Anderston to Partick Along the Clyde Walkway. Surprises.

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A photo taken under the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow. I was originally intending to go to Partick for a walk but the unfamiliar bus I jumped on came first to the stop so I hopped on thinking 'this will take me there'... but it didn't. Instead it bypassed Partick completely near the Clyde Tunnel, diverting onto the Clydeside Expressway instead with the first bus stop to get off at Anderston close to Glasgow City Centre. Instead of being upset I just went with the flow and thought 'fine'. I'll walk from here back to Partick. Years ago I knew someone who motored down over 100 miles from the Scottish Western Highlands to visit one of the Firth of Clyde Islands with his entire family for a long weekend but the ferry was cancelled at the last minute. Instead of going to one of the other islands nearby or a mainland walk/visit in the area they went straight back home again. Over 200 miles in a wasted trip. I don't get that mentality at all. But then I don't have a family to deal with or consider so Serendipity has always been a very good friend to me.

And she was again on this walk. ( you are never alone with a goddess in your life :o) I was happy because at some point this year I intended to see how the new building project was coming along at Anderston anyway where they are constructing new apartments near the Kingston Bridge.

Around 20 levels/floors on the white tower and nine on the brown sets. Or 11 floors white depending on how big the apartments are made inside. That's one thing I like about living in a big city... it's ever changing.

 This new addition will complement the existing older set of buildings. seen here, which is Glasgow's International Business District, a large cube of multinational banks and offices near the city centre. 

It was also a beautiful day along the Clyde Walkway. The kind of early morning that made you feel great to be alive. The last time I remember doing this walk was on a still night with Anne, Belinda and her friends (twice, Two separate outings) and it is equally spectacular at night. If you get it perfectly still, as we did then, the reflections on the river are amazing and that is one area where we out compete Edinburgh with no large river flowing through that east coast city centre. Just a pity it's not a reliable occurrence here as nightly reflection tours along the River Clyde from the Suspension bridge to Partick would be a real winner. To see what I mean click here to open a separate window temporarily. You can also do this at the end of this post if you prefer. Probably better. Jesus! 2017. Where does the time go!?.... 7 years ago. I thought it was just a few years back !!! Video lyrics makes it even more poignant and truthful now. Wah!

https://blueskyscotland.blogspot.com/2017/11/reflections-glasgow-night-walk.html

  A beautiful still morning at Finnieston along the waterfront.

Glasgow already has dozens of new hotels, both along the Clyde Waterfront and in the City Centre district so a nightly reflection tour would be a major draw. Unfortunately it mainly occurs in the winter months when it's dark by 4:30pm and only occasionally do you get a perfectly still dry evening. Shame. But that's what makes it special. Courtyard and Campanile Hotels seen here at Finnieston. Radisson Hotel nearby out of shot.

Passing Newspaper land. Daily Record, Sunday Mail, etc. It's been well over a decade since I bought a newspaper however. I just mainly read yahoo news online now, when I'm checking emails. It's one obvious area where I can save money daily... which is doubly important now when the Labour government seems intent on hammering pensioners. I don't qualify for pension credit but I'm not well off either and as I live alone I might also lose the single persons rebate on council tax. Although I always vote SNP I never thought a Labour Government would be worse than the Tories for going after ordinary folk. But most MPs are very well off now. In the 1980s I had a job where I occasionally delivered letters to MP's. The Conservative MPs usually lived in grand detached houses or in the best exclusive districts. Many of the Labour MPs then lived in ordinary working class districts, several up tenement closes in poor areas. I was impressed by that... now they are all the same, many Labour MPs millionaires as well so completely detached nowadays from ordinary punters problems. ( and yet still faithfully claiming their own heating allowance expenses every year.) I'm lucky in that I've always had a couple of 3 to 4 season sleeping bags, wool balaclava and gloves for hill-walking and will sit in them, only putting the heating on in the house if it drops below freezing though not everyone is healthy enough to do that as even I feel it in my chest after a while, breathing in cold air continually. So it's logical to believe that any money saved by the government will be cancelled out by increased hospital admissions from people having to choose between heating and eating. Eating wins my vote every time. Couldn't live without food so not much of a choice really. I get that some pensioners are well off with savings but many more are not and with the cost of living crisis still very much in evidence it seems a bad time to pack it in. Especially those on the old basic pension who might have just enough to be above pension credit but being really elderly need a warm house all through the winter.

                                 
Walking along the waterfront.

