We know many of our guests bob by Glasgow on their way to or from Skye. So we thought we might offer a few suggestions to help you get the most out of your time. I’ll make out two itineraries: a) The Katie & Johnny Couple’s Choice and b) Katie & Helen Ladies’ Weekend Adventure. There is absolutely no such thing as a must-see but here are some we-sees.
a) Glasgow is the nearest place for Johnny and I to go for a proper night out and shopping (tho shopping isn’t really our thing) so we head down quite often. We’ve tried lots of different places to stay but our go-to and 100% favourite is Hotel du Vin in the West End. (last time we booked super late (after check in) and got a ridiculous upgrade but we don’t know if this would work another time).
The rooms are beautiful, the staff are delightful and the wee bar is perfect for post dinner nightcaps. Breakfast is extra but definitely a relaxed and delicious way to start the day
Our favourite places to eat are The Gannet, Ox & Finch and Ka Pao. We often have lunch at Òran Mór or go for their utterly wonderful Play and a Pint. They often have great gigs in the evening too so check it out as part of your planning. We visit vintage shops like The Glasgow Vintage Co and Mr Ben Retro Clothing and take pit stops in super cool places like Inn Deep a real ale pub on the banks of the River Kelvin.
We’re working our way through the fabulous book 111 Places in Glasgow that you shouldn’t miss by Tom Shields. It’s good to have a strategy.
b) This weekend just gone my lovely friend Helen and I met up in Glasgow to celebrate our Coral Friendiversary ( which is now very much a thing). I travelled from Skye on the bus and we met up near Buchanan bus station at The Lauders Pub. It’s busy, cheerful and you’ll meet a lot of locals. We stayed in an air b n b in Finnieston. The area is perfect for a launch pad although we should probably have researched the actual apartment we stayed in a little more. We’re not breakfast people so on Saturday morning we walked through to Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. It was a stonker of a day and it took us about an hour as we took diversions around all the beautiful crescents and wandered through the park. Before we tackled the museum we had a breakfast of sorts in the café. The menu is pretty limited but we had to excellent veggie sausage and tattie scone sandwiches with a good coffee and a couple of glasses of rosé.
The museum is huge, warm and free, tho’ they do suggest a donation of £5 which is eminently reasonable. Helen and I know our limits so we just checked out the Rennie Mackintosh collection, Classical Sculptures and the dinosaurs and other historic Scottish animals. That leaves lots more to explore next time.
We then had chips and a Mean Girl cocktail in Revolution before heading off on the most wonderful Glasgow Street Art Tour as part of the walkingtoursin.com. James was a fantastic tour guide and we learned so much.
It’s a good lot of steps and they go at quite the pace so be ready for that. We walked back to our apartment then had beer and pizza at Strip Joint. It’s loud, the staff are delightful and the food is very reasonable. They also sell remarkably niche vinyl.
On Sunday morning we had the most delicious brunch at Derby Lane, a short walk from our apartment. I didn’t need to eat again until I got back to Skye.
These are just some suggestions as to what you might want to get up to. Do feel free to add your own to the comments.