The Gyp

Pollok Park Gyp Pt1

Another local Gyp. The weather was perfect for a stroll around this public park/estate in the south side of Glasgow. A quick trundle on the train to Shawlands was in order before entering the portals of the park. The first thing we saw were the highland cattle, at rest on a hillside just on the other side of the River Cart. They were a little too far away to get a decent shot of them, though we saw more in an isolation pen further on but still couldn't get near enough for a worthwhile photograph. Next came the stables for the heavy horses. We wandered our way into the courtyard and towards an open stable door. We were met by two absolutely awesome looking beasts, Baron and Mac. They were in the nearest stalls to the door and were obviously used to visitors. We were a tad reluctant to make any physical contact with them but another visitor decided to give mac a stroke on his nose. Not sure if it was out of annoyance or excitement but he slunk back into his stall and scuffed about out of sight before popping his head back out. Absolutely charming and beautiful animals. I could have stood all day looking at them.

A short walk took us to Pollok House. It's a stunning building and it's gardens are a joy, even this early in the year. Access to the house wasn't on our agenda today. Ok, we didn't feel like coughing up, but I wasn't in the mood to wander about in a large house and I got the impression Clairwil wasn't either. Not when the sun was out, there were insane ducks fighting and divebombing in the river and a variety of bizarre dead ends to wander down as we tried to locate the Burrell Collection.

In the end, we decided to repair to a nearby pub for some lunch and refreshments. A short detour was in order however as we took in the sixties nightmare construct of Shawlands Arcade and had a quick wander up to a local chapel, complete with Virgin Mary Grotto and an extremely ornate 'Christ On The Cross' war memorial.

The good news is that we have decided to go back to see the rest of the park next week, including the highly impressive Burrell Collection. We'd be delighted if some of our more local readers could join us.......................

(Photos To Follow...)

posted by iLL Man @ 12:49 pm