It's Park Life...

Really was too hot in Glasgow for walking about in the city or sitting job hunting in an office. Maybe not hot by comparison to some places this blog being read but 27C / 80 F is too warm for a non air conditioned Scotland. Also been a slow job hunting week anyway. So decided to just clear up some emails early on and then drive to somewhere I have wanted to go for some time. It also the place most recommended to me since I started this blog. And if you remember was the special recommendation from the woman that gave me so much support when I gave blood.

Was also my first Glasgow "The Day" tour south of the river!!

And that place is ... Pollok Country Park and the Burrell Collection.

Once again I am ashamed to say I have never visited here. So today seemed like the perfect time to find out why so many people have said to go ...

Printed myself out a wee map of the park before I went and then parked up at the Burrell Collection. But that's not where I went first. The news had said there may be showers today and at that point it was dry so decided to take advantage of this and go explore the park.

The map I had said that this park was originally part of the Old Pollok Estate, which was home to the Maxwell family for over 700 years. In 1966 Mrs Anne Maxwell Macdonald gifted the estate, including Pollok House, to Glasgow City Council with the condition that it remained a public park.
I headed round it in an anticlockwise direction, first just heading off into the woods.

A mouse took a walk through the deep dark woods...

Didn't see a Gruffalo but was amazing that within a couple of minutes of leaving my car I felt as if I was in real wilderness. It was silent apart from the birds. No one else around.
Took a number of photos but it hard to capture just being in this mass of green. The one I posted up reminded me of "FernGully". :)

Just beyond the trees at the edge of the park is the north lodge. This is a lovely little gatehouse.

From here wandered back through the woods through the Rhododendron Walk to the pond. At this point the rain did come on for a little while. Stood and watched it pitter patter into the pond for a while. There is something about being next to water that relaxes people. But the rain shower passed over and it soon turned into a scorcher of a sunny day.

This is another photo of the trees just beyond the pond. Really is a very old and beautiful wood around here. Hard to show the height and number of trees in a photo. Kind of wood you would not be surprised if a group of Ewoks appeared. Very irritated but not surprised. :)

On my map there was a marker indicating the site of an ancient fort. I went exploring and amongst the trees you can indeed see these obviously man made mounds and ditches. I always love exploring ancient ruins or sites. Thinking about what it must have been like thousands of years ago standing at this same spot.

Moving on again I saw "South West Allotments" marked on the map and wanted to have a peek. On the way pass by the Dumbreck Riding School. Had to take a photo of this magnificent white horse. Isn't it beautiful. Almost looked like a horse from a fairy tale standing in the green field. Or maybe the sun beating down by now making my imagination run riot? :)

And so onto the allotments. I enjoy a wee spot of gardening from time to time myself so allotments fascinate me. These ones weren't accessible today but got a quick photo. I love the way each allotment is a little personal statement of the owner and how much they cram into these small plots. Maybe need to get myself an allotment when I retire. Look out for the Gardening "The Day" blog anytime now!! :)



Had done a complete circle now and came back to the Burrell Collection. This really is a stunning building in it's own right. Fits in beautifully with the surrounding park. It was custom built to house the collection of art and treasures gifted to the city by Sir William Burrell and his wife, Constance, Lady Burrell in 1944.
Sadly, no suitable site had been identified by Sir William's death in 1958. But with the donation of Pollok House and Estate in 1966 this problem was solved. Although within the city boundaries, it was agreed that this offered a wonderful setting for the collections.
The Burrell Collection finally opened in 1983.

I can't even attempt to post up what you can see inside this building. It is a fantastic collection of art, treasures and artifacts from all around the world. The variety is amazing in itself. Below is just a small sample...

This is one of the archways in the building. Many of the archways were part of the collection and have been incorporated into the new building.

Rodin's The Thinker.

Many beautiful examples of stained glass running along the length of the building.

For some reason this pose reminded me of C3PO. :)
Some beautiful suits of armour on display. Another example of how varied this collection is.

One of the lovely things about the building it the way it integrates into the park. At this side the full length glass windows make you feel like the trees are part of the decor and make a great backdrop for the exhibits.

This is just one of the Degas' ballet dancer pictures. "The Green Dress". Occassionally the notion takes me to sketch and draw and I love working with pastels. I love these pastel works. Seeing them today made me want to get to work on some more. Though if I am ever half as good as Degas then won't need to be job hunting :)

As I said that was only a tiny selection of what is in the Burrell Collection. Once again I'm sorry it took me so long to come see it. But on other hand maybe this is a great time to see it because really appreciated it more today that probably would ever have before.

Next destination was Pollok House. But did get to see the Highland Cattle that are a feature of the park on the way there. Took lots of photos of them but this was my favourite of a mummy cow with her calf. These really are fantastic looking animals.

Two cows are in a field, how do you know which one is on holiday ?
The one with the week aff!! :)

ok ... quickly moving on ... :)

Nobody talks as much about Pollok House as they do about the Burrell Collection so didn't know what to expect. But it is gorgeous. Both inside and out. This is the view from the riverside looking back up through the gates.

It is the mansion house of the Maxwell family dating from the 18th Century. It is now a National Trust building. It is well worth having a tour inside of the living quarters and just as interesting is the downstairs servants area.

And this is a view of the house down over the formal garden. Just managed to get this photo in between lots of kids using this as a fantasy maze.
Was tempted to do that myself!!

Another view of the "maze" from the other side looking at the flower beds.

Just along from Pollok House are the old Stables and the home of the Heavy Horse team. Was lucky enough to be standing there when they passed by.

The White Csart Water runs through the Estate. This is the weir next to the stables. The bulding in the photo is the old sawmill.
There were lots of families enjoying splashing about in the water in the summer sunshine today.

So there you go. A quick tour around Pollok Country Park. Though wasn't a quick tour. It took a number of hours to see all this and still would have liked more time in the Burrell Collection. Hope the photos at least give a taste for how varied and diverse this park is. From the deep dark woods to Degas' ballet dancers to formal gardens to higland coos.

Also when walking through the woods realised how different it would look as the seasons go by. Will need to come back in Autumn and Winter to take photos to compare.

In checking out some of the info for this post found out that in 2007 it was named the Best Park in Britain and in 2008, it was named the Best Park in Europe.

Have to admit that after today they will get no argument from me. This is the best park I have ever visited.

Great way to spend a day that was too hot for city living.

Be well, be happy!!