbered C62 maintained by Inverclyde Council.
For other roads numbered C62, see C62.

The C62 connects the A78 Inverkip Road at Branchton in Greenock with the A770 Shore Street in Gourock. It takes a circuitous route through housing estates and past parks, following Cumberland Road then Larkfield Road.

Route

Inverkip Road to Gourock Boundary

The remodelled junction of the A78 and C62 at Inverclyde Academy

The junction of the A78 and C62 before remodelling and construction of Inverclyde Academy

The junction with the A78, Inverkip Road at the start of the C62 was remodelled in 2008 as part of the construction scheme of the adjacent Inverclyde Academy. Remodelling included narrowing of the A78, addition of traffic lights with pedestrian crossings, addition of anti-skid surfaces, addition of safety railings and relocation of the bus lay-by slight further east.

The photos on the left were taken around 20 months apart and show the junction before and after the remodelling and the construction of the school.

After passing the school on the left, Ravenscraig stadium, also on the left, can almost be seen through a thick hedgerow. The right side of the road has a short row of shops near the traffic lights, followed by several blocks of terraced council houses which are set back from the road, separated from it by a steep grass verge.

After the stadium, another new school is passed on the left, although it's address is on Norfolk Road. Aileymill Primary School opened in 2010 to replace the nearby former Ravenscraig Primary School.

The road starts the climb towards the Gourock boundary at this point, passing through an estate of new houses which were built in 2012 on the site of the old low-rise blocks of the 1970s.

At the top of the hill, the road levels out at the junction with York Road, which is on the right. Gourock Cemetery is now on the right side of the road. The Gourock boundary is reached around 100m beyond York Road.

Gourock Boundary to Larkfield Junction

The Greenock/Gourock boundary on the C62

Larkfield Road at Broomberry Drive & Chapel Street. Known locally as Larkfield Junction (Note: car ferries no longer run regularly from Gourock Pier)

Despite being the high point of the C62 at 79m above sea level, the flat section alongside Gourock Cemetery is prone to flooding during heavy rain as a result of water running off Earnhill and Earnhill Road.

Earnhill Road, on the left, provides access to Larkfield Industrial Estate, which is home to the former national Semiconductor factory (now Diodes Incorporated). Access to the Larkfield housing scheme is also possible from Earnhill Road.

After passing the cemetery, a row of tenements is passed on the right. Opposite the tenements, a row of council 'cottage' type houses is served by a narrow access road off George Road which runs slightly below and parallel to Larkfield Road proper.

The crossroads at George Road/Hilltop Road marks the top of the 12% decent to to the end of the road. The very steep Hilltop Road provides local access to Inverclyde Royal Hospital. George Road provides access to the south Gourock housing areas between Kirn Drive and Tower Drive. The right side of the hill down to Gourock is lined mostly by bungalows, while the left side is dominated by the steeply sloped Gourock park.

The road ends at what is known locally as Larkfield Junction. This is where the C62 meets the A770 in the east end of Gourock. Opened in the mid 1970s, this channelised junction replaced a small red sandstone roundabout which was often struck by vehicles coming down larkfield Road.

Broomberry Drive also meets at this junction and provides access to the Midton and Trumethill areas of Gourock without needing to join the A770. Eastbound local traffic from Larkfield Road often avoids this junction by using Manor Crescent to reach the light controlled junction on the A770 at Cardwell Bay.