Inverclyde is a county on the River Clyde near Glasgow, bordering onto Renfrewshire and Ayrshire with a population of 81,000.  Inverclyde is one of the smallest areas geographically with a land mass of under 61 sq miles. Larger towns in the region include: Gourock, Greenock, Port Glasgow, Wemyss Bay and Kilmacolm.

Ship building and sea faring has been a major part of the economy Inverclyde since the Industrial Revolution  and heavy cranes and lifting equipment still dominate the skyline of the region. While many of the ship building contracts now go elsewhere to be fulfilled.

Greenock is the largest town in Inverclyde and forms a continuous settlement along the banks of the Clyde River between Port Glasgow to the East and Gourock to the West and has over 78,000 inhabitants. It started life as a fishing village in the late 1500s and went on to be an important Customs House outpost and the production of torpedoes for the war effort during the first half of the 20^th century. Greenock and Port Glasgow remain important shipping destinations for cruise ships and cargo ships. Greenock (or ‘green oak’) was bombed heavily during WW2 and heavy industry declined during the 1970s and 1980s not being fully replaced by modern service industries.

Gourock is a traditional seaside resort next to Greenock, although ship repair, quarrying and copper mining have all contributed to the economy of the town in the past.

An important village in Inverclyde is Wemyss Bay, which has the ferry link to enduring holiday destination Rothsay (on the island of Bute) and also has a direct rail link to the metropolis of Glasgow.