A little peice of Burns history. Quaint and very small inside it is a museum, preserved in times of…read moreRabbie. You have to visit this as it is a great place of interest for many a tourist. Bus trips are frequent, so be prepared to wait. Situated in a small village, with not much else to see. So take your packed lunch as there is no shop or cafe at the attraction. Cheap as chips. Great for the kids to find out about history.

Did you know that on the whole of Argyle Street - from Trongate to Finnieston - there's only one…read moretree*? Well, now you do, and this is it. I read about this tree on Hidden Glasgow and was inspired to pay it a visit. It's not marked by any plaques so I'm not sure how much attention it actually gets, and the fact it's surrounded by wee scrub bushes might confuse things. But there you go, it's a tree and a quite magnificent one at that. Based on my online readings, the tree is probably at least 150 years old - you can read more about it here: http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2907 It's worth taking notice of these wee (or massive) things about Glasgow, even if it's something you pass every day because it might just be something really special. (* After some fact checking, it would seem that this isn't the only tree anymore, but I am prepared to make the claim it's the oldest!)

You know, I wasn't going to review a tree. Reviewing a tree seems like kind of a weird thing to do,…read moreI mean, how do you even go about judging how good a tree is? Well, following a (slightly tipsy) conversation about exactly this, I now know how to review a tree so I feel I have a duty to do it. This is a deciduous tree, I think it's a sweet chestnut but I'm not really up on my tree species. At the moment its leaves are still lush and green, with some of the higher ones starting to turn appealing autumnal colours. It shows no sign of disease and birdsong can often be heard coming from it. All in all it does a great job of cheering up Argyle street and adding a nice splash of green. However, does that really make it a "good" tree? Surely one needs more than that? There are three reasons why I can only give this tree two stars and they are as follows: 1. This tree would be unsuitable for building a tree house in. The branches don't begin until quite high up and their angle against the main truck is too narrow - there are no broad bows that branch out which would be suitable for supporting a tree house. Others have clearly noticed this unsuitability for tree house building since, at present, there are sign of tree house building. 2. This tree is not good for climbing. As I mentioned in the previous point the main trunk is quite sparse until quite high up. There are no handholds with which to swing yourself up and the trunk diameter would make shimming awkward. Additionally, the branches do not look thick enough to support the weight of a medium sized person. I think climbing this tree would prove unsatisfying and possibly dangerous. 3. This tree provides poor shelter from the rain, especially in winter. Due to it's deciduous nature it sheds its leaves in winter, making it unable to provide any shelter at all. Even in summer, since its leaves are so high and since Glasgow's rain does not normally fall vertically, it does a pretty poor job of keeping its visitors dry. I think that as a tree in Glasgow it should really focus on improving this if it wants better reviews. So, although it doesn't have much competition on Argyle Street, and although it does look quite nice, I really can't justify a higher star rating. If you are in search of better trees your best bet is to try Kelvingrove Park, which is close by.

It's a tired cliche in Scotland to harp on about the stunning countryside "on our doorstep" that we…read morepay little attention to, but a trip on The West Highland Line proves that even if Scotland is a country filled with bitter, self pitying drunkards, it's an exceptionally good looking one. This rail line is considered amongst the most scenic in the world, and takes you through Loch Lomond, various mountain ranges, past Oban then onto Fort William. The scenery really is beyond belief at some points, with notable money shots being the Loch Lomond section which is viewed from halfway up a mountain (or a big hill, I'm not sure), and towards the end of the line when the train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct, a magnet for tourists as it was used in the Harry Potter films. There is one slight downside. Despite the summer months being packed with bumbag wearing tourists, Scotrail use an older, slower, and sometimes quite uncomfortable train for this service. It's either down to bad business sense or deliberate usage of a slower train for lovers of the rugged terrain, but it grates that they don't even bother with the buffet car. It's not too huge a deal though, and shouldn't detract from what's always a jaw dropping journey.

Car Boot Sales are great, and you know what they say; one man's rubbish is another man's treasure…read more This car boot sale held in Halley's car park in Milngavie is held every Sunday from 9am - 12pm. It stops for a few months around Winter time but as soon as the first daffodil of Spring pops up it's back in full swing. It's not the biggest Car Boot in the world and some weeks it's busier than others but if you like rummaging for a bargain then browsing round here is a great way to spend a sunny Sunday morning. I've been lucky and managed to get CD's and books for as little as 20p. If you're looking to furnish a flat then you might strike gold here as I've quite often there are people who are looking to sell pretty much everything as they're moving abroad. I am a complete hoarder and keep absolutely everything, I wish I was someone who was able to part with things easily but I'm not, I guess many of the people at the Car Boot Sale are like me too and I think I'll need to head here one week to sell my wares. It's £10 to get a spot for the morning and if the sun brings the punters out you'll probably go home with lots of money instead of lots of stuff.

