Scotland
October 3-19, 2025
| Glasgow-start | Glasgow 2 | WHW-Tuesday | WHW-Wednesday | WHW-Thursday | WHW-Friday |
| WHW-Saturday | WHW-Sunday | WHW-Monday | WHW-Tuesday | Fort William | Edinburgh |
Glasgow – Friday & Saturday
We made almost last-minute plans to take a hike on the West Highland Way (Milngavie to Fort William), only booking the tour six weeks before the start. Our friend Petra was going to join us as well, and it would be her first time in Scotland. Was she in for a treat!
Because the hike started just outside of Glasgow (Milngavie, to be exact), we agreed to all meet up in Glasgow a couple of days beforehand. This would give us time to catch up, as well as give Petra some time to adjust to the UK timezone. It worked out really well, and here are some of the things we did during those days in the city.
Dan and I flew into Edinburgh and then immediately got on a bus for Glasgow. It was raining.
Artwork at The Smokin’ Fox, where we had a quick bite
The big news while we were in Glasgow was that Storm Amy was incoming. The storm was a lot of high winds and hard rain, but being in the city, the most that we noticed was a redistribution of trash on the streets, and a few branches blown down in the green spaces. Oh, and “that one building that fell over”
Lots of cancelled trains due to the storm
An abandoned building that blew over in the storm. Alas! to the car owner
The Great Storm Umbrella Victim
Sign me up – I enjoy some good irony
Dan and I really enjoy the variety of architecture in the city
Saturday
Petra had arrived and we had two full days to explore. Dan and I had been to Glasgow once before, as a day trip from Edinburgh, but otherwise didn’t know much about the area. We’d all learn together.
The weather was perfect for strolling around
We started at The Tenement House Museum. Dan and I learned about this only after our last trip to Glasgow and we regretted not visiting it then. We put it first on our list of Things to Do and See, and walked across town to where it sits on a small side street. I didn’t take any photos, but found a couple of the National Trust’s website to share here. I highly recommend checking out the webpage, as it gives a very good history of the museum, and the life of the owner, Miss Agnes Toward. Here is a quick excerpt:
“Miss Agnes Toward, a shorthand typist, made this house her home from 1911 until 1965. With great affection and care, she preserved her furniture and belongings, refusing to part with items that most people would have discarded. This extensive personal collection, now a precious time capsule, offers a unique opportunity for present-day visitors to connect and empathise with the past.”
This is a photo from the website linked above, just to give you a quick idea of the space; note the straw-filled mattress under the bed
All of the items had been left behind and were now on display
We were all glad that we had gone inside, and the staff in the upper rooms were very happy to share further insight into the life and times of a tenement dweller. While it is still hard to imagine what daily life would be like, it does reaffirm my appreciation of today’s modern conveniences, like my laundry machine and gas stove.
From the Tenement House we continued on, through Kelvingrove Park and towards the University of Glasgow.
The rivers were running high – this is the River Kelvin
Short video of the flowing water
University of Glasgow
The campus was in full glory, with a fresh sun shining through mixed clouds. We were on a mission for a museum: The Hunterian, the oldest museum in all of Scotland. I left the museum choices on this trip up to Dan and Petra, and they had their own reasons for choosing this one. I enjoyed it, if only for the sheer variety of items. It was also a fairly small space, so it didn’t take long to browse the displays.
Ooooh, Irish elk antlers (Megaloceros giganteus) – also aptly called the Giant Deer
The main hall
From here we wandered back into the heart of the city and eventually found dinner at a place I cannot recall. It was good, but clearly not good enough for me to remember. Oops!
Storm Amy damage!!!
Why I did not buy this, I cannot tell you
