Anyone who has ever had to commute from Glasgow to the west empathises with the horror you feel…read morewhen realisation strikes that you have, in fact, boarded the express train to Balloch rather than a normal service. "Ladies and gentleman, the next stop is.... ....Dumbarton Central." The stations you should be stopping at mock you as they whizz by, while other passengers smirk at your frantic phone calls, "I won't be in until 6...I know you said 5.30 but...yes but it's not my fault...I know I did it last week but...I don't mind eating it cold..." and so on. Thankfully it's the one and only occasion I get to visit Dumbarton Central train station which is unquestionably one of the most sophisticated on the local line. For one thing, it has to be the only one that is a category A listed building, with the main terminal cutting a grand figure having been built during a refurbishment in 1896. It has four platforms, one of which is redundant, and offers plenty of sheltered seating areas as well as good disabled access. With four services an hour to Glasgow as well as lines to Balloch and Helensburgh, it is one of the busiest First Scotrail - aided by those of us who just won't learn the difference between express and standard.

As the previous reviewer said, it is pretty easy to end up here by accident feeling like a right…read moreplonker. Living in Old Kilpatrick which is a few stops before Dumbarton, I've done it loads of times. The last time was a December night. The shelter provided no respite from the absolutely freezing weather. There were also less trains then you would expect from an interchange station and I had to wait 20 minutes for the next one home. There was no shop or toilet in Dumbarton Central which added to my annoyance. So the moral of the story is, ladies and gentlemen make sure you check the stations on the little screen before you board. If in doubt, ask a railway worker. That double check may result in you avoiding a freezing arse wait at the most irritating station in the world, cursing all the sundry.

It's only a little station but it's a good one. There's only two platforms and this is a terminus…read morestation so trains just shuttle back and forth taking passengers to Glasgow, Edinburgh or Motherwell, stopping at other small stations along the way. There's a staffed ticket office but there are machines to buy tickets from as well. The station also has bike racks, a small car park, a coffee kiosk, waiting rooms and free WiFi via the Cloud. You can reach Milngavie centre via an underpass just outside the station. Also right outside the station is a small but pretty little square with a couple of benches - possibly a nicer place to sit in sunny weather. It's a well kept station with baskets of flowers and plants around and is apparently a grade B listed building.

One of the slicker stations offered on the local line, Milngavie is well maintained and relatively…read moreaesthetically pleasing. Unsurprising, I guess, given the affluence of the area. With an elaborately decorated underpass leading into the town centre, it's a nice way to welcome the abudance of visitors the town gets who are preparing to start the West Highland Way. Indeed, it gets an extra star for the provision of bike lockers, which is obviously particularly handy in this location.

Renfrew to yoker on a boat in the Clyde! if that's not mental enough let's get rid of the old boat…read moreand stick in it's place a thing that looks and feels as safe as one of the top gear inventions! But I do have a soft spot for this boat! Mainly because I can see it bobbing across the Clyde day and night from my flat window, it's so cute i nearly named it! Iv only been on it twice on nice summers day just to go a walk (in yoker yes I know what I just said but there's nice views along the Clyde) however £1.60 each way is a hefty price when the bus is cheaper, but I guess it's an expensive wee thing to run but we couldn't let it go!

A classic West journey, the Yoker to Renfrew ferry, a distance which stretches just 200 metres,…read morewill cease to exist in just a few weeks time. SPT opted to end the service in March 2010 as part of budget cuts. As such, if you've never done it before why not get yourself along for one last shot on a route which has been in existence for over 200 years. OK, so it's not life changing, but it is kind of cool and something which will be sorely missed by those who enjoyed the experience of floating along the Clyde while out doing their shopping. The service is set to be replaced by a bus which can go through the water. Also kind of cool, but I'll miss the ferry.

This is the main container terminal and deep water quay for the west coast of Scotland and has…read moreregular visits from international ships and enormous cruise liners which cross the Atlantic. It's found at the head of the Clyde estuary at the east end of Greenock's beautiful Esplanade, and underwent a £100,000 upgrade not long ago. An interesting place to see with a long history - even I have seen many changes here over the years. There is short-term parking nearby on the Esplanade itself.

