Glasgow Gallivanting: September 2025
We had a day out to Perth this month where we started by visiting Branklyn Garden. I took my parents here many years ago, but John had never visited before.
As well as looking out for benches for Jude, I was looking for one particular bench – the one above! Here I am sitting on it, the same bench on which I snapped Mum and Dad in 2013. I was able to match it by the inscription to Donald and Elizabeth McKenzie, though it looks as though it has moved position in the intervening 12 years as I can’t see any steps behind Mum and Dad.
The garden still had some colour in it, although the leaves hadn’t quite reached their autumn hues. We had a good stroll and (just as important) a good lunch in the café.
From the garden it was a pleasant walk along the River Tay to cross the bridge to the Art Gallery. We passed heather gardens, sculptures (including one aptly named Bench Mark) odd tree trunks and old notices.
The Art Gallery was interesting – even the Ladies was well decorated!
On the way back to the station our eye was caught by a beautiful building – the former King James VI Hospital. Although the founding date is shown as 1587, this building dates from 1750 and was renovated as housing in 1976. Coincidentally, when we reached the station the Royal Scotsman was at the next platform as it had been in Dundee when we came home from our daytrip there last month.
It is 850 years since Glasgow became a Burgh, although there was a settlement here long before that, and various events are taking place throughout 2025 under the banner of Glasgow 850. One of these is Glasgow Close Knit which was displayed in Kelvin West Parish Church (formerly Wellington Church) for a few days in the middle of the month. In a city-wide communal activity countless hands have knitted and crocheted thousands of squares which have been sewn together into hundreds of blankets.
I gasped with delight when I walked into the church, and was then invited to step into the pulpit for a better view.
In front of the altar were four blankets depicting the miracles of St Mungo, Glasgow’s patron saint: the bird that never flew, the tree that never grew, the bell that never rang, and the fish that never swam. These symbols also make up Glasgow’s Coat of Arms.
Later in the year the blankets will be distributed through the Lodging House Mission to people experiencing homelessness and isolation across the City in a communal expression of care for vulnerable people in need of security and warmth. An amazing project.
I was in Edinburgh again to meet a friend for lunch and, because I was a bit early, I took a long way round through some of the old closes off the Canongate. I found these beautiful panels in Pirrie’s Close. They were installed in 2021 and are the work of Isla Munro, Astrid Jaekel and Chris Dobson.
John has, of course, done a lot of cycling. He comes back with many beautiful views but this month I was most interested in a building which I have never visited myself but would like to. This is the former Argyll Motor Works in Alexandria. Built in 1902 it only produced cars for a few years before being sold in 1914 to the Admiralty as a torpedo factory, in which role it continued through two World Wars. After a chequered history in between, in the 1990s it became a shopping centre. Who could imaging cars being manufactured in such a place today?
Also – who could resist being sent this photo from the Top of the World? (It’s a viewpoint in Stirlingshire).
So those have been some of my September highlights. I hope you have had a good month too, and happy October!
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
We visited Brankly garden a couple of years ago during spring. The rhododendron trees were in full bloom it is absolutely stunning.
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It’s a very nice garden. When I went the first time with my mum and dad it had more colour, but it was still pretty in autumn.
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You’ve had another busy month and found plenty of interest to see. I love the idea of having all those knitted squares on display before they’re joined to make blankets. A very worthy community project.
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Yes, a lot of hard work by a lot of individual people coming together to make a great project.
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I loved the blanket project—what a caring community!
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Yes, it’s lovely to think of all those people beavering away on their squares – separately, but together.
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Looks like a good month to me, Anabel. It seems like you always find new things to do and see in the city. That Close Knit display is incredible. Just wow! And I liked the shot of the Tibetan Cherry Tree’s bark as well. Have a happy October!
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It was a good month, thanks – there’s always something new going on if you look hard enough! The bark was so beautiful, it was crying out for a close up.
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Art galleries and gardens, love them. And those blankets, what an amazing, collaborative effort. The sight of them all is breathtaking. You had an interesting month.
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Yes, I can see the art and the gardens would be of special interest to you! The blankets were amazing, every one different making a brilliantly colourful display.
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Those blankets are beautiful, and what a marvelous way to display them. It looks like you had a wonderful month of gallivanting.
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Thanks Janis, both the concept and display of the blankets were great.
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How nice to find that bench again. Although the blankets look amazing, I think that the decorative panels were my favourites in this post – except for the fine picture of John, of course.
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I was very happy to find the bench again – it was only the second one I checked. Finding the decorative panels was also a bit of serendipity. And it was good to check the ping on my phone and find John at the Top of the World!