A splash of colour. Honeysuckle and clematis.

Clyde Arc or Squinty Bridge.

Route marker sign.

The Hydro and Park Circus Towers.

Apartment Complex at Finnieston.

A view across to the other bank. Unusual apartments. Unlike the city centre which can look fairly grubby in places with the usual nail bars, discount shops, rough sleepers, graffiti etc this walk highlights the modern side of Glasgow. More upmarket and happening. So it lifts my mood.

 Crowne Plaza Hotel.

BBC Scotland HQ and Bells Bridge.

Clydeside Expressway and the Hydro, looking back towards the City Centre.

Same overhead bridge view looking towards Partick, The Tall Ship Glenlee, and Glasgow Harbour.

 River Kelvin where it enters the River Clyde and Govan Old Church.

River Kelvin, Student Apartments at Partick and Glasgow Harbour in the distance.

West Village. More Student Apartments. University of Glasgow is close by. Ten minutes walk away.

Yorkhill and Partick Skyline. More new apartments here.

Glasgow Harbour Apartments and the shipyards of BAE at Govan.

And a brand new addition to Glasgow Harbour. Granary Quay.  Don't visit an area for a couple of years in any big city and changes occur. That's what I like about it.

Even the Expressway bridge near the Thornwood Bar in Partick had a makeover with bird murals in abundance. This is where I caught a bus home. Another interesting and enjoyable walk. Two to three hours duration.

Just watched Sambre: Anatomy of a Crime on BBC 4. An excellent six parter over three Saturdays about a male serial rapist that remained uncaught for 30 years with over 50 assaults and violent rapes in Northern France and Belgium from the late 1980s until 2018. A French Jimmy Savile  who was well connected, doing good deeds in the local community all that time and hiding in plain sight. Unbelievable stuff yet it happened. A hard watch for any women though... knowing it could easily occur again. Anywhere in the world... in any country.

An Unexpected Anniesland and Knightswood Walk.

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An unexpected walk for two reasons. The first being that despite living in this general area for 40 years and visiting Anniesland almost weekly for shopping and in general I only discovered this new section last week. Normally I spot green ribbons of open ground really quickly, by using street maps and OS landranger maps but this one completely escaped me until now. The second reason being by using this newly discovered path an interesting and very varied longer circular walk is possible through an area that on first glance most people who live outside this area ( north west Glasgow from Anniesland to Clydebank) might not think there is a good walk here at all. The photo above shows an old gateway and cobbled path halfway down Glencoe Street, which is the first street up Bearsden Road from Anniesland Road. Normally old gate posts and a green mature tree oasis like this one means either a factory or a large detached manor house used to be here but even looking at old  maps online no sign of a large house or buildings in past times is apparent. So a mystery... to be solved perhaps.

You can see how close Anniesland Court/ tower is ( Scotland's tallest listed building at 22 floors high and A listed.) from this path yet in all the years I've lived here this is the first time walking along it. Incredible. After ongoing problems with the blog this discovery lifted my mood as well as getting Stephen King's latest book Fairy Tale for £1 and a boxed set of five Emmylou Harris CD LP's for £1 from an Anniesland charity shop. One of the first songs I learned all the words to then sung at late night parties/ events was Evangeline. I like the moody numbers about death, suicide, and madness and that song ticks all the boxes :o)

This green path continues up to the Fulton Street bridge and beyond. If a flying dragon had landed on the grass beside me and started talking to me I could not have been more amazed at finding this green ribbon as I've driven down Fulton Street and used the Library there ( now gone years ago) 100s of times in the last 40 years. 

It even had murals under the bridge when I've gone to the furthest outskirts of the city just to photograph similar hard won mural works. No idea these were here either.

The route then passed Netherton and Shafton which I was familiar with as I've passed them in the car many times but never walked this stretch  of green meadow either.

The hut at Netherton/Temple and a view of the playing fields beyond.

Which I followed on this right hand side shown until I reached Wilverton Road and the roundabout.

This roundabout. I'm giving detailed instructions here just because if I've missed this route staring me in the face for the last 40 years anyone might miss it and it does make an excellent circular semi urban walk from Anniesland. One I will do again, hopefully as I enjoyed it. The rest of the walk I am familiar with. By walking up Cowdenhill Road, other side of this roundabout, you reach Trinley Brae.  From Trinley Brae, a small hill with great views you have the option of several different routes. One leads down to the far end of  Trinley Brae at Rotherwood Avenue/ Banner Drive where you join the Forth and Clyde Canal tow path back to Anniesland Cross. 

