Glasgow Gallivanting: June 2024 (2)

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Cowden Japanese Garden

Almost two weeks of June were taken up with visitors: first my university friend Janet came up from Derby, followed by my school friend Valerie and her husband Kenn who live near Leeds. As you might expect the memories flowed, but we also got out and about a lot. Here, in alphabetical order, are the most notable places we visited. All but one have featured before, so I will try to be brief.

Cowden Japanese Garden

We’ve visited Cowden in sunshine and in rain – this time it was somewhere in between with a very cold wind. The garden is beautiful in all conditions though.

Cowden Japanese Garden
Cowden Japanese Garden
Cowden Japanese Garden
Cowden Japanese Garden
Cowden Japanese Garden
Kelpies

Last time Valerie and Kenn visited we went to the Kelpies at Helix Park and the Falkirk Wheel. This time, Janet expressed interest in seeing them. We started off at the former including a tour inside one of the sculptures with an excellent guide, Pat, who explained how they were built. Recommended if you ever visit.

Sculpture at Kelpies
Sculpture info
Looking up inside
Horse shoe
Info board showing sculptures being built
Duke
Kelpie maquettes and Baron

Unfortunately, the Falkirk Wheel had broken down that day so we didn’t get to ride it. Instead, we had lunch in the café while pondering what else to do (we went to Linlithgow). I spotted this bust of Tommy Douglas which I had never noticed before, and which might be of interest to Canadian readers.

Tommy Douglas
Info board
Linlithgow Palace

Linlithgow has featured before, but until recently the palace was closed – one of many Historic Scotland sites where overhead masonry needed to be checked. In the grounds is a statue of Mary Queen of Scots who was born here in December 1542.

Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542-1587
In my end is my beginning
My heart is my own
MQS statue attribution

Inside, there were still areas off-limits, but we were able to explore quite a lot. The view from Queen Margaret’s Bower was particularly good.

Unicorn on fountain
View from Queen Margaret’s Bower
Queen Margaret’s Bower
Queen Margaret’s Bower
Anabel and John outside Queen Margaret’s Bower

The church in the background is St Michael’s where Mary Queen of Scots was baptised. The 60 year-old sculpture on the spire represents the Crown of Thorns and has recently been restored. We only had time for a very quick look inside before it closed. Magnificent window.

St Michael’s
Main doors
Stained glass window
Peebles

It’s a long time since we have visited the pretty Borders market town of Peebles. One set of visitors has a relative there so we drove them over for a visit.

High Street
Tontine Hotel
Mercat Cross
Garden on North Gate
Chambers Institution
Library entrance
War Memorial
War Memorial
Peebles mural
House often visited by John Buchan – home to two of his siblings

While our visitors were with their uncle, John and I had a lovely walk up Soonhope Glen. The sculpture of a show jumper is near where we parked the car and represents local lad and Olympic medal winner, Scott Brash.

Scott Brash MBE, show jumper
Soonhope Glen
Soonhope Glen
Soonhope Glen
Soonhope Glen
Riverside Museum

Finally, a Glasgow venue! We have been to the Riverside Museum, home to the city’s transport collection and more, many times before. However, there is always something new to see or notice, this time the addition of one of Glasgow’s 1970s “Clockwork Orange” subway carriages. These have recently been replaced and one has found its way to Riverside. For comparison, also included are two older carriages which ran from the 1890s until 1977. Before my time in Glasgow, but John remembers them from his youth.

Glasgow Subway carriage in use 1980-2024
Glasgow Subway Carriage in use 1898-1977, restored to 1898 appearance.
Glasgow Subway carriage in use 1896-1977

I’m sure with my interest in women’s history I would not have missed Dorothée Pullinger before, so this might be quite a new exhibit too.

Dorothée Pullinger’s car
Dorothée Pullinger info

A few other items to catch my eye:

Scotland’s oldest post box 1865
Scotland’s oldest post box 1865
South African train (built in Glasgow) and springbok
Bicycles
Traction engine

We hoped to visit the tall ship berthed alongside the museum, but it was closed for a private event – which turned out to be people climbing the mast! Possibly for charity – I don’t know – but rather them than me. The ship always creates beautiful reflections in the museum’s glass wall.

The shapes complement each other
Reflections
Masts
Mast with climber

So far, July has been a little more restful – I definitely need time to recharge my batteries. Possibly our visitors do too!

Scotland, UK , , , , , ,

62 Comments »

  1. Hi Anabel – what a range of places you visited … fascinating to be able to read … I loved being inside the Kelpies … while the Museum’s. wall is just extraordinary … one day perhaps! Cheers Hilary

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  5. I love the Kelpies, and also enjoyed visiting the Japanese garden, and have blogged separately about both of these. Given your interest in women’s history, I imagine that – like me – you were inspired by Isabella Christie’s role in establishing the Cowden garden. She must have been a remarkable woman, way ahead of her time.

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      • You too! Public, academic or special? I got my first job in Derbyshire in the late 70s, met my future wife (in the library, obviously!) and have been here ever since.

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          • I spent my whole career in public libraries, but have barely crossed the threshold since retiring…life moves on. Good for you for supporting the Glasgow Women’s Library. I’m not familiar with it, but it’s important that those voices are heard and the stories don’t die (…which was what I was saying to a former colleague only last week, trying to persuade her to write down some of her harrowing experiences of growing up in rural Northern Ireland over half a century ago. I’m still working on her!)

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  7. You’ve looked after your visitors well, with all these interesting places to visit. I especially love the Japanese Garden and the Kelpies – I hadn’t realised you can go inside the latter, it must be fascinating!

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  8. You can take me touristing anytime, Anabel. Those gardens are divine, I’ve always wanted to see the Kelpies and the unicorn at Linlithgow is such a beautiful beast 🤗🩷

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  10. Very interesting post. One of the reasons I limit myself to a couple of walks a week is that after 50 years of outdoor walking I tend to think I’ve already done everything within a 100 mile radius. But your posts always provide places I haven’t been yet, like the Japanese garden. So thank you for keeping me motivated. Bob. BSS.

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  11. Some of the same venues on my list of things to do over the summer. My brother hopes to visit and wants to go to see the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel. Despite working in Falkirk, I’ve never been to the Helix. I’m also hoping to get out to the Burrell to see the Degas Exhibition

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    • Thanks Donna. It always feels flat when guests go home – batteries need charging in that sense too! We spotted the person up the mast before lunch and were astonished they were still there when we went out to the boat. Then realised there was a whole queue of them!

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  15. My cousin and husband really enjoyed viewing the Kelpie sculptures. Japanese gardens are always worth a visit, sculpturing nature instead of steel. Looks like you showed them a variety of places, all look fabulous.

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  18. So many fab places to take your guests. I loved visiting the Kelpies when we were in Scotland last year and it was good to see the Mary Queen of Scotts statue. X

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  21. Wow, so many wonderful places you’ve taken your friends. I love the Japanese gardens, the view from Queen Margaret’s Bower, Peebles, and the museum/ship mast/reflection. Lucky friends!

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  24. So many interesting things here Anabel and so much to like. The inside structure of the Kelpies looks amazing, I love the Japanese garden and the stained glass window is gorgeous but my favourite is the show jumping sculpture.

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