We had planned to arrive in Glasgow in the afternoon on Thursday 2 October, however due to being caught up in a traffic jam for three hours on the drive up, we didn’t arrive until after dark. By this time heavy rain had descended from Storm Amy, which would be moving across northern UK for the next couple of days.

We had intended to take a hop-on hop-off bus tour around the city on the Friday morning, however as it was open-top we cancelled due to the rain. We were fortunate to find a window to explore the area near our accommodation on foot between showers, but we were very glad we had brought our raincoats! See photos above and below.

We explored the eastern CBD area, including Townhead and Merchant City, where our hotel was located. Merchant City was established in the 1750s by wealthy tobacco, sugar and tea merchants and was full of grand Georgian mansions and warehouses which had been transformed into trendy shopping and dining precincts in more recent years. 

We also saw Glasgow Cathedral and gardens, the Royal Infirmary, the University of Strathclyde, the John Street arch, City of Glasgow College, the former Hutchesons Hospital, City Halls, and various other historic buildings around the area.

Along the way we found some of Glasgow’s famous murals which looked fantastic. There is a trail of 29 across the city which were commissioned to brighten up neglected spaces.

The City of Glasgow has a population of around 650,000, and 1.2 million people live in the greater Glasgow area. It is the largest city in Scotland and the third largest in the UK.

In 2025 Glasgow celebrated 850 years since officially becoming a city, having been granted burgh status in 1175, however its roots go back much further to Celtic and Roman times.

The city experienced phenomenal industrial growth between the 1770s and 1830s when it became a major centre for steam power, shipbuilding, engineering, manufacturing, textiles and chemicals. The first ship building yard was opened on the River Clyde in 1711, and by the early 1900s almost half of the UK’s ships and around one-fifth of the world’s ships were built there.

We saw a lot in our short time in Glasgow – it’s an amazing place that I would definitely like to come back to and explore more. We were disappointed to miss the open-top bus tour so it’s on the list for next time – hopefully the weather will be a little kinder!