In July of 2017, I took a solo trip abroad to visit my friend Shelby in Spain during her summer study abroad. On my way, I stopped in Glasgow, Scotland for a day/night to do some solo exploring and check another country off my list. I fully intend to go back to Scotland at some point since my time here was so limited, but I was happy to get a taste of what the country has to offer.
Check out my Spain blog!
Flying over Loch Lomond.
I flew from Orlando MCO to Glasgow GLA early Saturday morning and landed around 6am. I had booked a lovely Airbnb for the night near Glasgow’s city centre but couldn’t check-in until later in the afternoon, so I hit the ground running. First up on my agenda was Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. I took a bus from the airport to Glasgow and only had to walk a couple of blocks to Queen Street Station to catch the ScotRail train and take the 45-minute ride to the Balloch stop at Loch Lomond.
Tip: Ask for maps and help BEFORE you leave the airport! Almost every airport has some sort of help/information desk with everything you will need. The woman who helped me told me exactly which bus to get on and which station I would need to go to once in the city centre. I also had my luggage held at the airport for a small fee and put everything I would need for the day/night in my backpack in order to have a lighter load to carry throughout the day. So worth it! Once at the station, navigating to your destination is fairly easy and everyone in Scotland speaks English!
Loch Lomond
The park is centered around Loch (Lake) Lomond and has miles of walking trails, beautiful views and chances to spot wildlife. Being my first solo journey, I admit I was quite a novice with planning and probably missed out on some of the better views in the park because I was too shy to ask which trails I should take. I spent about 4 hours hiking around the lake and through the hills before I realized I hadn’t seen anyone else in over an hour. It sort of gave me the creeps to be in the middle of nowhere so defenseless, so I started my journey into the city for the rest of my stay.
I didn’t have my heart set on seeing anything specific once I got here, but knew I wanted to see The Lighthouse and explore some of the street art that Glasgow is known for. The Lighthouse is Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture and has a spectacular 360 view over the city if you are willing to climb the tower. Admission is free and you can stroll through their photo gallery or stop for a bite at the cafe while you’re there.
Glasgow is known for its street art and there is a TON of it to find while exploring the city centre. Searching for the best pieces is a great way to kill some time in the city. Here are a few I was able to find during my visit!
Since I still had several hours before I could check into my Airbnb, I used my map from the airport and took to the city. I walked to the Glasgow Cathedral just over a mile from the city centre. The cathedral is the site on which Glasgow was founded, which is pretty cool. That thing was built in the 1100’s! Luckily for me, it had started to drizzle outside and not many people were out exploring, so I was able to walk through the cathedral when there were just a handful of others inside; it was so peaceful.
Located just behind the cathedral, across the “Bridge of Sighs”, is the Necropolis (Victorian cemetery). The gravestones are built on the side of a wide hill and it’s a serene sight to see. Unfortunately, I didn’t walk through the graves as much as I would have liked to because it was raining, but it is definitely worth visiting if you have the time!
I was just about to head to my Airbnb when I stumbled upon Tennent’s Brewery and decided to drop in for a tour. Tennent’s Lager is known as “Scotland’s Favourite Pint” so I figured it was worth a try. To me, it is sort of like the Coors or Yuengling of the US. I had fun sampling a few of their brews and learning about the history of the brewery.
Finally, it was time to check-in to my Airbnb and I swear, I have never wanted a hot shower so bad in my life! This was my first experience renting a room in a shared apartment and it was an overall positive experience. The host greeted me when I arrived but I didn’t really see her for the rest of my stay. I usually try not to nap on vacation, but I was so tired from my red-eye flight and a day of walking that I gave in the second I got to my Airbnb. I literally napped for an hour, took a hot shower, and got dressed for a night out.
I had planned to take myself to Ox & Finch for dinner, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have to make a reservation for 1 for dinner. They were too packed and couldn’t seat me so I headed to a spot nearby (can’t remember the name) and spoiled myself with a four-course meal.
Prosciutto Bruschetta
Tiramisu
I had made a few friends in the airport that were staying at a hostel near the University of Glasgow and we decided to meet up for drinks on Ashton Lane. This is the cutest “lane” on the entire planet and there are so many unique bars in this area to check out and grab some fancy cocktails, or a Tennents Lager. Most of the people in this area are college students, but the scene wasn’t over the top by any means. Very hipster.
Ashton Lane
Can you believe I did all of that in less than 24 hours?! Pretty crazy, right! I had to be to the airport around noon the next day, so I woke up early to grab a hearty breakfast in the city centre before catching my flight to SPAIN. I decided to try the traditional “black pudding” with my breakfast and held off on the google search until after I had eaten it. Yes, it contains pig blood. But don’t let that discourage you, it was very good!
Next stop >>> Santander, Spain.
Cheers!
July 2017
Comments