Exploring Glasgow, you can tell it’s one of the greenest and most walkable cities you’ll ever visit. There are incredible public parks and green spaces scattered throughout the city center. From the obvious destinations like Queens Park and Glasgow Botanic Gardens to surprises like the Kelvin Walkway, you won’t be short of options for taking some steps when visiting the largest city in Scotland.
If you expand your search a little further, you’ll find an incredible wealth of national parks and wild places within an hour’s drive of Glasgow City Center. Premier outdoor destinations like The West Highland Way, The Trossachs, and Gowan Hill are all manageable day trips for hiking and trekking. The Scottish Highlands are a marvel, as well as the famed Lochs that dot the countryside surrounding Glasgow, which makes for a worthy adventure once you’re done enjoying the city’s cultural offerings.
If you plan to take a day trip to the Highlands or merely walk through Glasgow’s city parks, you won’t want to get stuck with your bags. Luckily, a service like Bounce makes it easy to stash the bags in a secure location while you’re out exploring.
Here are a few of the best places to enjoy the outdoors near Glasgow:
West Highland Way
One of Scotland’s best hiking trails is only a short bus ride from Glasgow’s City Center. Located near Milngavie and Fort William, the West Highland Way sports all the iconic features you’d expect (and want) in a Scottish hiking trail. The West Highland Way spans almost 100 miles through moorlands, mossy fields, thick forests, the dramatic hills unique to Scotland, and plenty of lakes and streams. You can make a quick excursion in a day or plan a multi-day trek to complete the entire trail. There are also stops along the way at Milngavie, where you can board a train back to Glasgow.
Pollok Country Park
Situated just outside the city center but accessible via a 10-minute train ride from Glasgow Central, this sprawling public park features leafy trails and some open-space fields preserved to resemble Scottish farms. This isn’t just a barn and a few chickens, either. You’ll find Highland cows grazing and even Clydesdale horses milling about. In the center of it all is the charming Pollock House that can be toured. You’ll find antique furniture, traditional ceramics, and even a collection of fine art.
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park
Located a short drive northwest of Glasgow, this national park boasts some of the most dramatic topography and stunning lakefronts in Scotland. Glaciers carved through Loch Lomond and the surrounding hills to make for rugged terrain and incredible peaks. The Munros (a uniquely Scottish type of mountain) lining Loch Lomond make for some of the best panoramic views and some sweat-inducing hikes. Plenty of treks will challenge expert hikers, and there are even a few approachable ones for beginners. The Great Trossachs Forest offers tranquil wooded trails and is one of the largest nature reserves in the UK.
Glasgow Botanic Gardens
One of the more accessible places on this list, Glasgow Botanic Gardens is also one of the top attractions in the city. Established in 1841 by the University of Glasgow, these sprawling city gardens were intended to be a respite from the increasingly industrial city. You’ll find wooded walking trails lined with plants, pleasant fields, and the domed Kibble Palace glasshouse, which houses a wide variety of exotic plants. It’s an easy place to stop by for an afternoon stroll, but there are also plenty of activities like yoga in the park.
Queen’s Park
Located in the increasingly trendy neighborhoods south of the river, this charming green space is the ideal spot to wander a bit after exploring this area of Glasgow. In the center of the park is the Queens Park Flagpole, an observation deck you can climb for unbelievable views of Gasgow’s cityscape. After strolling through the park, don’t skip out on nearby hotspots like Pollokshaws Road for amazing cafes, pubs, boutiques, and restaurants.
Kelvin Walkway
The West Highland Way is the premier outdoor destination in Scotland, and nine out of ten times, it starts with a short drive or bus ride from Glasgow. The other time, it starts right at Riverside Museum in the city center, where the Kelvin Walkway begins. This path snakes past the Glasgow Botanic Garden through Kelvingrove Park to the Maryhill Locks towards Milngavie. From Milngavie, you can hitch onto the West Highland Way without ever having to step in a vehicle. While this may sound confusing, there are guideposts and other resources for newbies looking to take the Kelvin Walkway on the West Highland Way or simply enjoy the path’s scenic beauty.
Gowan Hill
Located just north of Glasgow in nearby Stirling, Gowan Hill is a sprawling public park with over 25 acres of dramatic sloping hills and Munros. In the middle of it all is Stirling Castle, a 12th-century masterpiece that can be toured. Other notable sites are Mote Hill, which features the ruins of an iron-age fort, and Heiding Hill, conspicuously named the “beheading hill.” Atop this smaller slope is a 15th-century stone block where prisoners marked for death placed their heads before the executioner’s axe performed its duty.
The Gowan Hill Heritage Trail snakes its way through the whole park and provides stunning views of wildflower fields and wooded areas that are home to deer. It’s the perfect blend of historical intrigue and outdoor appeal.
Forth and Clyde Canal Pathway
The canal built to connect Glasgow and Edinburgh may have been made for entirely industrial and commercial purposes, but this winding waterway has been repurposed for recreation. The 65-mile-long canal is ultra-popular for bikers, boaters, and hikers. You can charter a boat that will take you through the canal or hike along and watch the boats drift by.