ingy

Looking for village for my two teenage children to go to by train preferably. They would probably like some kind of easy walk in the hills and a fair amount of shops, tea rooms etc. Near water would be great two. They would be travelling from Glasgow.

joegri

ingy: While not exactly in the mountains, but definately in a hilly area, I would suggest Sterling Castle. It is an easy train ride from Glasgow, the castle is great, it is a university town with many shops and cafes geared toward young people and the shops and homes in the area are very interesting. It is a prety city. I think your teenagers would enjoy it.

cls2paris

Oban. I think it meets your needs and it is on the coast. You can take a ferry to some of the islands nearby - Iona and Mull are two of them (I think).

JJBhoy

Oban is well worth a visit but as it's a 3 hour train journey each way from Glasgow it might not suit their plans.

I agree with everything joegri's has said about Stirling (note spelling) but I'm not sure how they would fit in the hill walking without making a further journey outside of town.

Not exactly in the mountains, but a train trip down the Clyde coast to, say, Largs, would give them both the water & hills you have asked for. The Kelburne estate is a short walk from the town and has nice forest trails. They could also take a short boat trip from Largs over to the Isle of Cumbrae & visit the small town of Millport. A popular excursion in Millport is to hire a bike and cycle round the island - from what I recall it takes around 45 minutes to go all the way around.

Both Largs & Millport are fairly sleepy little towns - if the shops/restaurants/tea rooms are more important than the hill walking then I would go with Stirling.

One further suggestion - this might not be what you (or they) had in mind, but Edinburgh is only a 45 minute train journey from Glasgow and the trains run every 15 minutes. Edinburgh definitely does not meet your "village" criteria but I'm sure it would be a memorable trip for them.

Jim

joegri

Stirling Castle sits on a faily substantial hill (thank you for the corrected spelling JJBhoy) and there are other hills in the town and in the area; not towering hills to be sure, but hills non the less.

flanneruk

Stirling, however pleasant, is still a substantial town, with all the chain stores and city malls that are post-war Britain's great contribution to 20th century "civilisation". Interesting in a few parts, but less villagey than suburban Cleveland.

I'd suggest their best bet is to do a bit of research into the villages and small towns along the West Highland line (the railway from Glasgow to Crianlarich, there splitting into two, one section to Mallaig and one to Obab). www.scotrail.co.uk/scotrwhl.htm

They might find Helensburgh fits the bill. Even Crianlarich: even though it was a one-horse place before the horse died of boredom, Highlandsness hits you in the face the moment you get off the train.

But the railway journey itself is spectacular.

sheila

I entirely agree with flanner that you should be looking up the West Highland Line.

The problem with your request is that where the hills are is not where there are shops and tearooms. So, for example, Arrochar is wonderful for scenery, but there's not a lot tehre otherwise.

Crianlarish has bit about it, but is essentially a railway junction. Tyndrum would be OKish.

I'm very temoted to suggest either Dunoon or Rothesay, which involves teh rail journey down the Clyde then the ferry over the river.

Pausanias

Adding to the Edinburgh suggestion, there are wonderful walks past Holyrood house up the Salisbury Craigs and beyond, if you wish, to Arthur's Seat. They offer a beautiful view of the city (if it's clear) and a small taste of the highlands. If you find a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses, they're mine.

sheila

Neither Edinburgh nor Glasgow could remotely be called villages.

Pausanias

Yes, but there are five requirements:

1 - village
2 - train from Glasgow
3- easy walk in hills
4 - shops & tea rooms
5 - near water

Four out of five isn't bad . . .

sheila

almcd

I am surprised nobody has suggested this place, but it would be superb for your family. It is the Isle of Arran. You can take a train trip from Central Station in Glasgow to Ardrossan. This takes around one hour and it takes you right to the ferry to Brodick, the largest village in the island.The ferry trip is 55 minutes. You can actually book accomodation at the ferry terminal or go to the tourist shop at the harbour when you arrive and accomodation will be found for you. The area has wonderful walks and great climbs. Goat Fell and Chir Mhor are some examples. As a teenager many years ago, I found Arran to be enchanting.There are lots of restaurants and fishing is readily available. Golf equipment can also be rented. Ignore all these other suggestions and go there. You will not regret it