A hidden gem which your Julia Donaldson loving little ones will love to visit!…read moreWe call this Gruffalo Wood because of the Gruffalo-themed carvings dotted near the entrance of the Loch. The Loch itself is fairly small, taking only 15-20 mins to walk around. There is lots of nature and wildlife to explore here from toadstools to frogs to wild raspberries to dragonflies... We met a particularly large, and bold, swan today whilst feeding the ducks! On our last visit we stumbled across hundreds and hundreds of baby frogs migrating across the pathway to the Loch. This has become a regular location for us to visit with our little Julia Donaldson fan. There is a play park at the far end of the Loch from the little car park off Kilmardinny Avenue and if you need something to eat or liquid refreshments after your walk there is a recently opened Waitrose with a lovely cafe minutes away by car or foot!

We visited here after discovering Gruffalo Wood through Ali's review :)…read more My friend was visiting with her 6 and 3yr old girls and we took A in his pram. We really enjoyed walking round the loch in the sunshine, the path is pretty easy going for littles and the pram alike, and there are a few places to stop along the way and see the ducks or discover the awesome carvings. We couldn't find the play park, perhaps a little sign would help, but we asked someone and soon found the little path leading up to it. There were some different play areas to explore including an awesome rope swing that the adults enjoyed too! We had a great, free day out and it worked well to tire out the kids. Would highly recommend.

This is another place that I came across while working as a child carer for a primary school's…read more'summer play scheme' one summer. A promisingly stressful day spend keeping beady eyes on a litter of running children was rather less stressful due to this little number. The children, still ran right enough, but at least the younger ones were suitably entertained and mesmerised by the castle like play structure, so ran around that for an hour or so. Meanwhile, the older children were entertained and mesmerised by watching oh-so-cool teenagers in the skate-park. Now for the history. This skateboard park seems to have been here forever. In a way, it has - well since 1951. Since then there has been a roller skating/skateboard arena here with renewed versions being unveiled in 1978 and finally 2004. There is also a substantial play area with slides, swings and a whole variety of hide-y wholes in a multicoloured wooden castle structure. There's a soft play artificial surface below for safety precautions too. All areas covered, so it's all good for the kids!

I walk through this beautiful wooded area everyday to work when I take the train. The woods are…read moresituated on the top of a steep hill, connecting Henderland Road and Ravelston Road by many trails and paths. The woods have many different kinds of old large trees, wild flowers and large thickets of berries. As you walk along the paths you feel like you are in a hallway of singing birds. I'm sure there are various wildlife that lurk in here too. Lovely carvings in trees must be from a local carver or a community project. If you are looking for a weekend place for a stroll or a unique place to walk the dog around Glasgow, Cairnhill Woods is a good choice.

For me, the Kelvin Walkway is the highlight of the West End and one of the main reasons I love…read moreliving here. It's just a wonderful corridor of greenery to wander through and transport yourself away from traffic noise and pollution. Mind you, it wasn't always like this - in Victorian times and before the Kelvin was very much a working river and was extremely polluted, and it's only really in the latter years of the 20th Century that it was properly cleaned up and transformed into a walking route. The Kelvin is Glasgow's 'other' river and I recommend the book of the same name by Alex Matheson if you want to know more about the history of the river. The walkway is great for accessing the Botanic Gardens or Kelvingrove Park, and a pleasant walk into town is to take the walkway round the back of the Museum & Art Gallery then cut through Kelvingrove Park and along Clairmont Gardens and Woodside Place, which brings you out nicely at Charing Cross without encountering much traffic. I live within a mile of its downstream efflux into the Clyde, and I just adore the fact that I could step out of my front door and end up in Fort William by following the Kelvin Walkway to Milngavie and then joining the West Highland Way. How does Bilbo's song go? The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way, Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say. Definitely on my bucket list - I may not make it as far as Fort William but Milngavie station is a definite possibility!

A simply gorgeous part of Glasgow to explore - I only knew of a small part of this walkway until…read moreSara T took us on a west end wander further north from Inn Deep up to Queen Margaret Drive. What a delight the walkway is - leafy, lush and somewhat like a rainforest. You'd never knew you were in the middle of a city when you're wandering along. There's some delights to discover along the way, including the mills and at the right time of year, loads of wild garlic. If you've never been before, it's a must for any Glasgow resident for a lovely weekend wander.

Dalmuir park is situated near Dalmuir Train Station. A medium sized park with a popular, municipal…read moregolf course attached. The park had a small stream, a pond and a play area. Wide open spaces, which dogs and children love. There is a cafe located at the top of the park but open at restricted times. This park is used to host the annual firework displays, popular with local residents.

