Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Glasgow and the Clyde
Rejuvenated, upbeat Glasgow,
Scotland's largest city, changed irrevocably in
1990 when it energetically embraced its status as European City of Culture.
Set on the banks of the mighty River Clyde, this former industrial giant can
seem less than enticing as you approach, and many of its outer suburbs
remain seriously deprived. However, after a little time exploring visitors will
find a city that is, in its own idiosyncratic way, a cultured and dynamic place
well worth getting to know.
GLASGOW
has much to offer, including some of the most imaginative museums and
galleries in Britain - among them the showcase
Burrell Collection
and popular
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
- nearly all of which are free. Glasgow's
architecture
is some of the most striking in the UK, from the restored eighteenth-
century warehouses of the
Merchant City
to the hulking Victorian prosperity of
George Square
. Most distinctive of all is the work of local luminary Charles Rennie
Mackintosh, whose elegantly streamlined Art Nouveau designs appear all over the
city, reaching their apotheosis in the stunning
Glasgow
School of Art
. Development
of the old shipyards of the Clyde, notably in the space-age shapes of the new
Glasgow Science Centre
, hint at yet another string to the city's bow: combining
design with innovation. he metropolis also boasts thriving live-music venues,
distinctive places to eat and drink, busy theatres, concert halls and an opera house.
Above all, the feature that best defines the individualism and peculiar attraction of
the city is its
people
, whether rough-edged comedians on the football terraces or
style-obsessed youth hitting the designer bars.
Despite all the upbeat hype, Glasgow's gentrification has passed by deprived
inner-city areas such as the
East End
, home of the
Barras market
and some staunchly
change-resistant pubs. Indeed, even in the more fashionable quarters of Glasgow,
there's a gritty edge that's never far away, reinforcing a peculiar mix of grime and glitz
that the city seems to have patented.
Glasgow is the obvious base from which to explore the
Clyde Valley and coast
,
made easily accessible by a reliable train service. Chief among the draws is
the remarkable eighteenth-century
New Lanark
mills and workers' village, a
World Heritage Site, while other day-trips might take you to Charles Rennie
Mackintosh's
Hill House
in Helensburgh or on a boat heading “doon the watter”
towards the scenic Argyll
sea lochs
, past the old shipbuilding centres on the
Clyde estuary.
Brief history
Glasgow's earliest history, like so much else in this surprisingly romantic city, is
obscured in a swirl of myth. he city's name is said to derive from the Celtic
Glas-cu
,
which loosely translates as “the dear, green place” - a tag that the tourist board is keen
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
p.192
The Glasgow Boys and
the Colourists
p.196
The Waverley
p.198
Football in Glasgow
p.201
Top five boutique hotels
p.206
Top five budget stays
p.206
Top five budget eats
p.208
Top five Indian restaurants
p.211