Small,But a nice. Went on a grizzly day but picked up a few toddler things.Nice spread of things.read more

Even though some of the places you may go are one star, the experience gets a five star review; let…read moreme explain why. Glasgow is more than just the fancy restaurants that serve foods from round the world, and style bars that serve fancy cocktails. There's a whole other side to this wonderous city, and while it's not something that might grab your attention, or make you sit up and say "YEAH!" it is something you have to experience. As for the Subcrawl, it takes in one of the best things about Glasgow, in my opinion - the underground. It's clean, it's fast, and it's regular. Get yourself a free smartcard online, and you can travel all day for under three quid! You can also register and get discount vouchers to use at local businesses - always a good thing! In any case - the fabled Subcrawl. The rules vary from person to person (you can split into teams, you're not allowed to sit down on the trains, you have to have a different drink, you have to go certain ways... all negotiable!) but the the basic concept is always this: A drink at the nearest pub to every Underground stop. That's it. Some stops are problematic - I believe the bar at Ibrox only opens on matchdays, and Shields Road is a long walk for the uninitiated or inebriated. Allowing for this, you simply have two drinks in different pubs at other stops. It might technically be cheating, but the principle of seeing more of Glasgow is still the same. Some advice from a semi experience subcrawler AND pub drinker (*hic*) is to start in the city centre, at St Enoch or Buchanan Street - head south on the Outer Circle, thus hitting the Southside and the... shall we be generous and say... less salubrious haunts on the tour. There are some hidden gems south of the river - the Laurieston is a prime example, one of the finest pubs in Glasgow for my money - to balance out the other places. By the time you reach The People's Republic of Govan, you'll have seen the other side of Glasgow and be ready for the stylishness of the West End-to-City Centre crawl. The best thing about the Subcrawl though, is the people. The people you see in the pubs you don't usually visit, the people you see on the Subway but more importantly, the people you do it with. I'd only briefly met one person on the Yelp Subcrawl recently organised by Austen - yet by the end of it, I felt I'd made a whole ton of new friends. Simply by chatting and having a right good laugh - I don't think I've ever had a day where I've laughed as much in a long, long time - and that for me, is the essence of both the Subcrawl and Glasgow. So, I would sum this up as one the essential things to do for anyone who has time to kill in Glasgow. It's definitely a Summer thing, as the extended hours of daylight and warm (ha!) weather are a must. Eat before you start, eat somewhere along the journey, and take your time. Most importantly - enjoy yourself and your surroundings. And don't run up the down escalator at Kelvinbridge. It's not big, it's not clever, and you WILL look stupid. I speak from personal experience! I put together a list with some pub suggestions here: http://www.yelp.co.uk/list/the-glasgow-subcrawl-glasgow

"Urgh" was my first reaction when I heard about the subcrawl when I first moved to Glasgow. I…read moreactually used to be scared of the subway so that was probably a factor. I'm not a big drinker (don't laugh) and normally two glasses of wine is all I can handle, so a day of drinking at pubs along the subway line didn't really seem like something I'd enjoy. But there is that part of me that loves exploring Glasgow, and going into all those weird and wonderful pubs you've seen but never had the guts to go into. So when Austen M suggested we do the subcrawl, I was all "hell yeh!" with the full expectation I would go to three pubs and then get a taxi home to go to bed. As Tony C said, there's rules. Sure, there's rules but rules are no fun whatsoever, and I suggest you go with open minded people who play free and loose with the rules. How much should you drink at each stop? Who cares! Can you skip stops? Sure! Do you need to stand on the subway? No way! Is eating allowed? Hell yes! That pretty much sums up how we did it anyway, and it was all the more fun for it being relaxed and a good laugh rather than some kind of military-planned operation with lots of rules and someone being the subcrawl police. Another point I should add is that not being from Glasgow originally, I am totally oblivious to all things football related, which is probably a good thing when it comes to the subcrawl. While others might feel the dark stares of regular-pub goers, I am like a happy puppy who cares not for whether you think I should be allowed in your pub. No one was outright rude to us along the way - although our subcrawl crew did panic when I tried to put PJ & Duncan on the jukebox - I'm not sure whether they were scared of the regulars, or just my dancing. I would definitely do the subcrawl again - it was a super fun experience, and I got to see lots of pubs I'd never been to before (I think of the 15 pubs we'd been to, I'd only ever visited two of them. TWO!) So, get a cool squad of people together and get your smartcard/all day ticket and jump on for a shoogle. It's a lot more fun than you'll expect. Also - for the record, not only did I finish the subcrawl, but then we also went out dancing afterwards. I'd like to thank the espresso martinis at Booly Mardy's for helping me get to the finish line.

