Attractions near Drymen

Attention all golf fans - the house is perfectly placed as a base for the Scottish Open Golf Championship at the Loch Lomond Club in July.

 

The west of Scotland is a place of great diversity, beautiful scenery to built up cities and an illustrious industrial heritage. Glasgow is the main city in the area, a large bustling conurbation, offering the visitor every attraction they are likely to want from historical buildings to modern award winning architecture. Museums and galleries for the culture vultures amongst us, and festivals celebrating both our own Scottish heritage to our new multicultural diversity, historical monuments abound, with stories of Scotland's famous and celebrated sons and daughters.

 

• Architecture
• Castles
• Festivals & Events
• Leisure
• Museums & Galleries
• Parkland & Forest
• Shopping

 

 

Architecture

Glasgow city centre has some truly splendid buildings, the City Chambers in George Square has an opulent marble interior, a homage to the city’s' splendor in times past and present. Also home to Alexander "Greek" Thompson, inspiring examples of this particular architect can be found amongst the palatial terraces on Great Western Road in the west end.

 

Most folks if asked to name a famous Glasgow Architect would automatically state Charles Rennie Macintosh, his distinctive style can be seen in many parts of the city, not least at Glasgow School of Art, and Scotland Street School, his collaborations with Miss Cranston in her tearooms has been recreated in the Willow Tearooms, above a jewelers in Sauchiehall Street. where you can take afternoon tea, surrounded by reproduction Macintosh furniture, sit on the distinctive high back chairs so synonymous with the man himself. There is an active Mackintosh society, where any information you might want can be sought. Hill House in Helensburgh is a 15 minute drive from Drymen, designed by Mackintosh in 1902 for W Blackie the publisher, a complete design project including the gardens, furniture and interior of the house.

The Lighthouse - an unrivalled opportunity to experience International Architecture and Design through exhibitions, events and initiatives. The 6 storey building contains the award winning Mackintosh Centre and Mackintosh Tower with stunning city view.

 

Castles

Balloch Castle: set in 200 acres of scenic parkland, this is a must see, if only for the walks through the gardens, woods and meadows, down to the shoreline of Loch Lomond.

Inveraray Castle - Argyle Estate Offices, Cherry Park, Inverarary, Argyll
A beautiful fairy tale castle on the banks of Loch Fyne. Home to the Duke and Duchess of Argyll. Since the early 15th century the castle has been home to the headquarters of the Clan Campbell. This present castle was built in the third quarter of the 18th century.

Stirling Castle - An impressive castle built on a volcanic outcrop, overlooking the battlefields of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn, where Wallace and Bruce led their armies against their foes. The Great hall dates back to 1500, and the gatehouse, palace and chapel are from the times of James IV, V and VI. It also houses the museum of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlands regiment.

Many more castle and monuments can be found at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
www.castlexplorer.co.uk/ - Scottish Castles

 

 

Festivals & Events

• January
  Celtic Connections (Glasgow) - Festival featuring celtic rock, traditional music and ceilidhs. International artists perform around the city.
• March
  International Comedy Festival (Glasgow) - Massively popular event with around 130 shows at 15 venues in the city.
• April
  Isle of Bute Jazz Festival
  Glasgow Art Fair - The largest art fair in the UK outside London. George Square is the focus over three days.
• May
  Big in Falkirk - Scotland’s national street arts festival, FREE
  Drymen Agricultural Show
  
  
  Scottish Pipe Band Championships
  Stirling & District Classic Car Rally
• June
  Loch Lomond Dragon Boat Challenge
  Stirling Agricultural Show
  Royal Scottish National Orchestra Proms (Glasgow) - Serious classical works for those who like their music highbrow.
  West End Festival (Glasgow) - Well-established festival involving lots of arts events in various venues. There’s poetry, music, book readings and it all culminates in a Midsummer Carnival.
• June/July
  Glasgow Jazz Festival - George Square is the focus of this jazz festival held in various venues around the city.
  Bard in the Botanics (Glasgow) - Shakespeare’s works performed in the Botanic gardens by the Glasgow Repertory Company.
• July
  Buchanan Sheep Dog Trials Drymen
  Doune & Dunblane Agricultural Show
  Stirling Highland Games
  Scottish Open Golf Championship at Loch Lomond
  Loch Lomond Highland Games Balloch
  Luss Highland Games
  Loch Lomond Folk Festival Balloch
• August
  Cowal Highland Gathering Dunoon
  World Pipe Band Championships Glasgow
• September
  Loch Lomond Foot and Drink Festival Loch Lomond Shores
  Get Active Outdoor Festival Loch Lomond Shores
  Tarbert Music Festival
  Battle of Bannockburn Re-enactment
• October
  Loch Lomond Music Festival Loch Lomond Shores
  Aberfoyle Mushroom Festival
  Glasgay - Britain’s largest lesbian and gay festival held in various venues throughout the city. There’s music, comedy, visual arts and lots more.
• December
  Hogmanay (31st December) - Various rock, pop and dance acts perform live at stages across the city centre, and in George Square there’s a massive dance party featuring top DJs.