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Fantastic display and such an eyeful of colours! You do get to find such amazing places and take great photos of them all.
I am currently locked out of WordPress and can only access posts through their emails!! This might all go wrong!!
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Comment safely received despite WordPress! It has been a very colourful month.
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That knitting is amazing. So many lovely things you have seen this month.
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I was quite stunned by the sight of all that knitting.
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Brilliant images Anabel. I loved the unicorn and it was nostalgic to see the old factory/shopping centre at Alexandria. It’s been i while since I’ve been out there.
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Thanks Brenda. The unicorn was very striking.
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Great knitting and lovely gardens, with a bench for Jude. What more do you need in a month, but you always fit in loads, Anabel xx
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I had everything I needed! Thanks Jo.
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Great gallivanting!
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It was, thanks!
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Some of the best bits of Perth there. Doh! I’m just back from Edinburgh today and passed that area but never spotted those panels. I’ve been in the Argyll Motor Building many times as I used to work nearby. Nice interiors. Bob. BSS.
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I wouldn’t have spotted them if I hadn’t been killing time! I saw the Argyll Motor Building on TV once but am never in the area.
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I see I must add Perth to my itinerary at some point. Love the gorgeous colours on the tips of the leaves on the main tree in one of the garden shots. What species is it?
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Ah, Tony, the questions you ask! Sorry, if I knew at the time I have now completely forgotten what the trees are. Hopeless, I know.
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Busy and purposeful as ever! In a very interesting set of ‘snaps’, that Millais viewpoint is a winner. Brakluyn Garden seems a glorious lung of peace.
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Thanks Margaret. I think Perth with its sculpture trails is a good example of what to do with your riverfront. It’s something I’ve never felt Glasgow does well.
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I’m sure Glasgow will. Everyone’s at it!
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Lovely to see some autumn colour in those gardens and how nice that you managed to find that bench! I loved the Millais’ Viewpoint sculpture framing the church spire, and that Close Knit project sounds fantastic 🙂
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Just a touch of autumn colour, things are turning a bit more now. The Millais View is certainly spectacular- the sculpture trail all along the river is interesting and the church spire is never out of view for long.
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I love the Glasgow Close Knit and those intricate panels. And John made it to the top of the world! The Royal Scotsman looks very colorful and elegant. It looks like you had a wonderful September.
A question: we’re considering coming to live somewhere in Europe for 2027. If we left the E.U. every three months and came to Scotland, since you’re not part of the E.U., would that restart our European visa for another 3 months?
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Thanks, Cathy, we did have a wonderful September! As for visas, I’m sorry – I have no idea how they work I’m afraid.
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As far as I know you can only remain in a Schengen area 90 days out of 180 so you need to move out for 90 days. Not all of Europe is in Schengen though so you could move to another country or countries e.g Ireland, Cyprus, Morocco, UK. Basically being out of a Schengen area for a week doesn’t reset it. Good luck with the research.
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Thanks Jude. That’s a real bummer. Who knows how we’ll work it out then.
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Lots of lovely gallivanting and a bench for me! I would have liked to have visited Branklyn Garden when we were in Dunkeld in 2016 but ran out of time so thank you for the virtual visit. The idea of being able to visit cities by train for a day trip is growing on me. Maybe my life as a country mouse is beginning to lose appeal.
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We can visit Edinburgh, Stirling, Perth and Dundee easily for day trips. We’re trying to do at least one a month at the moment so I don’t think being a country mouse would suit me!
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Carlisle? Newcastle?
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I hadn’t actually thought of Carlisle, it’s about 1hr 20m so doable. I might do that! Newcastle is about two and a half hours and usually involves a change at Edinburgh. Too much for a day!
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I’m not sure if I ever heard of a hospital being transformed into housing. Seems like a very good idea.
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A much better idea than letting old buildings go I think.
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This is where I worked for years in Philadelphia. It closed in 2009. It was converted to housing. There were, and still are, a zillion windows in the building!
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So you didn’t think of moving in for old time’s sake 😉?
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We have an annual knit-a-blanket drive here before winter. Seeing all of those blankets displayed in the church, however, is most impressive.
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It was an amazing display, seeing them all together was quite something.
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Wow! Those blankets in the church certainly make a very colourful display, you got a great photo there. I love the ladies in the art gallery and the unicorn looks really pretty.
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The blankets were stunning – I asked if I could go up in the gallery for an even better view but that wasn’t allowed on safety grounds 🙁.
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oh this is a glorious month of highlights – so many delights and treasures. Love it
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Thanks Becky – nothing huge, just a month filled with simple pleasures.
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my kind of month
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