A River Clyde Gallery. Fountains, Sculptures, Towns and Parks.

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During the long golden autumn just passed and an unexpected but welcome month of good dry weather and sunny days in October... or thereabouts I had time off to go a few cycle rides. This is a gallery from a circular tour around Clydebank, Glasgow, Renfrew and Paisley that took in a pleasant easy few hours. Rubber fenders ready to be used on a large boat. River Clyde near Partick.

Also popped into Intu, formally Xscape, just for a look, which has a climbing wall, indoor snow slopes and loads of food and coffee shops. Many more food outlets than when I remember being on the wall in here years ago, both here and at nearby Braehead, which must now have a food, drink or entertainment outlet to match the number of actual retail shops inside. Over the decades shopping malls seem to be  focused around eating and drinking as much as actual shopping these days. Given the sheer variety of fast food outlets on offer within every large shopping mall, (usually conveniently located next to a children's play area and seating. Trap the kids first; then get Mum and purse second. ) it's no surprise the UK has an obesity crisis. Spending a day shopping has never been to my tastes apart from a swift in and out occasionally to get something I really want but many of them like Braehead or close rival Silverburn in Pollok aim for a full family day out with access to cinemas, swings and other fairground style rides, food and drink, plus retail shopping all under one roof. Presumably, due to discount retailers undercutting and taking profits in conventional domestic sales of lower priced clothes, food and drink in the current climate.

A view down the River Clyde towards. Clydebank and West College.
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Clyde

As mentioned in my Glasgow and Firth of Clyde Guide books: Blah, blah.... and Blah, blah, blah, Part Two, a flat cycle track/ walkway runs from the Renfrew Ferry past Braehead out towards King George V Dock. This is the track and makes a pleasant stroll along the riverbank on foot or it can be extended as you can also walk the other way, downriver past the Renfrew Ferry on a similar but less popular track to the mouth of the Black Cart Water and panoramic views over a water based kingdom with the Clyde looking wide, wild and mysterious from this vantage point. A little modern park sits within Renfrew, just upstream from the ferry, down beside the river, called Clyde View Park.

Although small what makes this park special is it's design,with a man made river system running slowly through it with deep pools, jets and water features, reed beds and statues. For its size it packs a lot in and is a favourite of mine.

The reedy river.

Another deep pool.

A sculpture. Presumably the draftsmen that created the great ships on paper before a single rivet or metal plate stood upright.

A back elevation of this sculpture. Shipyards on the Glasgow (Scostoun) side.

View from Renfrew of Yoker and Clydebank.

Renfrew Town Hall.

Back view of the town hall tower. Just like the one in Disney land.

A view of Barclay Curle Crane on the river.

Amazing display of large golden flowers.

Robertson Park. Renfrew. Perfumed rose beds in full bloom. I also like to link up any parks and green spaces on an urban bike run or walk just for greater interest.

Park entrance. Another nice, slightly larger park.

I then paid a visit to Paisley's oldest park which contains a couple of notable monuments. This is the Robert Burns Statue.

Which is somewhat overshadowed by an even greater monument and one that has been fully restored after lying in ruins for years. "The Fountain of the Ocean" depicts the exotic wonders that the sailing ships must have brought back tales about onshore to astonish and delight landlubbers. Huge sea creatures armed with ivory daggers, large sea crocodiles swimming far from shore, swift strange birds and great white bears from the north. It still is a remarkable fountain today but in its prime it would have been astonishing to see these semi mythical creatures full size and in vivid colour in a water filled basin.

The complete fountain.

The story of its birth and eventual restoration. "Life needs some wonder in it to be worth living."