St Bride's

Riverside Museum

Govan · 1.2 miles

Set on the River Clyde at Pointhouse Quay in Glasgow’s Partick district, the Riverside Museum occupies a striking, angular building designed by Zaha Hadid Architects with engineering by Buro Happold. Opened to the public in June 2011 as part of the Glasgow Harbour regeneration scheme, the structure won the 2013 European Museum of the Year Award and sits opposite the confluence of the River Kelvin and the Clyde. A pedestrian and cycle link, the Govan–Partick Bridge, has been in use since 2024, providing direct access from the museum across the water to the Govan neighbourhood. The museum’s collections encompass a broad spectrum of transport heritage. Visitors can see the world’s oldest surviving pedal cycle, a substantial assembly of Scottish-built cars and trucks—including examples from Argyll, Arrol-Johnston and Albion—as well as a large showroom display sponsored by Arnold Clark. The Clyde Room holds around 250 ship models that illustrate the River Clyde’s shipbuilding legacy, while the railway and municipal transport galleries feature seven historic Glasgow tramcars, trolleybuses and a reconstruction of a 1930s street scene with a replica subway station and cinema. The site also allows the tall ship Glenlee and other visiting vessels to berth alongside the museum. Opening times are published on the museum’s website, and the venue is reachable on foot or by cycle via the new bridge, with further access through the surrounding Partick area.

The Clydeside Distillery

Kelvinhaugh · 1.2 miles

Located on the River Clyde’s quayside in Glasgow, the Clydeside Distillery occupies the former pump house that once managed water levels for the Queen’s Dock. The site, refurbished in 2017, lies just west of the SEC Centre and is linked to the Kelvinhaugh and Yorkhill neighbourhoods by a footbridge that passes beneath the Clydeside Expressway and the Argyle Line railway. Vehicles reach the distillery via Stobcross Road, which connects to the expressway at the Finnieston and Pointhouse exits. Water used in production is drawn from Loch Katrine in the nearby Trossachs. When production started in 2017, Clydeside became the second active distillery in Glasgow after a century-long gap. The enterprise is operated by Morrison Glasgow Distillers Limited, with Tim Morrison as principal owner and Andrew Morrison as operations director; the family’s historic ties to the dock date back to John Morrison’s 19th-century construction of the original pump house. The distillery’s facilities include two two-tonne Forsyth stills and a capacity of up to 500,000 litres of spirit per year, producing a Lowland-style single malt that entered the market in 2021 under the Stobcross label. Visitors can join interactive tours that showcase the production process, and the premises house a shop and a café. Pedestrian access is provided by the footbridge, while parking is available in the adjacent SEC car park. The location’s industrial setting and proximity to cultural venues such as the SWG3 arts space make it a distinctive point of interest along Glasgow’s waterfront.

Dawsholm Park Local Nature Reserve

Dawsholm · 1.2 miles

Woodland walks and open meadows dominate the 33-hectare expanse of this public park on the River Kelvin, north of the River Clyde. The reserve lies on the fringe of Glasgow’s Kelvindale, Maryhill and Temple districts and touches the southern part of Bearsden, with Dawsholm identified as the nearest settlement. Most of the area is covered by natural woodland, while the south-eastern corner offers grassland and wildflower meadows that attract a variety of local wildlife. The land was assembled in 1922 when Glasgow City Council bought the former Belvidere plantation and adjoining grassy fields from Sir Archibald Campbell of Succoth. A further parcel, contaminated with oil-shale waste, was gifted by Sir Archibald; the council levelled and grassed it to create a recreation zone that now hosts football pitches. In 2007 the council formally designated the site as a Local Nature Reserve, and a managed grazing scheme using Highland cattle is maintained to promote the development of the wildflower meadows. The park’s boundaries abut the University of Glasgow’s School of Veterinary Medicine, the Garscube sporting complex, the West of Scotland Science Park and one of the city’s four main waste-recycling facilities serving the north-west sector. Access is unrestricted, as the area forms part of the public park network, and there is no admission charge. Visitors can explore the woodland trails, observe the grazing cattle on the meadow, or use the football pitches situated on the eastern side of the reserve. The surrounding amenities, including the university and sports facilities, provide additional points of interest for those spending time in the park.

Glasgow Science Centre

Stobcross · 1.2 miles

Located on the south bank of the River Clyde within the Clyde Waterfront Regeneration area, the Glasgow Science Centre serves as a science-focused museum near Stobcross. The complex comprises three distinct structures – the crescent-shaped Science Mall, the rotating Glasgow Tower and an IMAX cinema – each wrapped in a different metal skin. As a registered Scottish charity it attracts visitors who pay an admission charge, and it also oversees the visitor centre at Whitelee Wind Farm. The attraction carries a five-star rating from VisitScotland. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 5 July 2001, the centre formed part of the Pacific Quay redevelopment that followed the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival. The architects Building Design Partnership designed the Science Mall, while the tower’s original concept came from Richard Horden with engineering by Buro Happold. Inside the Mall, three floors host more than 250 interactive exhibits, a planetarium with a 15-metre dome, a children’s area called The Big Explorer, and themed galleries such as Powering the Future, Idea No59 and BodyWorks. The ground floor houses ticketing, cafés, a gift shop and a cloakroom, together with flexible spaces for education and events. The Glasgow Tower, intended as the world’s tallest freely rotating tower, was closed from August 2010 until July 2014, and the IMAX cinema – Scotland’s first – seats 370 patrons before a 24 × 18 metre screen capable of 3D presentation. A 2021 “Connect: Outer Space” project added a two-way cycle lane, expanded greenspace and outdoor science exhibits along the waterfront.

Finnieston Crane

Finnieston · 1.9 miles

The Finnieston Crane or Stobcross Crane is a disused giant cantilever crane in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. It is no longer operational, but is retained as a symbol of the city's engineering heritage. The crane was used for loading cargo, in particular steam locomotives, onto ships to be exported around the world.

Possil Marsh Nature Reserve

High Possil · 2.5 miles

Possil Marsh Nature Reserve lies on the north-side of Glasgow, directly adjacent to the High Possil and Lambhill districts. Covering roughly 31.4 hectares at about 50 metres above sea level, the triangular basin sits between the River Clyde and the River Kelvin, its northern edge abutting Lochfauld Farm and its southern and eastern limits shielded by the Forth and Clyde Canal. The western perimeter follows the A879 and borders Lambhill Cemetery. The site is recognised as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a bird sanctuary, and it has been under the custodianship of the Scottish Wildlife Trust since 1982, following earlier stewardship by the Scottish Society for the Protection of Wild Birds from 1950. The reserve’s landscape is a mosaic of habitats: a shallow mesotrophic loch occupies about 15 % of the area, while extensive fen (≈10 ha) and swamp (≈6 ha) dominate the central zone. Damp grassland, dry meadow, and birch-and-willow scrub complete the mix, providing a setting for a range of plant communities such as Typha beds, Potentilla palustris meadows and Carex rostrata swamps. Notable flora include the nationally scarce Lysimachia thyrsiflora and Sphagnum riparium, as well as locally rare Carex diandra. The marsh supports up to 150 wintering bird species, with 22 recorded as breeding, and hosts two nationally scarce invertebrate species. A monument commemorates the High Possil meteorite that fell in 1804. Access is most convenient from the nearby High Possil settlement, with the canal towpath offering a pedestrian approach. As a protected nature reserve, the area is open for wildlife observation and walking, though no specific visitor facilities or admission charges are detailed in the available information.