Getting out of Glasgow - ideas needed
 

Hello! I'll be spending 6 days in Scotland and will have come from a fairly adventurous 7 days in Ireland. I'm looking for quaint, possibly a little slower pace, and access to food/pubs,etc (read: not totally remote)

I have already been to Edinburgh, so this is my second taste of Scotland. We'll be flying into Glasgow and I'd like to find a town that is fairly easy to get to from Glasgow.

Thank you in advance!

Will you be driving?

What time of year?

July 12-17, 2017. I'd prefer not to drive, but I'd be open to driving.

Why not stay in Glasgow and take day trips to the likes of Arran and Loch Lomond?

You can take the West Highlands Railway up towards Maillag and there are many small towns on the way - Fort William area is great for making excursions into the famed Highlands-some great walks not far from towns and the desolate Rannoch Moor. For more on trains and this historic scenic line check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

https://www.pinterest.com/scotrail/west-highland-line/

check this for some nice small towns along it -Ft William is a nice regional town but not your dreamy village.

because we will have spent 7 days in city centers - we are looking to get out of the city.

Hi cotontravels. Perhaps Stirling? By rail from Glasgow Queen Street station, every half hour, the journey takes only 27 minutes (these are the services to Aberdeen and Inverness with the first stop for each being Stirling). There are slower trains with more stops but the cost is the same whichever you choose.

do you want to stay in one town or move around - look for a nice base town with easy day trips -

@PalenQ we'd prefer to stay in one town

Stirling looks cute! We are looking at Largs too

Always worth consulting this

https://www.smidgeup.com/midge-forecast/

Cotontravels, I should have mentioned that Stirling also has rail services every 30 minutes to Edinburgh, journey time a wee bit closer to an hour.

I spent my childhood in a town around 10 miles south of Largs but that was well over 60 years ago and things change. However, I actually do like Largs, which probably still has a good number of retirees and always has had. For me, the town always felt a wee bit Victorian and old-fashioned but that isn’t a criticism.

If you want time to rest then this could be your place simply because there are fewer ‘exploring’ options closeby. There is of course the regular rail link to Glasgow but I have to say I can’t think of any towns on that journey, apart from Paisley, that would be worth getting off to explore. From Largs itself there is a short ferry trip over to the tiny town of Millport on the island of Cumbrae or you could take the train to Ardrossan (only around 15 minutes away) and from there a ferry over to Arran AKA Scotland in miniature. Local Largs bus services will also drop you close to Portencross and it's castle keep or Kelburn Castle and it's estate.

Another place to perhaps check out is Ayr.

Bill

What about Helensburgh on the north bank of the Clyde. It is easily reached by train from Glasgow Queen Street and has a pleasant promenade with good views to the surrounding hills. It also has Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Hill House which is well worth a visit.

I'm with you TheBigMan about Helensburgh. Great suggestion.

Stirling looks cute! We are looking at Largs too>

But do you want a base for short easy excursions or just stay in one town the whole time - if so I think you would get rather bored just staying in Stirling, nice as it is.

massimop--

Thanks for the link to "smidgeup": It looks like a lot of them around Mull and Glencoe right now. Hopefully by this fall there will be fewer.

carry midge and fly repellants!