Dalmuir Park is a scenic park in dalmuir, just outside Clydebank. It is particularly pleasant to…read morewonder around in during the summer. There is a play area for children as well as tennis courts and an adjoining golf course. The park often serves as a focal area for the community to meet in. I remember a huge VE day celebration being held there when I was a youngster.

I took my two near old niece and nephew to this park and they loved it. Goldenhill is perfect for…read moretheir age group; it has an adventure set with a chute, roundabout, little see saw and swings. It also has a soft ground to help pad any falls. There is a jungle gym for older children which was unfortunately set on fire a few months ago by neds. However, it has now been rebuilt and will hopefully be left alone.

While admittedly, I'm not suggesting anybody packs a picnic and takes their young family for a day…read moreout to Hardgate, if you do happen to find yourself in this neck of woods with kids, Goldenhill Park is an excellent resource. With a wide selection of utilities for 1-3 year olds at the front and a mini-assault course and climbing frame at the back for older kids, this is one of the best free play areas this side of Great Western Road.

Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow has paved paths through large grassy areas and sculptures spattered…read morethroughout the park. I liked one lioness/panther sculpture in particular that had been presented by a John S. Kennedy, not sure what the S stands for. The paths could be confusing on first attempt, though I found I could consult my phone to help me find which path to take. A number of critters were out in the greenery the few times I walked through in July 2019. The hotel where I was staying had a small parking lot that was first-come first-serve, so I did most of my exploring on foot. Kelvingrove Park was one option if I wanted to take in the nature of Glasgow and did not want to walk along the street.

I ended up here on a vacation when I needed an easy place to get to from downtown Glasgow; yet…read morewanted to feel like I "got away from the city". There is SO much here: wooded trails, skatepark, a playground, bandstand, monuments, duck pond, tennis courts, and the art museum. I spent 2 hours wandering around and covered 4 miles (with stops) and didn't quite see all of it.

This is a nice quiet park off Dumbarton Rd. There are a lot of grassy areas around the playground,…read moreplus 3 picnic tables and 2 benches (outside the playground). Several paved paths within the park are good for scooters and kids' bikes. It's pretty quiet here. It has never been crowded when we've played here. The playground has baby swings, a tire swing, slide, merry-go-round, see-saw, and large climbing pyramid all set on a recycled rubber (soft) surface. There are also benches inside the playground area. The hedges shield the park from the busy road below and the other 3 sides are surrounded by tenement buildings. It always feels very peaceful here!

Well this place isn't going to win any beauty awards, but in an area almost entirely devoid of…read moregreen space, its existence is vital for the kids of Thornwood. Sporting the sort of climbing frame I quite fancy a go of myself, the area has a nice wee playpark and plenty of room for running around. Being near Partick police station it should be safe, however it can be a little shady at night and is best avoided after dark.

So today was a sunny spring day so a group of us decided to head to the whangie, I'd been before…read moreearlier in the year but it was so icey we had to turn back after only getting half way.. The whangie and Queens view is only 30 minutes from Glasgows city centre in the car, unfortunately I don't think there is any public transport to get there. There is a small car park at the bottom which on sunny days will be busy.. The first part of the walk is the toughest bit, but even then it's not that tough.. It's a lovely walk for walkers of all abilities.. There are parts which you have to be careful and concentrate on, but most of it is easy.. As I said today it's a talkie walk, which means you can chat whilst doing it without needing to catch your breath.. The views from the start are amazing you can see loch Lomond which today looked beautiful and blue.. Once you get to the top you see the actual Whangie.. It's a big piece of rock that has a slice through the middle which you can walk through, it is beautiful, I loved it.. Legend has it that the whangie was created by an angry dragon whose tail smashed through the rock, creating the slice.. It's a really lovely walk and to the top and back down took about 1 1/2 hours..

Bearsden is probably not the first place you would expect to find Roman remains but it was home to…read moreone of 19 forts along The Antonine Wall. Up until the 1970's the Roman Baths were hidden under Victorian mansions but when these were demolished in the early 70's to make way for new apartment blocks (which are really ugly) the baths were uncovered. The baths remain the best preserved example of Roman bathhouses ever found in Scotland. Today, the baths are looked after by Historic Scotland and are open to the public 365 days a year and are absolutely free. What I like best about the Roman Baths is the fact that you can just browse them at your leisure, reading the plaques and discovering more about the culture of bath houses in Roman times. There's no barrier, no staff and no gift shop so it remains a very natural and organic feeling tourist attraction.

Being a student of Celtic Studies, I inherently dislike the Romans. Out of many years and battles,…read morethe Celts only lost to the Romans ONCE and yet, after that defeat, the Celts were to be - almost - completely integrated (of sorts) with the Romans. BOO! Nonetheless, as Eleanor points out this is a handy, informative and easily accessible historical site in Glasgow, which is completely free. So, it's a great idea for an interesting day off or somewhere to take the kids to occupy them over the summer holidays.