Like many seaside towns Gourocks heydays were in the latter half of the 19th Century. In 1873 the Vale of Clyde Tramway Company began operations which allowed easier access to Gourock and Cardwell Bay from Greenock. The trams ran without a hitch apart from the odd horse refusing to move and the very occasional derailment. In 1893 the company was taken over by the Greenock and Port Glasgow Tramways Company who gradually during 1901 replaced the horse drawn trams with electric trams.

The introduction of trams running between Greenock and Gourock made Gourock and in particular the sheltered waters of cardwell Bay a magnet for the people of Greenock to get away from the town and spend a bit of time "by the seaside."

Cardwell bay also provided a safe mooring for the Flying Boats during the Second world war. Click here to see video of a restored original.

Modern Cardwell Bay is still a popular spot with locals. Although the trams and Flying Boats are no longer seen, Cardwell Bay does provide the visiting yachtsman with a very safe and secure anchorage.

More recently there were plans submitted to develop the bay. The proposal was to infill the tidal part of the bay and build houses a hotel and shops. These would have a "sweet water" canal system where the level of the water would be controlled by a lock gate. As a supposed sweetener for the people of Gourock the plans also proposed building a state of the art marina facility.

Cardwell Bay Community Council launched a counter attack against the controversial developer with a well publicised and hard fought "Save the Bay" campaign. In the end they won their battle and sent the developer back home with a bloody nose.

Cardwell Bay is and should now remain a haven for wildfowl and a place of enjoyment for locals and visitors alike.