Being a big city, Glasgow needs its lungs in order
to provide at least some Oxygen to its population. So if you feel like
taking a break in the sun away from your busy day shopping, Glasgow
has many parks fairly close by where you can unwind. The most popular
and accessible of these is Kelvingrove Park located in the West End
of Glasgow.
Kelvingrove Park
Located right beside Glasgow University, Kelvingrove Park is
85 acres of beautiful trees and wildlife and makes you forget
you are in the middle of a city. The Park surrounds a part of
the River Kelvin as well as housing some fountains and monuments
and the wonderful Glasgow Museum and Art Gallery. To find this
park from Hill Head underground, turn left and walk down Byres
Road till you come to University Avenue. Walk up the hill past
the University and where the road turns, you will see the scenic
Kelvin Way come off to the right and leads right through the
park. To the west of the park, you will come across Woodside
Quadrant and Crescent which as well as providing some lovely
views towards the Clyde also has some lovely buildings. Look
out for the "white" tower.
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Botanic Gardens
Located on Queen Margaret Drive across the road from BBC Scotland
where Byres Road and Queen Margaret Drive meet the busy Great
Western Road. The Botanic Gardens consists of nice parkland
with a few walkways around some green houses containing a wonderful
collection of trees and plants from Australia, New Zealand,
America and Africa. The Kibble Palace greenhouse is one of the
largest glass houses in the UK. The botanic gardens is an ideal
place to sit and unwind in the West End and is probably the
closest park to the West End shopping area.
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Pollock Country Park
Glasgow's biggest park is part of the Maxwell Estate and contains
the an 18th century mansion containing the Burrell Collection
- a magnificent collection of art, furniture and ceramics collected
by Sir William Stirling Maxwell. The estates gardens are kept
magnificently and are open to the public running alongside the
White Cart River. On the way to the Mansion look out for the
herd of Highland Cows!
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Home to the People's Palace, Glasgow's oldest
Park is also home to many events such as summer concerts and festivals
and the annual fireworks display in November. Located on the banks
of the Clyde south of the Merchant City, the People's Palace contains
a very informative and fascinating insight into the history and
development of Glasgow. Not as nice as other parks like Kelvingrove
Park and Pollock Country Park but the People's Palace is worth
going to see in itself, and it's free!
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Alexandra Park
Located on Alexander Parade towards the East End of Glasgow,
Alexandra Park is 104 acres and contains a small 9 hole golf
course and bowling greens. Right in the centre lies a fountain
dating back to 1901 which was recently restored and the two
ponds provide wildlife in the form of ducks and swans. A good
view of the city can be found at the top of the hill as well
as some very friendly and hungry squirrels!
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Bellahouston Park
Located south of Glasgow on Paisley Road West just south of
Ibrox Stadium, Bellahouston is 174 acres and is home to the
Bellahouston Sports Complex, Glasgow Ski Centre and the well-known
visitor attraction - House For an Art Lover - a museum to commemorate
Glasgow's own Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
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The Necropolis
Behind Glasgow Cathedral and the huge Royal
Infirmary Hospital building near the busy Merchant City lies
a quiet hill home to the resting places and tombs of many well
known past Glasgow greats. This makes a lovely walk and tours
are a regular at night here. A lot of decorative sculptures
can be found here as well as a great view of the city.
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If you have a car and the time to travel a few
minues out of the centre for some spectacular views, then we highly
recommend the Queen's View. North of Glasgow about 20 minutes
along the A809 past Bearsden - Glasgow's "posh" area,
the Queen's View carpark can be found at the side of the road,
but you have to look out for the signposts! Once parked you follow
the path round and up the side of a hill to the top where you
get amazing panoramic views of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs with
Ben Lomond towering in the distance. To the east in the valley
you will see the white building of the famous Glengoyne Distillery. |
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