This is Trinley Brae, where the line of white cottages are, viewed from the other hill in this district/area.

Knightswood Park, above and below.

Knightswood Park pond.

Path in Knightswood Park.

Another route follows Trinley Brae to the middle line of steps with railing leading down into Knightswood Park which is one of my favourites. It also has several extra parts to it with one section behind the new BMX centre, a path running from the pond through the woods to Lincoln Avenue at the edge of the golf course. Another section 'The Wee Park' runs along the other side of Knightswood Golf Course  to Dyke Road then back along Loanfoot Avenue to Lincoln Avenue and the High Rise Flats there.

   With wide open views across Knightswood Golf Course, also used in Still Game Episodes along with Trinley Brae and South Nitshill ( Very first episode and most of series one.)

Loanfoot Avenue here, above. All these walk variations are very pleasant.

 You also have the option of passing through or beside the Lincoln Avenue High Rise Flats for even more variety and a second small hill climb with views over the city.

And this second hill, Pikeman Road, is equally delightful (most of the street names in Knight's wood have a medieval/ Robin Hood feel as the Templars supposedly had a castle here. Hence Temple, Athelstane, Kestrel, Pikeman, Baldric, Thane, Saxon, Turret, etc... and even today it still has a lot of mature trees. The great 'Wood of the Knights'. I've been very lucky with both main locations I've lived in as both Pollok and this north west side of the city are very green and leafy. And loads of ups and downs. Small hills with smashing views. And occasionally a stray dog for company .... and  'lashings of ginger beer'....

A view from Pikeman Road looking across at Trinley Brae. Both hills are easy to do along with Knightswood Park, the Forth and Clyde Canal, and my newly discovered path from Anniesland Cross. Allow 3 to 4 hours depending on route variations. On a good sunny day fine varied walking potential.

Left to right. Drumchapel tenements, Blairdardie Hi Rise Flats, Drumchapel High rise pair.

Blairdardie hi rise flats  on Keal Avenue and another route onto the Forth and Clyde Canal from Trinley Brae. So many different options here.

The Drumchapel Way

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Hooray, I'm back thanks to tech wiz Alex. Still a good friend. More tech skilled than me anyway. Had to switch over to google chrome and take 3rd party cookies off rather than using Firefox. ( which I'll switch back to using for everything else. ) Might not work in the long term but I'm back for now. What a ********* faff!.... when it worked fine before. So this post will be quick... not much text. Bus no 3 to Drumchapel shopping centre where I got off. A path leads from there to the two high rise flats and this tarmac path skirts right, between and underneath them and above football pitches then past a playground.

This is the Drumchapel way and is on good, easy to follow paths all the way round. Basically a circular walk right round this vast estate. It's fairly scenic, especially in July, when I did it with a range of wild flowers. If you find yourself going into any of the Drumchapel housing estates retrace your steps as the route only follows a green ribbon of meadows and woods all the way round on a tarmac path.

It then runs beside the Garscadden Burn between Southdeen Avenue, seen here, and Glenkirk Drive.

I then go off route slightly to include Colquhorn Park in Bearsden. Using this handy gap in the fence to enter.

And the pond there.

Then walk along Station Road back into Drumchapel's edge to pick up the path again here at the electricity sub station. Leave Station Road at this point as the path is on the left next to this railing.

The path then runs up through Garscadden Woods to come out near the white water tower at the top of Drumchapel and from there back round to the Shopping Centre again. A good walk of around three hours. Quite a lonely walk for single females and I've certainly not seen many on it, being a wilderness area yet surrounded by urban estates. I always turn around often on walks like this just to see if anyone is following me or approaching me. A lifelong habit as I grew up in a similar large estate.

This is a shortened post just to see if it works. 70 years since Drumchapel was constructed apparently and I've visited it numerous times in every decade since the 1970s onwards. Always an exciting place to be and always changing.

Always like this mural. It makes me laugh. Probably the eyes.

Driving range and five a side football pitches. Drumchapel Way.

They've knocked down part of the 1950s /1960s style Drumchapel shopping centre yet left this. This is a type of 1960s sculpture/ art I never understand. What's it meant to be?

400 feet high it looms over Drumchapel, dwarfing the surrounding tenements and high rise blocks with its vast austere bulk. ( PS ...this last statement is a Republican party 'alternative fact.'