 

Many more events can be found at www.visit-lochlomond.com

 

 

Leisure Attractions

• Falkirk Wheel - The worlds first rotating boatlift, linking the Forth and Clyde canals.
• Snow Dome - The Braehead Shopping & Leisure Centre - An indoor artificial snow slope with ski and snowboard hire and instruction
• Sea Life Centre - Lomond Shores, Balloch - An underwater aquatic attraction on the banks of the loch itself.
• Whisky Distilleries
  Auchentoshan Distillery
  The closest distillery to Glasgow city centre, not an accolade in itself, but it does produce a very nice light single malt - Daily guided tours.
  Glengoyne Distillery
  The closest distillery to the house, about 7 minutes by car in the Blane Valley, and by far our favourite tour and tasting, it nestles in the bend of the road which runs through the middle of the distillery and the whisky bond, an easy last minute visit towards the end of the day before dinner at the Beech Tree Inn on the way back to Drymen.

 

Many more attractions can be found at www.visitscotland.com

 

 

Museums & Galleries

The largest museum Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is situated in the heart of Glasgow’s' west end, newly renovated and re opened in July 2006, it's well worth a visit, not least to see Christ of St. John on the Cross by Salvador Dali, a truly breathtaking piece of art. For aviation fans there's an original spitfire hanging in the main hallway. It's a fantastic day out with something for everyone. FREE entry. Argyle St, Glasgow.

The Burrell Collection a modern addition to Glasgow’s many museums is in the centre of the beautiful Pollock Park, surrounded by lovely walks, you'd swear you were in the middle of the country. The herd of Highland Cows, is a unique sight in the middle of the city, and a great attraction, particularly when the little calves make an appearance. The Burrell itself was designed to house the collection bequeathed to the city of Glasgow by Sir William Burrell, which until the building was erected was kept in storage, unseen. It's a fabulous mix of fine art, furniture and sculpture the collection is so vast that only 10% of it can be exhibited at any one time. VOLUNTARY entry. Pollock Country Park, Pollockshaws Rd, Glasgow.

Glasgow boasts the second most visited contemporary art gallery outside London - The Gallery of Modern Art, in the heart of the city. GOMA is a fantastic mix of local and international work, and regularly has temporary exhibitions to enthrall and challenge visitor’s perception of art. FREE entry. An ideal way to break up a shopping day in the city. Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow.

Clydebuilt - The Scottish Maritime Museum on the banks of the river Clyde at the massive Braehead Shopping Centre, tells the story of the second city of the empire and its river, tracks the development of shipbuilding and tobacco in a highly praised audio visual display, working engines and 'hands on' activities.
Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank - includes a water tank the length of a football pitch built in 1892 still used by the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde, and focusing on victorian ship design, situated in Dumbarton.

Inverarary Jail - Church Square, Inverarary
See what life was really like in a 19th century jail, listen to trials in the courtroom, talk with warders, prisoners and the matron, and if your brave enough, why not try out the crank machine, whipping table and hammocks, a fantastic day out for all ages.

Other places worth seeing are - Glasgow Cathedral, People’s Palace, Transport Museum, Glasgow University, Huntarian Museum and Art Gallery, The Art School – designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, The City Chambers, Scottish Football Museum

 

 

Parkland & Forest

Ardkinglas Estate - Cairndow, Argyll, at the head of Loch Fyne, just off the A83, woodland gardens of horticultural and scenic value and fine specimen trees.

Glasgow a dear green place -
As well as being one of the friendliest cities in the UK - stand at any bus stop you'll get the whole queue's life story, and have put the country to rights in 10 minutes! - Glasgow's famed for it's parkland, be it large historical beauties like Kelvingrove in the westend next to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, to small pocket parks in Garnethill and other housing areas. On a warm day any bit of grass has a local Glaswegian sunning themselves, chatting to friends and picnicking. Much of Glasgow’s housing is sandstone tenement flats with no gardens, this may be why parks are so cherished.

Must see parks are The Botanics, at the top of Byres Road, a bustling main artery in the cosmopolitan west end. Housed here are two huge glasshouses, the largest and main house is a Victorian splendor The Kibble Palace, this is home to Scotland’s main fern collection from tiny little ones to 20 foot high tree ferns. The Kibble Palace has just undergone a major renovation, being taken back to the metal, and fully restored to it's former glory, it was reopened to the public in November 2006. Another attraction here is the orchid collection, beautiful, and sometimes downright weird. The park itself has an arboretum, with trees from all over the world finding a home in Glasgow.

The Kelvingrove Park, is a huge park again in the west end, it has fantastic walks ideal for both pet owners and the casual stroller. Walks along the river Kelvin, bring many surprises, from heron, cormorants to kingfishers and humble robins. There is also a number of sporting activities here, including pitch and put, tennis, bowls, and a skateboard and bmx park - this is very popular, and is worth spending a few minutes watching the folks push their stunts as far as they can.

In the Eastend, not that far from the shopping area of Argyle Street is Glasgow Green a huge park, often used for Rock concerts and other big festivals. Bordering the Green is a recent development of much sought after ultra modern flats, know as the Houses For the Future, juxtaposing the traditional tenement homes in the area. The Park itself is great for walks in the open grassland as well as along the banks of the River Clyde, where you will often find members of the Glasgow Rowing club on the river itself. The Peoples Palace is a must, if you're in this area, it's a museum of Glasgow culture and history, and has attached a fabulous green house, known as the Winter Gardens. If you visit this part of town on a Saturday or Sunday you'll be surprised at how busy it is as the famous Barras, a traditional flea market, is open, where if you can name it you can buy it!

 

Mugdock Country Park - 800 acres of moorland, forest and lochans, between Drymen and Glasgow, opened all year.

 

Queen Elizabeth Forest Park - walks, cycle trails, David Marshall Lodge exhibition and visitors centre, run by the Forestry Commission Scotland, one of the most spectacular forests, our favourite in autumn.