C81 (Inverclyde)

This article is about the Class III road numbered C81 maintained by Inverclyde Council.
For other roads numbered C81, see C81.

The C81 starts on the A78, Inverkip Road above Greenock town centre and heads north through suburbs to join the A770, Eldon Street at Battery Park.

Route

Gateside Avenue to Lyle Road

Gateside Avenue and the left turns only junction

Right turns are not permitted at the junction of Inverkip Road and Gateside Avenue. This means that southbound traffic from the C81 must first turn left and then turn around at the roundabout at the B7054 junction. Traffic from Greenock must turn right 250m before this junction to join Gateside Avenue via Old Inverkip Road. Traffic from the B7054 must also use the Old Inverkip Road route, which involves a non-intuitive turn towards Greenock at the same roundabout as mentioned above.

After around 100m, Gateside Avenue becomes Grieve Road and starts to climb quite steeply towards Lyle Road. An elongated and sloping roundabout provides a challenge for visitors at the junction with Lyle Road. Turning right here leads to the panoramic viewpoint at Craigs Top, but the C81 turns left instead.

Lyle Road to Eldon Street

C81 Lyle Road gives way to C80 Newark Street

The road drops quite steeply from the junction, then very steeply at a pair of hairpin bends on the approach to the foot of the hill. Immediately after passing under the Gourock branch of the Inverclyde Line at Fort matilda railway station, the road crosses the C80, Newark Street. From here the A770 is less than 50m away, but the road is one way only, from the opposite direction, thus entailing a short journey west on the C80 to join the A770, Eldon Street at the Old Toll House.