ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.
By the time I walked along the River Clyde downstream to Finnieston District the light was disappearing around 5:00pm -5:30pm and loads of cyclists and pedestrians were using the River Clyde walkway to get home. It was safe in one way in that loads of people were out, mainly folk walking or cycling home, a few dog walkers, most wearing dark clothing with the cyclists skilfully weaving in and out of the gathered throng on the various pavements.
Can't blame the cyclists as this is a better/safer way home than the nose to tail, stop start traffic jams on the parallel main road system during rush hour. As all my cycling mishaps on a bike have occurred on shared pathways like this one however I was wary of the sheer numbers of bikes approaching me unseen and moving at considerable speed from behind. I was wearing dark clothing, which I normally like at night, the largely invisible me strolling along in the shadows unseen on walks, but this was one occasion when even a reflective arm band on one limb would be preferable. ( and if you are walking it at night during the Mon to Fri rush hour 4:00pm to 6:00pm in winter after dark I do recommend it...if it is as busy as this night was for me.)
Some parts of the walkway seemed darker than others, with overhead tree cover at this point. Cycling at night can be thrilling but also dangerous. Even walking in daylight the canals in Glasgow are now so busy with cyclists, joggers, e- Scooters. e- motorbikes etc.... I never move out to overtake any slower pedestrians or deviate from any straight line walked along the canal to cross from one side to the other say without always looking behind me first. Yet I've still had several very near misses with bikes in the last few years out walking... and several well documented encounters with wayward pedestrians when riding my own bikes in previous decades. Always damage to me however on shared pathways as I swerved away just in time. Broken bones, several lost teeth, broken nose... etc...all mine to own. No damage to any stray pedestrians at all. Which is why I preferred the more empty minor road network when cycling rather than any shared commuter routes.
The Armadillo Venue at Night.
The Courtyard Hotel. Finnieston.
BBC Scotland HQ and Glasgow Tower.
Even a 5mph wind can spoil perfect reflections. Better at under 3 mph wind strength and a chilly night forecast. This night was down low.... close to zero degrees C.
BBC Scotland office lights. An old photo this pair, above.
Bells Bridge. A surreal shot by just altering the camera setting.
An art shot. ' Fishing for stars in heaven above.' (Spot the fisherman here, above.)
Hilton and Radisson Hotels.
Crowne Plaza and Armadillo Venue.
OVO Hydro Venue.
Radisson and Moxy Hotels.
Radisson Hotel. Rooftop Bar.
Fully dark now. Glasgow from the Riverside Museum viewed across the River Clyde.
STV Studios.
River Kelvin Underpass.
A night time underpass walk. Much quieter this section.
Waverley Paddle Steamer. River Clyde.
The new Swing Bridge over to Govan. (The other swing bridge at Yoker/Renfrew may be shut for up to 4 months due to recent flood damage.) Funny how that bridge and the Glasgow Tower... both new builds over the last 20 years or so.... are both kaput now.
Walking over Govan swing bridge. I did come back.
To end up in Partick and my bus home. River Kelvin student flats here, a river reflection.
West Village Partick.
Dumbarton Road in Partick. While I was waiting for a bus here I took time to reflect on the very obvious difference between growing up in an inner city area like Partick with its bars, lively nightlife and clubs compared to the outer ring of housing estates that I grew up in where there was nothing to do at night in the 1960s to the 1990s. No pubs growing up. Zero nightlife unless you took a bus into the city centre, Shawlands or Partick. (Local estate pubs in Pollok/Nitshill tended to be rough places, filled with young drunk guys who could be volatile at the best of times. Or volatile bitter old guys...disgruntled and angry after decades wasted/ stuck in the schemes. Maybe unhappily married for many years.... Not a cosy night out :o)
Comedian and folk musician Billy Connolly, who grew up as a teenager in Drumchapel after first living in Anderson and Partick for his formative years rightly called council 1950s/ 1960s built housing estates (schemes) as 'deserts with windows.' due to the lack of any recreational facilities/ amusements in them and that he, and many of the housing estates older residents 'felt cheated.' Obviously he was a gifted gregarious people person who enjoyed clubs and bars and remembered that old way of city living with most amenities right on your doorstep. A world away from normal 'scheme life.' One row of shops to each housing estate. A church or a chapel each. Schools.... and an hours gallop away for all the rest. Dumbarton Road and Byres Road, below.
I also joined clubs though in my teenage years, and visited other UK cities including London, eventually joining several local hillwalking, kayaking and cross country skiing clubs to find friends there away from that basic existence in deepest Thule so then I did enjoy nights out with them... but it was never a completely natural fit. People are complicated. Two of my best friends from that time period did live in Partick. Nice guys, both dead now, but both were borderline alcoholics, even early on, and keen hill-walkers. The downside of living so close to pubs and clubs on the doorstep. And that way of life of course also costs money.... and most folk in the outer estates... sadly....did not, do not, have much of that to splash around.
By the time my bus arrived 20 minutes later I was over my nature vs nurture musings and keen to get back home. Still marooned in heavy traffic in downtown Partick. It was around freezing with the sun long gone, numerous road works, and I was keen to get back to my own sweet 'Ponderosa.' ( Bonanza in the 1960s was a long running popular USA TV series shown here. The Cartwright family lived outside Carson City and Virginia City on a remote sprawling ranch in the late 1800s and they would often be shown riding horseback together on the hour long trail into either town for supplies or fights with outlaws. Naturally the outer ring of Glasgow's far flung tenement districts felt a strong affinity with that scenario. ) They adopted it, probably UK wide covering all outlying estates like Edinburgh, Liverpool etc. One thing about estate life though is its peaceful nature. No traffic noise, no traffic jams, no large groups of party loving bright lights folk...unless it's arson, riots, or DIY fireworks.... no anything really. At night only the occasional scream or various stabbings after dark. Fox or human usually. Both out and about killing something weaker than them. Otherwise just perfect solitude. And for a nature lover like myself... It's paradise. I never felt cheated at all. It's like living deep in the countryside. That after all still starts a mere 100 steps away from my old door. Renfrewshire. A rural paradise. For a child in the country...... Almost.
Liked this song from a recent TV Car advert. Impressive lyrics. Excellent video. The anonymity of any large city. This is London. 9 million people living together. A place I explored several times over extended periods in long forgotten pre internet decades. Well worth watching. Best with captions turned off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmLNs6zQIHo
