Glasgow's New Swing Bridge. Riverside Museum. Govan Stones. Murals.

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In the last post I said I was going to Partick but ended up at Anderston, walking back along the River Clyde Walkway to Partick. By the time I got to Partick it was approaching rush hour so I just went home ... saving Partick for another day. A week later I took the correct bus down to Partick getting off at the transport hub where the subway/bus station/train station all meet under the three giant full gable murals looking down on them. I've already posted photos of them but this is one between West Village and Yorkhill that I missed. It's over 1 km or 2 km as the crow flies from Partick bus station to the Riverside Museum, the Tall Ship, and the new swing bridge but you can get really soaked on that shelter-less walk if it's raining heavily, tourists turning up like drowned rats outside the museum doors, even with waterproofs on. I like to use Yorkhill Park to get there sometimes, a green leafy area that surrounds Yorkhill Hospital and brings you out at Kelvinhaugh Street next to the mural arches at SWG3. Slightly longer but more interesting.

It's not that big a park but it does have a nice green walkway running through it, seen above, and is a pleasant route down to the mural arches. 

Kelvinhaugh Street. above.

I went up the back lane first, Eastvale Place, to see some of the murals I missed out the last time I was here. They do change from year to year.

Same building on a previous visit. Gone now. Last years model apparently. I liked that one with the nod to Cleopatra winning a bet with Mark Antony. A very early example of extreme extravagant wealth. Wonder if she got all her clothes and entertainment for free back in those days. Probably. Some things never change.

Angry guy.

The Listener.

SWG3 Gate Art.

Skull.

Close up of the Fox Mural.

I then crossed the elevated pedestrian bridge over the Clydeside Expressway to capture the railway arch murals from a distance. This is also the route to the Riverside Museum, hence the extra km distance difference.

More arches.

Big pigeon and highland cow.

And this walkway leads you out to the Riverside Museum, The Tall Ship and Glasgow's new swing bridge, just opened last week.

The Riverside Museum, seen here, contains all forms of transport past to present and also an old period street plus some of Glasgow's original rolling stock from the subway. 

And Glasgow's tall ship, the Glenlee, sits right beside it. Both of which are free entry to locals and tourists. ( Tall ship now around £5 entry since July 2024 I am informed. see comments.)

The new addition to the landscape is the swing bridge, which is pedestrian/ cycle only but opens to allow ships through if required. Not many large ships come up this far though but that option is available. A ferry used to run here up until the 1960s connecting Govan to Partick but disappeared when the modern Clyde Tunnel was built for vehicle traffic. Apparently this new bridge was almost £30 million and is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in Europe at over 370 feet long.

 Just as well it wasn't built across here, at the other end of the Riverside Museum or it would be far too short. Crowne Plaza Hotel. BBC Scotland HQ and Glasgow Tower here. Having just been on another walk into Glasgow City Centre a few days ago, and having walked from Anderston to Partick recently in the last post I came to the conclusion that maybe tourists coming to Glasgow might prefer a hotel here, around Anderston or Finnieston districts where there are half a dozen good ones. Crowne Plaza, Courtyard, Radisson etc... rather than the City Centre. The reason being I walked along the waterfront in the city centre ( messy, covered in graffiti) then along Argyle Street from Glasgow Cross to Central Station ( grubby, down at heel, past its best, beggars lying in the street, food delivery cyclists zooming everywhere in numbers) and noticed half the streets there had road works in them. A very different experience from my enjoyable Anderston to Partick walk. So I think tourists would prefer this area more.... and they can still visit the city centre easily for day trips as it's only a short ten minute bus or train ride away.

Glasgow Harbour. Then I thought of all the things tourists or locals could do here instead. Partick, a vibrant shopping area bucking the trend with loads of independent shops and unlike Glasgow city centre very few empty units or street beggars or bikes on pavements, far less graffiti as well. Botanic Gardens. Kelvingrove Museum and Park. Govan old church and stones. Good transport links. Great local walks up the River Kelvin or along the River Clyde in both directions. Dozens of murals that change year by year. University of Glasgow and Hunterian Museum. Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow Tower, Imax Cinema, Exhibition Centre, Byres Road Lanes District. OVO Hydro. Clyde Arc Bridge and surrounding modern architecture. I could go on. And I found myself thinking this area is much better than Glasgow City Centre. A better image of the city for visiting tourists. More modern. More positive visual vibes. Less hectic. I'll post my city centre visit later on. So you can see the difference between the two areas.

And with this new bridge in place tourists visiting the Riverside Museum and Tall Ship have very easy access to Govan old church as well. A mere five minutes flat walk away across the bridge.

Tour RIBs and Govan Old Church from the Riverside Museum.

West Village Student apartments at Partick.

Govan Walkway. Govan is a very old district, far older than young upstart Glasgow, with roots dating right back to the 5th century, Viking grave burials ( the Govan Stones), and the seat of the ancient rulers of Strathclyde, a political and spiritual hub when Glasgow was just a couple of cottages and a munching cow beside a stream. Likewise Govan old Church and graveyard with many different reincarnations of churches on this site since that time.

Govan Stones info. Visiting Viking chieftains used hogback carved stones to cover the dead and this church has a fine collection. Later the Vikings became Christian but still kept some pagan customs. The ancient Strathclyde stronghold of Dumbarton Rock ( Fort of the Britons) eventually succumbed to Viking siege tactics and fell so the survivors moved upriver to Govan as the River Clyde at that time was shallow with twisting sandbanks but eventually the Vikings came here as well.

Although tourists could always reach this place by bus or subway it is or was slightly out of the way requiring an extra trip. Not now though. Only five minutes walk from the main tourist draw of the Riverside Museum and Tall Ship... and well worth a visit.

On the day I visited an archaeological team were busy excavating some gravestones and this churchyard has already been under the spotlight several times due to its ancient past throwing up surprises with Tony Robinsons time team arriving in Govan for a dig around a couple of decades ago for television. ( 1997 broadcast.)

Govan Old Church interior.

One of many stained glass windows.

The famous hogback stones. Govan Old Church.

Side view of church.

 

 And a link to the Govan Stones site with more info and pictures.

 

 https://thegovanstones.org.uk/the-stones/

 

 

Govan also has some fine period buildings a stones throw from the church. Pearce Institute here on the Main Street. Built around 1906.

And brand new buildings as well. Govan apartments.

Govan walkway to church.

I got the subway back. Govan to Partick then a bus home from there.

Another good walk and a homemade tasty dinner. Yum yum. Beefburger and fried spuds, egg, onion and peas. 3 of your 5 a day on one plate :o)

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 on the white tower depending on how large /or high the apartments are 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 free 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.