An interesting fact about Bearsden station is that it was named Bearsden before the town, which was…read moreinitially known as New Kilpatrick, was. And that's about all that's interesting about it really. Despite serving a fairly big area, the station itself is quite simple and houses just two platforms. Indeed the best aspect of it is the attached pub, the Inn, which offers an ideal place to wait for your train. It is serviced by both the Argyle and North Clyde lines, which means it has four trains to Glasgow an hour from Monday to Saturday, two to Queen Street, two to Central.

It's only a little station but it's a good one. There's only two platforms and this is a terminus…read morestation so trains just shuttle back and forth taking passengers to Glasgow, Edinburgh or Motherwell, stopping at other small stations along the way. There's a staffed ticket office but there are machines to buy tickets from as well. The station also has bike racks, a small car park, a coffee kiosk, waiting rooms and free WiFi via the Cloud. You can reach Milngavie centre via an underpass just outside the station. Also right outside the station is a small but pretty little square with a couple of benches - possibly a nicer place to sit in sunny weather. It's a well kept station with baskets of flowers and plants around and is apparently a grade B listed building.

One of the slicker stations offered on the local line, Milngavie is well maintained and relatively…read moreaesthetically pleasing. Unsurprising, I guess, given the affluence of the area. With an elaborately decorated underpass leading into the town centre, it's a nice way to welcome the abudance of visitors the town gets who are preparing to start the West Highland Way. Indeed, it gets an extra star for the provision of bike lockers, which is obviously particularly handy in this location.

One of the first stations to be refurbished, Hillhead now looks like an overly-lit public toilet…read morewith its uniform coverage of large white tiles and really bright fluorescent lighting. There's no attempt at any artistic merit at the platform level; however that is redeemed largely by the fantastic Alasdair Gray mural on the entrance concourse wall. I feel they have missed a trick with the refurbishment by not taking the opportunity to install LED lighting and incorporate more design elements on the platforms. It's hard to maintain the sense of individuality that the stations used to have when they are all bright white tiles. Some design motifs would have helped, and with LED lighting they would not only be more eco-friendly, they could change the mood of the lighting to suit the occasion. The best it can be described as is functional and utilitarian. But I do love the mural upstairs.

For me, the Hillhead subway station is pretty ideal. It has both staffed and self-service ticket…read moresales points and it has plenty of space in the main entrance and six turnstiles for its hundreds of customers - Hillhead is one of the busiest subway stops in the city. It also has that cool Alastair Grey tiled mural and a coffee shop. This stop is especially handy for Byres Road, the Botanic Gardens and the University of Glasgow which goes some way to explaining why its one of the busier stops on the Clockwork Orange. It's definitely a bit crowded at peak times but the regular rate of trains passing through mean that this isn't normally an issue. It has just reopened following works to modernise the subway in (summer 2016). However, since these works were necessary for sections of track at the depot, rather than for the stations themselves, it looks more or less the same as it did before.

Renfrew to yoker on a boat in the Clyde! if that's not mental enough let's get rid of the old boat…read moreand stick in it's place a thing that looks and feels as safe as one of the top gear inventions! But I do have a soft spot for this boat! Mainly because I can see it bobbing across the Clyde day and night from my flat window, it's so cute i nearly named it! Iv only been on it twice on nice summers day just to go a walk (in yoker yes I know what I just said but there's nice views along the Clyde) however £1.60 each way is a hefty price when the bus is cheaper, but I guess it's an expensive wee thing to run but we couldn't let it go!

A classic West journey, the Yoker to Renfrew ferry, a distance which stretches just 200 metres,…read morewill cease to exist in just a few weeks time. SPT opted to end the service in March 2010 as part of budget cuts. As such, if you've never done it before why not get yourself along for one last shot on a route which has been in existence for over 200 years. OK, so it's not life changing, but it is kind of cool and something which will be sorely missed by those who enjoyed the experience of floating along the Clyde while out doing their shopping. The service is set to be replaced by a bus which can go through the water. Also kind of cool, but I'll miss the ferry.

