Making the most of four short days in Glasgow

by Joseph Phelan, Lincoln, California

My wife, Rose, and I spent four wonderful but hurried days in Glasgow, Scotland, in May ’09. We were there largely on last-minute impulse, as we already had plans to be in Newcastle, England, which is so close to Scotland.

We were in Newcastle as part of a Friendship Force (Atlanta, GA; 404/522-9490, www.thefriendship

force.org) exchange, and we were home-hosted by Les and Linda Dixon. We had never met the Dixons before, nor had we ever been to this part of England. It was a busy and interesting seven days.

Getting there

This northeast corner has to be one of the prettiest parts of England, with miles of open, rolling green fields animated with sheep and spring lambs and, sometimes, cows.

The Geordies, as folks from Newcastle are called, claim that their part of England is neglected by most travelers, who fly directly from London to Scotland. Based on what we experienced, this is not a part of the UK to be skipped.

But this article is about Glasgow, not Newcastle. As our week with the Dixons ended, we grabbed a train to Glasgow ($75 for two). It was a great ride with expansive views of green fields, blue seas and small towns and villages. (For reservations, vist www.thetrainline.com).

It was our first visit to Scotland and, with just four days available, we were not sure what we should do or see. We hadn’t planned ahead, and finding accommodations was a real problem, as our visit coincided with a three-day “bank” holiday.

Then we learned that there were no hotel rooms available and only a few B&Bs because, besides the holiday, fans attending a rugby championship game in not-nearby Edinburgh were spilling over into Glasgow for rooms.

We ended up patching accommodations together at the last minute by Internet from Newcastle and, luckily, everything worked out just fine.

Where to stay

On our first night, we stayed at Adelaides (phone +44 [0] 141 248 4970, www.adelaides.co.uk), a guest house located in a converted 1877 Baptist church. The room was small, but it had its own bath, a good bed and a small TV. The staff was exceedingly friendly.

We paid $75, breakfast not included. The location was excellent, within easy walking distance of the town center and various restaurants.

But Adelaides had room for us for just that first night, so the next day we moved to the Kirklee Hotel (phone +44 [0] 141 334 5555, www.kirkleehotel.co.uk), a B&B located in a lovely residential neighborhood to the west. The room was larger and better furnished, including a living room with a TV plus books and tea for the residents.

About four blocks away we found a mix of restaurants, bakeries and pubs plus a subway station, providing transportation into town. We paid £75 (near $120) a night, double, including breakfast served in the room. It was a great place to stay.

After two nights, however, we needed to move to a hotel closer to the airport, as we had an early flight to catch home, so we taxied to the Express by Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport (888/890-0242, www.expressglasgowairport.co.uk), located right on the airport grounds. Soundproofed, so we heard no planes, the rooms were good, and a buffet breakfast was available starting at 4 a.m.

The hotel is only 100 yards or so from the terminal. There were luggage dollies at the door, and a covered walkway connected the hotel to the terminal, so there was no need to take a bus or taxi.

We paid £58 ($97), with breakfast.

Sights of Glasgow

So what does one see or do in Glasgow? To find an answer to that very question, we first stopped at the helpful tourist center on George Square in the middle of town, about a two-block walk from the train station.

Having limited time, we booked an all-day bus tour (about $50 each) to Loch Ness, Loch Lomond and the Scottish Highlands and learned about Glasgow's hop-on/hop-off city tour bus. With so little time available, that was about all the information we needed. But a visit to www.visitscotland.com will give you much information about Glasgow as well as Scotland as a whole.

The bus tour turned out to be a 12-hour outing with an excellent driver/guide in a new Mercedes bus. The bus stopped for coffee on the shores of Loch Lomond, then climbed into the Highlands over the desolate landscape of Rannoch Moor and the Black Mount. Next we saw Glen Coe, one of Scotland’s best-loved glens, which is famous as the site of the 1692 massacre of the MacDonald clan.

Our lunch stop was in the city of Fort William, and in the afternoon we saw Scotland’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. Later we stopped at Loch Ness for a pleasant boat tour to view the Urquhart Castle ruins from the water. (The only monster we saw was a 90-foot-long, inflated, purple, plastic proxy there to appease the tourists.)

Next we stopped at Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, for a short break, heading back to Glasgow afterward. It was a very full day, but we saw a lot of Scotland. Actually, the bus traveled about 380 miles that day.

Seeing more of Glasgow, itself, was easy, thanks to the hop-on/hop-off tour buses running every 20 minutes. Tickets can be purchased in George Square or at any of the clearly marked stops along the bus route. The cost is about $15 each, and the ticket is good for two days.

One of the places we enjoyed the most in Glasgow was the restored, imposing, red-sandstone Kelvingrove Art Gallery (Argyle Street) with its wonderful art collection. The People’s Palace (Glasgow Green) was also interesting, as it told the history of the city and included displays standing as poignant reminders of the WWII bombing of the area and the resulting evacuation of children.

One night we attended Mass at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. The cathedral is an interesting contrast of ancient and modern architecture but, as a building alone, perhaps is not really worth a visit. But attending Mass that night was made magic when a pretty, 13-year-old girl sang a Communion hymn a capella from the altar. It was stunning!

The Gallery of Modern Art (Royal Exchange Square) was not really to our taste and could be skipped, we felt, but we enjoyed the City Chambers, located in George Square with its statue of Sir Walter Scott. However, there was still much more that we didn't have time to see.

The food

Glasgow offered many choices for eating out. By chance, we wandered into Pulcinella (167 Hope St., www.pulcinella.co.uk), a dynamite Italian restaurant, on our first night in town. It’s one of those places that just feels good. With a happy buzz from the patrons plus colorful murals of Italian peasants dancing, red-checkered tablecloths and wonderful smells, it had a vibrant atmosphere.

The food was just excellent. Our two-course meal cost about $18 each and included a choice of a substantial starter and an entrée. I ordered a starter of grilled, fresh sardines — something I had never tried before — with olive oil and garlic. They were just wonderful and were followed by a platter of tasty pasta carbonara.

The food was so good that we ate there the next night, too. The waiters were professional and a lot of fun, especially one guy, Sabatino, who joked with Rose throughout the meal. Locals at the next table said they ate there every two weeks and told us it was the best Italian food in town at a good price. We thought so, too.

One day we tried the City Merchant (97/99 Candleriggs; www.citymerchant. co.uk) for lunch after several locals and a tourist magazine recommended it. It, like Pulcinella, is located in the center of town. This place was a bit more upscale, with bright white linens, an interesting menu and a pleasant ambience.

I had some excellent fried calamari plus poached coley, a fish I had never heard of before but which was good. Rose had a clam bisque followed by “mince and tatties,” or chopped cooked meat and potatoes. It sounded more interesting than it turned out to be.

We found the place a bit pricey, with the lunch tab coming to almost $40.

Looking back

We learned a lot in our four days in Glasgow and, hopefully, what we have shared in this article will make a trip to Glasgow more tempting and easier for others. Were we to return, we’d use Glasgow as a jumping-off point to explore the country and oceanside via the user-friendly train system. ITN