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.

Hi Guys, cycled…read morethrough Scottland from Glasgow to the northern boarder, to the ouder hebridies, to Edinburgh, back to Glasgow, twice. Took the boat from Inverness for return trip to Fort William - 30 years ag (1990/1991). Great experience - without any E-... . Today I am cycling an E-MTB:.. To take a rest we stopped in Fort William for 2 days - but did not rest... I a booklet we rent from university "Mountainbiking in the Scottish Highlands" a tour was described around Ben Nevis. (unfortunately at this time my English has had much room for improvements..... and I did not understand the rating "challening"...... Well, we started at 9 and arrived the West Highland was at 6pm, followed the West Highland way to Fort William and arrived in Fort William at 9pm. the B&B lady was so friendly (and afraid about her house.......) and offered us to wash and cleand our stuff - if we would leave it outside.......... It was really a very nice lady. we have had very good experience with Scottish. On the ouder hebridies we recognized that we needed a post office to collect some money - but unfortunately the only one was located north of the mountains on Lewis or Harris - dont remember which one is the northern one - and a postbus driver invited us to join him on his car and trip to Stokinish. It was such a nice experinece "bloody old English ...." 500times during the 2 hours trip. In the evenig he invited us to join us at legioneers Pub / Club. It was so nice. If I would find some power for the E I would do it again....... Great country, people, weather........(:...).

We did the WHW from 6th - 15th June this year and really enjoyed the hike over the 8 days, the trek…read moreis really good marked and we reached after 154 KM Fort William, I highly recommend to do this once in a life time :-)

We looked for a place for a nice walk with our dog. Some place nice, green and quiet. Found this…read morepark here online and thought it looked promising. Came by car. Only a 40 minute drive from our BnB. Plenty of parking at the visitors centre at the main entrance. Free of charge. And no charge to enter the park as well. There are some shops, a coffee shop, a garden center, arts & crafts, toilets, a playground. Lots to do. There are several paths leading you through the big grounds of this park. Some very easy and flat. Some more narrow and a bit wet after rainy days. Bring some good shoes to be sure. We loved walking around the park with our English Bulldog. Lots of other furry friends to meet here. And a lot less visitors than one might expect. A first highlight is the Craigend Castle. Or more like what remains of it. Now nature is taking it back and it's fenced off. Some part of me would love to see it restored. Bought I also understand that they like to keep it this way. Let nature take it back for a living place for various animals. Then Mugdock Loch is another highlight. Walk around this beautiful quiet little Loch. Plenty of photo ops and benches for a picnic. The Loch is also the place where you will find the Mugdock Castle. Some really nice remains. Very fun to explore. With tables to make a picnic. A really nice little castle. We very much enjoyed our day here. Follow the map and the paths. Or just start walking and let yourself get lost a little. Surprisingly it's free...something that wouldn't be possible in my country. Not an impressive park of this size with so much to see. A lovely place.

Mugdock is one of my favourite places to go.. It's not to far from the city centre and you feel…read morecompletely in the countryside.. I had been going to Mugdock for years and never new there was a castle and only last summer, up behind the castle I found some world war 2 gun barracks.. So much to see and the wildlife is amazing.. If your lucky enough you might go when the castle is open, if you get the chance go in as the view from the roof is stunning.. They also have a coffee shop where you can get some food but most importantly an ice cream..

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.

Westenders have been swimming (and trapeezing) in the Western Baths since 1876 and for that reason…read morealone, it can be considered an institution. However, the magnificent building, situated near the University, is misleadingly-titled given that it is actually a fully-functioning leisure centre, with a gym, badminton courts, 5-a-side football pitches, Turkish suite, aerobics studio and a range of classes (some of which are also available to non-members). The pool remains the facility's main selling point and is situated in a truly grand hall lined with lovingly-restored balconies. Measuring 30ft, it is frequented by swimmers of all levels, as well as plenty of kids who love diving from the boards or swinging on the travelling rings and trapeze ropes. With the bar having recently had a lick of paint as well, the Western is an all-encompassing venue which many of the members consider to be a second home. For me, it'd probably turn into 600 quid a year for two games of 5s, but for the more dedicated among you, definitely worth checking out.

I have the pleasure of frequenting the Western Baths once a week (despite not being a member) as my…read moreclub has a 2hr slot booked for swim training. I've not been in any of the rest of the building so can only comment on the pool - I really like coaching here, the hall is beautiful, although it can get very warm standing at the side! Like other older baths, the Western baths has a trapeze and rings which I have never seen anyone use but you can watch on youtube if you want to see it done! Note the pool is 30 yards so a length will take you a bit longer than expected. To other coach type people, climbing the stairs up to the trapeze platform gives you an excellent alternative angle from which to watch people swim - best tip from last week!

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.

Nothing beats the sight of your one year olds eyes expanding to there full extent in an attempt to…read morefully take in the majesty of toys, play areas and "oh my God Dad....its a ball pit!!!!!!!!"....ok she didnt actually say these words but sometimes you can just tell. This place is real dream come true for kids who just want to roll about and create general havoc without actually doing any damage to themselves or your priceless gear, if you have any left! Situated not a kick in the arse away from Cowcaddens Subway station and priced at an ever so reasonably £12 for an annual membership, plus £1 for everytime you go. This is a truly affordable playgroup that offers a heavenly delight for all the small squishy type ones to enjoy......go Izzy GO! oh, and for all you parents/childminders out there, you can grab yourself a coffee for an ever so cheap 30p if your energy levels aint quite on a par with the small type ones.

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.

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.

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