The Exhibition Centre station is probably a tiny bit too small to do the job it's supposed to. It's…read morea two platform station and is the closest one to the SECC and Hydro, so people either change at Partick or Central to get to the Exhibition Centre for events. The result is that most of the time the station is pretty quiet but every now and then it's absolutely mobbed. I have no idea what the solution to this is. However, it is also quite a handy station if you're in the Finnieston area. Finnieston is more or less in the centre of the subway loop and isn't the best for buses either, so if you're wanting to get between Finnieston and the city centre, you're far better catching the train (it's often cheaper than the subway too). The staff here are particularly great (shout out to the guy with the glasses who sells tickets and who is brilliant) and there's a fair bit of space indoors between the two platforms where you can keep out of the rain. There are also benches on the platforms themselves and there's free WiFi and ticket machines. There are quite a lot of steps to get down to the platform from street level, but there is a lift too. It's just worth planning ahead if you need to use the lift when the station is likely to be busy.

When I was a little brat, I used to often visit the SECC with my family, usually twice a year to…read moresee the Motor Show and the Ideal Homes Exhibition. I used to find such events unbelievably exciting at aged 6, though nowadays I really couldn't be bothered traipsing round the halls looking at cheap Korean cars or a cardboard mock up of a flatpack Wimpy home. Anyway, perhaps the most exciting thing was the massive red tunnel that leads from this station to the SECC, it doesn't feel as space age as it did then, but it still brings back the memories.

Barnhill station is practically just a stone's throw from Springburn station, but it is the closest…read morestation to St Rollox retail park, which includes a Lidl, Costco and Tesco superstore. It lies just off Petershill Road and the large Royal Mail sorting office - a major employer in the area. The train service is frequent, with trains between Springburn and the west end of Glasgow (Balloch, Dalmuir, Milngavie) calling here. The station is usually very quiet but I would not recommend hanging around after dark, as the nearby area is somewhat dodgy. It is not ideal that Barnhill does not have a ticket office or waiting room, though given it is such a quiet station it is understandable. It would definitely be better to sit in a proper waiting room on a cold winter's night though, rather than the somewhat primitive bus shelter-style ones here. I was bemused to learn that Barnhill does not see any trains stop at it on a Sunday, which gives it the appearance of some sort of ghost station on the ScotRail timetable. I know that the station is not well-used but to have it totally closed on a Sunday is absolute blasphemy. If the lack of patronage justifies its closure, then why not do the same with other quiet stations like Scotstounhill or Hillington East?

This is a lovely wee station which is tucked away just off Fenwick Road, but really can't be beat…read morefor convenience if you're looking to get to/from Giffnock. It's on the East Kilbride line and has services about every 30 minutes into town or East Kilbride. I like the trains on this line as they tend to be quite comfortable, a bit better than the basic ones on the Neilston line (but then, a train's a train and it's not that long of a journey). The trip into Glasgow is a short 17 minute journey and is £2.90 for a single or £3.10 for an off-peak return. If you're travelling to Giffnock, you'll find a lovely village-style town with some really great shops worth visiting - Whole Foods Market is the big draw card, but there's some other places worth stopping along the way as well as a couple of nice restaurants and the Orchard Park Hotel if you want a drink.

You will find Giffnock Train Station on the East Kilbride line, between Glasgow Central Station…read moreand, well, East Kilbride! It's is a relatively busy little station always choc-a-block with commutors heading to work. Once stepping out of this train station you will find yourself on Fenwick Road which homes a whole host of independant shops from stationary, card shops, restaurants to delis and larger grocery stores. It is a bustling little street and particularly nice to stroll down on a nice summers day.

For most people new to Glasgow, "The Drum" is considered a bit of a no-go area. During my bleak few…read moremonths living in nearby Knightswood, this was one of the many distant train stations I'd hike to in order to avoid the smell of Tesco's extra strong lager and jobseeker's allowance on the bus. Perhaps surprisingly, the station is surrounded by what I could only call "aspirational" housing, including some incredibly large Victorian numbers, and is in a fairly quiet area a good bit away from the less welcoming 50s / 60s embodiment of Drumchapel. As you'd expect, several trains pass each hour and 15 minutes should see you into town.

Chaffinches and blue tits singing in the nearby sycamore trees greeted me as I alighted at…read moreDrumchapel station. As if there could be a bigger possible contrast, I soon noticed a group of neds horsing around in the waiting room of the opposite platform, on this dark weekday afternoon (whatever happened to a thing called school, or work?). Drumchapel is served by trains between Balloch and Dalmuir to the west, and Glasgow Queen Street/Central, Drumgelloch and Larkhall to the east. The trains pass stop by roughly every 15 minutes. There is also a regular bus service that stops right at the entrance to the station - very useful. These are the, very frequent, no. 9's for the most part. There is a ticket office at Drumchapel and the new blue ScotRail colour scheme certainly brightens up the station's somewhat dilapidated appearance.