This summer I hiked the West Highland Way with a friend. One of the bonuses of that hike was visiting Glasgow a couple of days before the hike and Edinburgh for a few days after the hike.
The West Highland Way starts out near Glasgow. I’m fortunate that I can pick up one of the reasonable Aer Lingus flights that go through Dublin and then on to various locations in Europe – including Glasgow. At the Dublin airport, you take a bus out to the smaller planes on the tarmac. I must say some of us were amused to pull up to this plane that was possibly older than many of us. But we had a smooth hour or so trip into Glasgow.
My friend and I opted to take a private room at the HI Glasgow Youth Hostel, located in a beautiful residential area with 4 -5 story row type houses at the edge of Kelvingrove Park. Directly across the park was the University of Glasgow. The hostel was also about a 30-minute walk from the city center and train stations. One thing I had lost track of in Scotland was the latitude. On the first night, after traveling all night and arriving in the morning, the plan was to stay awake until the sun went down (9-ish) and head to bed. We were there right before the summer solstice and at 10:30 pm (23:30) the sun was still up, and even when the sun set, there was still lots of light. So out came the sleep masks, but I did enjoy looking out the window late at night with plenty of light to see.
View Out Our Window
The huge park, bordering the Kelvin River, and with a number of beautiful walkways, was our gateway to the University of Glasgow campus and the wonderful museums in the west end of the city. The weekend we were there (in late June), there was a huge festival in the park with music and other live events. From our perch at the hostel on the hill at the edge of the park, we were able to enjoy the music in the evening without dealing with the crowds.
Our first stop was the University of Glasgow campus with its medieval structures up on the hill.
University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
One of the highlights of the park area is the Kelvingrove Museum. Among other features, this museum highlights the works of Charles Rennie MackIntosh, whose style is similar to Frank Lloyd Wright from the U.S. Mackintosh is both an amazing architect and artist. Born in Glasgow, he continued to call Glasgow home for most of his life. His influence is evident throughout the city, including at the famous Glasgow School of Art (which unfortunately suffered a major fire while we were there).
Kelvingrove Museum
The Kelvingrove Museum also houses the Salvador Dali painting “Christ of St. John of the Cross’, which had just returned to the museum when we were there. It’s really a remarkable painting and we were fortunate that the museum had an expert on hand the day we visited to discuss the painting and its history.
Dali – Christ of St. John of the Cross
Among the many things that Charles Rennie Mackintosh is known for is the design of the interior and furniture of the Willow Tea Rooms. Not only is this a great ‘proper’ tea experience (plus other offerings), but you are dining in what is essentially a museum. It was terrific and I highly recommend it.
Willow Tea Rooms
Mackintosh Chairs at the Willow Tea Rooms
The Lighthouse Museum in the city center was designed by Mackintosh and is a design center and exhibition space open to the public. It’s worth a visit to wander through and enjoy the views of the city from the upper floors.
View from the Lighthouse Museum
View from the Lighthouse Museum
We visited the Gothic style Glasgow Cathedral on a dark rainy day, which added to the mystique. It is the oldest building in Glasgow and in my opinion has a bit of an earie feel, with a deep sense of history. In the back are some of the graves and memorials, all surrounded by massive Gothic Architecture.
Gothic Cathedral
Grounds at Gothic Cathedral
We also visited Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), the Hunterian (University of Glasgow), Byer Lane area, and walked the city center in our three days there before we took the train to Mulgavie to begin our hike.
In my hiking gear I have a perfectly good Grayl bottle that is an amazing water filter. Because I mostly day hike, the Grayl bottle was gathering dust in the closet. Now it’s one of the first things to go in my travel bag. Previously I always made room for my Kleen Kanteen stainless bottle (that I use daily). The Grayl bottle is only slightly larger. I can drink directly from the Grayl bottle or if I have the room, I can decant the water into one of my collapsible water bottles. Three I use are Nomader (rolls up, but is very sturdy when in use), Vapur (rolls up) and Hydrapak (collapses). Now instead of worrying about purchasing all that bottled water and generating all that plastic waste, I simply fill up my Grayl bottle from the bathroom sink and seconds later I have clean and tasteless water.
Shopping Bags – For years I have used reusable grocery shopping bags and now use reusable vegetable and bulk bags as well. I also have several lightweight bags that stuff down to little packets and are easy to keep in my purse for smaller purchases. I take one of these with me when I travel. They’re great to use when doing light shopping while traveling.
restaurants, I often grab something at the grocery store or take out place that requires a fork or spoon. Instead of picking up a plastic fork or spoon, I use the reusable combination fork/spoon that I keep in my purse. Other options are reusable bamboo silverware sets or regular silverware from home. Some people also carry reusable straws.
Small Containers – When I’m sightseeing I like to have small snacks like nuts, trail mix, or peanut M&Ms with me to keep my energy up. I used to travel with a handful of snack-size plastic bags to fill each day from the stash I’d keep in my hostel or hotel room. Instead now I use a small ½ cup plastic container with a screw on lid. I fill it every morning and wash it out at the end of the day.
Wax Wraps – I’ve started using Abeego cloth wax wraps at home instead of plastic wrap and they work great for travel too. They take up little room and are great for a handful of nuts, fruit, a sandwich, cookies and similar items. You just rinse them out after use and they’re ready to reuse. Eventually the wax wears out, but they are recyclable, and last a while before this happens.