I like this station. I won't be going around recommending it to people as a must see, or make…read morevisits here on occasions when I don't require a train to or from Helensburgh. But as train stations go, this is a pretty damn good one. Old fashioned in appearance, the station boasts plenty of sheltered areas, a spacious ticket office and a little kiosk for a bite to eat or something to read for the train journey; relatively rare for stations on this line. Furthermore, and best of all, it offers several bike lockers which are particularly handy given Helensburgh remains a fairly popular place for a day trip. It is situated bang in the town centre with plenty of nearby eating and drinking options. Perfect. In saying that, it's probably just about true to say Helensburgh Upper is a better option if you're visiting the area for a look around Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Hill House. Personally, I'd choose the extra five minute walk just because I like this station but please don't feel like you have to do likewise.

Helensburgh Central Railway Station is the terminus of the North Clyde Line. Trains to Glasgow…read moreleave every half hour via Dumbarton. There are a few express trains which miss all the stops except Dumbarton, Dalmuir and Partick. Bang in the centre of Helensburgh, it is a very handy station for locals. The little shop inside selling snacks and hot drinks is also appreciated. This station is entirely under cover, a blessing on harsh winter days.

An interesting fact about Bearsden station is that it was named Bearsden before the town, which was…read moreinitially known as New Kilpatrick, was. And that's about all that's interesting about it really. Despite serving a fairly big area, the station itself is quite simple and houses just two platforms. Indeed the best aspect of it is the attached pub, the Inn, which offers an ideal place to wait for your train. It is serviced by both the Argyle and North Clyde lines, which means it has four trains to Glasgow an hour from Monday to Saturday, two to Queen Street, two to Central.

One of the first stations to be refurbished, Hillhead now looks like an overly-lit public toilet…read morewith its uniform coverage of large white tiles and really bright fluorescent lighting. There's no attempt at any artistic merit at the platform level; however that is redeemed largely by the fantastic Alasdair Gray mural on the entrance concourse wall. I feel they have missed a trick with the refurbishment by not taking the opportunity to install LED lighting and incorporate more design elements on the platforms. It's hard to maintain the sense of individuality that the stations used to have when they are all bright white tiles. Some design motifs would have helped, and with LED lighting they would not only be more eco-friendly, they could change the mood of the lighting to suit the occasion. The best it can be described as is functional and utilitarian. But I do love the mural upstairs.

For me, the Hillhead subway station is pretty ideal. It has both staffed and self-service ticket…read moresales points and it has plenty of space in the main entrance and six turnstiles for its hundreds of customers - Hillhead is one of the busiest subway stops in the city. It also has that cool Alastair Grey tiled mural and a coffee shop. This stop is especially handy for Byres Road, the Botanic Gardens and the University of Glasgow which goes some way to explaining why its one of the busier stops on the Clockwork Orange. It's definitely a bit crowded at peak times but the regular rate of trains passing through mean that this isn't normally an issue. It has just reopened following works to modernise the subway in (summer 2016). However, since these works were necessary for sections of track at the depot, rather than for the stations themselves, it looks more or less the same as it did before.

This is a lovely wee station which is tucked away just off Fenwick Road, but really can't be beat…read morefor convenience if you're looking to get to/from Giffnock. It's on the East Kilbride line and has services about every 30 minutes into town or East Kilbride. I like the trains on this line as they tend to be quite comfortable, a bit better than the basic ones on the Neilston line (but then, a train's a train and it's not that long of a journey). The trip into Glasgow is a short 17 minute journey and is £2.90 for a single or £3.10 for an off-peak return. If you're travelling to Giffnock, you'll find a lovely village-style town with some really great shops worth visiting - Whole Foods Market is the big draw card, but there's some other places worth stopping along the way as well as a couple of nice restaurants and the Orchard Park Hotel if you want a drink.

You will find Giffnock Train Station on the East Kilbride line, between Glasgow Central Station…read moreand, well, East Kilbride! It's is a relatively busy little station always choc-a-block with commutors heading to work. Once stepping out of this train station you will find yourself on Fenwick Road which homes a whole host of independant shops from stationary, card shops, restaurants to delis and larger grocery stores. It is a bustling little street and particularly nice to stroll down on a nice summers day.

Despite serving one of the less mainstream areas on the local lines, Dalreoch station is fairly…read morewell equipped and represents an extremely handy resource for locals. On first sight it resembles one of the more stripped down offerings from Scotrail. However, you can expect this station to be staffed on most occasions, particularly handy given four trains an hour to Glasgow and two to Balloch go through here, with better than expected disabled access. There is also a car park offering 18 spaces and a handful of cycle racks.