Where would you walk to in Glasgow?

Glasgow Walking Tour review and images by Emma Johnston

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

What Does Glasgow Have?

Pictured above: Glasgow Necropolis.

As a loud and proud citizen of Glasgow I feel a certain obligation to enlighten outsiders as to the wonders of my city. Now I could go for a wander around the Botanic Gardens and witness some outside theatre, or visit some of our most popular museums, or strut down trendy Byres Road praising vintage shops or even just sit on my lazy behind and write a nostalgic tale from my childhood... Instead I decided to make an effort; undertake a new experience and display some of Glasgow's history and culture.

Excited? Here it is; themed walking tours.

Give me the benefit of the doubt as I expand on this.

Festivals and Culture United

In Glasgow we have a very special and interesting event called "The Merchant City Festival". Where all varieties of culture and art are celebrated in a slightly nicer part of town. It allows for people to observe activities such as art exhibitions, themed street fairs, independent film festivals, music performances, plus many more which does include the two walks I attended!

Medieval Glasgow

I often wonder if I am particularly odd, this time it was due to myself turning up at the Medieval Glasgow Walking Tour (a new pilot scheme commissioned by the council) and finding I was the only young (meh, 23) person there! Would this actually be fun or was it going to drag in?

As it turns out this tour was extremely enlightening. Medieval Glasgow was an interesting place, 75% of the buildings mentioned were not present anymore but using your imagination made it seem all the more entertaining. Their laminated and ever so useful pictures helped everyone along the way also. But when you tell stories about times of execution and sewers leaking into streets, it's easy to find your imagination running away with itself. The four tour guides (volunteers may I add) were very friendly and easy to talk to. It was clear to see they were nervous on their maiden voyage so to speak. As the short tour (1hour 20 minutes) progressed they felt more at ease and that seemed to relieve what I call word clunkiness. I feel with more time and most importantly more funding, this tour could be perfected to please citizens and tourists alike.

Glasgow Walking Tour participants.

Dead and Buried Glasgow

The following day I attended the Necropolis Walk Tour, essentially a charity run tour around a massive garden cemetery. This was a slightly longer tour (2 hours 20 minutes) but covered a huge 37 acres of land. Now I know it might not seem interesting to walk around a cemetery but with a guide it really was. As a seven year associate of the Friends of the Necropolis charity she had secrets about the giant tombs, funding, the gardeners, the art on the gravestones and anything else you could think of. A very modest woman claiming a larger knowledge that she let on. Humorous tales, gory stories, scandalous anecdotes, sentimental fables and many tragedies helped compose this fascinating tour. The time flew in and the audience was always eager to learn and listen, quite a task when you are climbing the second highest mountain in Glasgow!

Try It!

I know that walking tours are not new concepts but unlike cities like London that are rife with a wide variety of tours, Glasgow does not have these readily available. Even if I could persuade 1 more person to drop in on one I would be satisfied.

We Need To Show Everyone

Another issue is that of funding, as most cultural events are related back to the Glasgow City Council, they too are affected by the cuts throughout the council. Perhaps even more so as cultural events are not seen as important or necessary. In two years’ time we have the Commonwealth Games, this will bring in truckloads of tourists and they will want to view our fine city, weather permitting at least!

I would recommend these tours to anybody interested in finding out about the city or anybody who wishes to have a relaxing day wandering and listening.