Glasgow City Breaks

The article below takes a look at the Scottish city of Glasgow, once the second city of the British Empire, and some of the places in and around the area that you may wish to visit if you choose to take a vacation here.

Bagpipes and tartan, as soon as you hear these words or see these two items, the odds are that the word “Scotland” will spring to mind (or vice versa). You usually see these items in a lovely piece of art or on a box of shortbread. While many see the history of Scotland as romantic many see the raw facts and accept that most points in the history of Scotland are punctuated by battles and bloodshed. Just looking across the stunning landscapes you will, in only a short distance, come across a historical site associated with the nation’s turbulent history. In fact these sites draw enormous numbers of folk each and every year.

Sometimes it can be difficult to get around to see a reasonable number of these important sites but if you choose to stay in Glasgow you will be pleasantly surprised how many superb historical sites are within easy reach. Below I take a look at three brilliant examples of the places you can visit when you stay in this exciting city, Glasgow Cathedral, Crookston Castle and Newark Castle.

Glasgow Cathedral

St. Mungo is the patron saint of Glasgow and the city’s most ancient Cathedral is dedicated to him. Glasgow has much to thank the saint for as it was he who first built a church there in the seventh century thus setting the foundations of this important city. St. mungo died in 612 and his original building was extended, altered and eventually replaced during the twelfth to thirteenth centuries. The Cathedral was consecrated in the year 1197, making it one of only a small number of medieval ecclesiastical buildings still standing following the destruction during the years of the Scottish Reformation and it is one of Glasgow’s most important landmarks.

Crookston Castle

Crookston Castle is most well known for being owned by the Darnley Stewarts. It was Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley who became the second husband of Mary Queen of Scots. The castle is a stone ringwork fortress and keep built, by Sir Robert de Croc, during the 12th century passing over to the Stewarts i the mid 14th century.

Newark Castle

George Maxwell built Newark Castle, in 1478, overlooking the Firth of Clyde on a commanding position on the south shore. Over the years massive structural changes were made to the building, not least by, Sir Patrick Maxwell who, in 1597, created a new north range. Some elements of the original castle can still be seen and the castle is now in the care of Historic Scotland.

The above is just a small selection from a very large number of Glasgow attractions and if this is not enough for you, you could always visit the nearby cities of Edinburgh and Stirling. These two cities will especially interest those have a fascination of castles. Glasgow really is hard to beat as a vacation destination in Scotland.