The Queen Margaret Drive strip of shops is a lovely area of the West End - it's small enough to…read morehave a very local feel, but there's still a surprisingly good range of businesses here which make it well worth a visit. It's easy to get to - just a couple of minutes walk from the top of Byres Road, or if you want to be really fancy you could walk to it from the River Kelvin Walkway. There's a small amount of shops along here - I'm guessing about 15 all up ranging from cafes to beer shops and gifts. I always pop into Hippo Beers and The Yarn Cake, and also like Smile Cafe and have been meaning to try North Star and new additions William and So What Comes Next/formerly Crosslands. Parking in the area can be challenging so it's best to aim for a side street rather than parking right on QMD. Definitely worth visiting these shops if you're in the area!

Otago Lane is a wonderfully bohemian little lane in the West End of Glasgow. It can be found a few…read moreminutes walk from Glasgow University and the Kelvinbridge Subway Station - and homes such businesses as Tchai Ovna, Voltaire and Rousseau Books and Mixed Up Records. The lane also has a small car park. This part of the West End is gorgeous - and is actually a conservation area. It's a wonderful place to have a wander to when you have a few hours to kill - you can have a rummage through the second hand book and record shops, get your watch repaired at the watch makers, and even sit outside with a cup of exotic tea at Tchai Ovna (you know, if it's not raining...) However, Otago Lane is currently being threatened by redevelopers who want to knock down the existing lane and build on the land. Obviously, there has been outcry at this - and there are many ways you can help to save Otago Lane, its independent businesses and its residents. If you head along to the lane's website via the link above, you will find information about petitions, protests and the developer's plans. Right, I'm off to sign the petition myself.

A cobbled street well-loved by the most right-on lefties in town, especially when their parents are…read morepicking up the bill, the trustafarians' paradise of Otago Lane is home to Tchai Ovna, Mixed Up Records, and a bookshop called Voltaire something something. It's very picturesque and sums up the West End in a way that makes me quite astounded they're thinking of knocking it down. The city is only just recovering from the destruction rained upon it by the town planning department in the 60s, and if they give the go-ahead to replace this street with a few flat-pack houses that will fall apart in a decade, christ knows what they'll be capable of next.

I'm going to start with a super important disclaimer - don't come to this site expecting to find a…read morecafe. It is the site of the former Wellmeadow Café, a hugely important part of Scottish and Commonwealth legal history. It was restored in 2012 by Renfrewshire Council with the help of Reid Kerr College and Co-Operative Funeral who are next door to the site. The site now contains a marker to explain the story of the "snail in the bottle case" to passers-by, and those who are not familiar with the story. This coincided with the 80th anniversary of the judgment in the case being handed down, and a International Law Conference was held in Paisley to celebrate. I studied the case in University and never expected to get to visit the site. When I moved to Scotland, circumstances took me to Paisley and I was quickly whisked up to the site for a visit. Back then it was really nothing to look at and was merely a dumping ground for rubbish. Thankfully, the Council realised that visitors from all around the world were coming to see it as part of the conference and they arranged to have it restored. Here is my short summary of the case although there are many better resources online that can explain it in a lot more detail. In 1928, Mrs Donoghue visited the Wellmeadow Café with a friend who purchased her a ginger and ice. When she poured her drink out, part of a decomposing snail came out with it. She became ill (as she had consumed part of the drink) and sought to take legal action. At the time she had no recourse against the café owner as she hadn't purchased the drink. The case proceeded and subsequently established the law of negligence against the manufacturer of the drink which is a principle of law now applied in Commonwealth countries across the world. If you're ever in Paisley you should walk along the High Street for a visit to this site. It really is a important piece of history for Scotland.

I won't say much, but if you know anything about Donaghue v Stevenson you'll love this spot.read more

Can't believe there is still a christmas album on the jukebox and someone has just out one on…read more They sure can pour a good pint here, l just can't understand why a bar should have six TV sets for when you can't even swing a cat in it. But geat position, opposite the train station

When reviewing a bar there are some things you simply cannot overlook - a warm soft drink is one of…read morethem. While waiting for a train at nearby Helensburgh Station, I popped into this fairly grim looking establishment for a refreshment only to be presented with a can of Coke which felt like it had been sitting on a radiator as opposed to in a fridge. Refreshing, it was not. And it's fair to say, after this ominous start, the Station Bar failed to endear itself much more. Despite a few dedications to the town's most famous son, John Logie Baird, hanging on the wall, including his wedding notice in the paper, this place appears a little tired and rundown, and is as far removed from the happy atmosphere of the waterfront on a crisp day as you could get. Indeed, although it was bright sunshine outside, the Station Bar is one of these classic west of Scotland watering holes that does everything to repel the light and ensure every day feels like winter. I guess it's a typical station bar - handy when you've missed your train, mince at all other times.

Food was ok. The server must have been new because she didn't know what came with the main course…read more I asked her to bring the menu to show her that it came with salad and fries. The atmosphere was that of a regular restaurant.

Amazing 5 star food Very reasonable prices…read moreBeautiful environment Great quick friendly service Nothing discriminatory, friendly to foreigners Fun lively bar place too! Must visit