Start your second day by blowing the cobwebs away with a walk in Kelvingrove Park, an 85-acre green space straddling the River Kelvin in the city’s West End. This side of the city has emerged as the go-to destination for everything from art and culture to food and fashion, so plan to spend the day in this area.
You should allow at least two hours to explore the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum which is free. There’s more Mackintosh here; the Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style gallery is dedicated to his graphic and decorative work. There’s an amazingly wide selection of other exhibits, ranging from Salvador Dali’s Christ of St John of the Cross to the RL Scott bequest, once one of the finest private collections of European arms and armour in the world.
Now take a walk south into up and coming Finnieston. This was once the destination of choice for dockworkers seeking unsavoury entertainments but today has been revitalised by the brand new SSE Hydro arena and an influx of designers and foodies attracted by the low rents and the community feel. You can spend your time strolling along The Strip, poking your head into boutiques and bars and selecting whatever takes your fancy. You try a cocktail in a window-side booth at Kelvingrove Café or a fish and chip supper at Old Salty’s while thinking about how you can spend your next day out of the city.
Although Glasgow is Scotland’s largest urban area, it is also home to more than 90 parks and gardens. In fact, the city is said to have more green spaces per capita than any other in Europe.
So now’s a chance to get out and explore some of these today. Start at Pollok Park which is 5km south of the city centre. At 360 acres, this park is the city’s biggest, so opt for a horse and cart ride to take in its vast scale. Stop off at the Category B listed walled garden to see plants relocated from the Himalaya, and don’t miss a visit to the fold of Highland cattle which is the most accessible herd in Scotland.
Slightly further afield about a 30-minute drive is Loch Lomond, the largest inland stretch of water in Britain. You could spend several days exploring it, but one day is enough for the highlights. One of these is Inchcailloch, the largest island in the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve and reached by waterbus service from the small village of Balmaha, on the loch’s eastern shore. This is a lovely place for a walk. The West Highland Way runs through here and from the village you can make the challenging climb up Conic Hill, with the path up and over its summit offering views south over the rolling Lowlands and north into the Highlands. After all this, you will need a break and what better place to have a traditional meal and a pint of local ale then Balmaha’s Oak Tree Inn.
Now it time to head back home and remember you three days in Glasgow.
You should allow at least two hours to explore the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum which is free. There’s more Mackintosh here; the Mackintosh and the Glasgow Style gallery is dedicated to his graphic and decorative work. There’s an amazingly wide selection of other exhibits, ranging from Salvador Dali’s Christ of St John of the Cross to the RL Scott bequest, once one of the finest private collections of European arms and armour in the world.
Now take a walk south into up and coming Finnieston. This was once the destination of choice for dockworkers seeking unsavoury entertainments but today has been revitalised by the brand new SSE Hydro arena and an influx of designers and foodies attracted by the low rents and the community feel. You can spend your time strolling along The Strip, poking your head into boutiques and bars and selecting whatever takes your fancy. You try a cocktail in a window-side booth at Kelvingrove Café or a fish and chip supper at Old Salty’s while thinking about how you can spend your next day out of the city.
Although Glasgow is Scotland’s largest urban area, it is also home to more than 90 parks and gardens. In fact, the city is said to have more green spaces per capita than any other in Europe.
So now’s a chance to get out and explore some of these today. Start at Pollok Park which is 5km south of the city centre. At 360 acres, this park is the city’s biggest, so opt for a horse and cart ride to take in its vast scale. Stop off at the Category B listed walled garden to see plants relocated from the Himalaya, and don’t miss a visit to the fold of Highland cattle which is the most accessible herd in Scotland.
Slightly further afield about a 30-minute drive is Loch Lomond, the largest inland stretch of water in Britain. You could spend several days exploring it, but one day is enough for the highlights. One of these is Inchcailloch, the largest island in the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve and reached by waterbus service from the small village of Balmaha, on the loch’s eastern shore. This is a lovely place for a walk. The West Highland Way runs through here and from the village you can make the challenging climb up Conic Hill, with the path up and over its summit offering views south over the rolling Lowlands and north into the Highlands. After all this, you will need a break and what better place to have a traditional meal and a pint of local ale then Balmaha’s Oak Tree Inn.
Now it time to head back home and remember you three days in Glasgow.