GLASGOW LIFE listings
GLASGOW LIFE LISTINGS continued Mugdock Country Park
Craigallan Road. Milngavie. ‘)56 6100. Free. This country park on the north east side of the city has a full programme of ranger activities as well as numerous woodland paths and walkways. The
visitor centre is open 9am—5pm every day
of the year. (‘all for more details on the opening times of the gift shop and crafts unit. or for a full itinerary of countryside events.
Museum Of Transport Kelvin Hall. 1 Burnhouse Road. 287 2720. Mon—'l'hu & Sat 10am—5pm; Fri & Sun 11am—5pm. Free. A museum crammed with buses. trams. fire engines. ships and other paraphernalia devoted to the history of transport. Permanent exhibitions include Shipbuilding ()n The River Clyde. a large mural by David McFarlane; Hill/ting Drum. an interactive sculpture by Stephen llealy: and Victims Of Trans-port by Justin Carter. For details of temporary exhibitions. see Glasgow Art Listings page 7‘).
People's Palace 8: Winter Garden Glasgow Green. 554 ()223. Mon—Thu & Sat 10am—5pm; Fri 6'; Sun
1 lam—5pm. Glasgow's best-loved institution has recently undergone a major facelift to celebrate its centenary year. The new displays are set out thematically with subjects including The l’urter. lisions ()f The City and Crime And Punishment.
Pollok House
Pollok Country Park. 2060 Pollokshaws Road. 616 6410. Mon—Sun 10am—5pm. £3.20 (£2.20); family ticket £8.60. ()ne of the most elegant 18th century buildings in the country. this historic house features some of the finest Spanish paintings in Britain from the collection of Sir William Stirling Maxwell. For details of temporary exhibitions. see Glasgow Art Listings page 7‘).
Springburn Museum
Atlas Square. Ayr Street. 557 1405. Tue—Fri 10.30am—5pm; Sat l0am—4.30pm. Free. By use of photographs and artefacts. arts and crafts. the museum brings to life the social and industrial history of the north of Glasgow illustrated by two permanent exhibitions Made In The North and .S'pringburn I ’ur/t. liwten/uy; 'IotluyAnt/ Tomorrow.
St Mungo Museum of Religious Life And Art
2 Castle Street. Glasgow. 553 2557. Mon—Thu ck; Sat l0am——5pm; Fri s Sun 11am—5pm. Free. A museum of world faiths. featuring a Zen garden. priceless art works from the world's six major religions. Dali's ('hris! ()fSuinL/uhn ()f The Cross and the story of religion in Scotland through words and pictures.
Tenement House
145 Buccleuch Street. Garnethill. 333 0183. Daily 2—5pm. £3 (£2). This typical Victorian tenement flat of 1892 provides a fascinating look at Glasgow life during the first half of the 20th century.
The Tall Ship At Glasgow Harbour
100 Stobcross Road. 33‘) 0631. Daily 10am—5pm. £3.50 (£2.95); accompanied children free. Find out about Glasgow‘s maritime heritage on-board the S.V. Glenlee. the only Clyde-built sailing ship still afloat in the UK. Visitors can explore the boat or talk to the crew. and there's a range of children‘s activities. ()n-shore. there is a restaurant in the restored Purnphouse as well as a permanent exhibition space. Daily in July and August there will be power boat trips available for £5 (£2.50); one child free with a paying adult. For details of temporary exhibitions, see Glasgow Art Listings page 7‘).
88 THE “ST 6—20 Jul 2000
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listings
ON YOUR DOORSTEP Everything you ever wanted to know about
THE EDINBURGH BUS TOUR
Edinburgh isn't the eaSiest City to find your way around. With bridges over roads,
steep hills and winding, hidden streets, it’s easy to become disorientated, even With the help of a trusty A—Z. Similarly, there are so many places of interest dotted around the City that sight-seeing itself is overwhelming. Over the last few years, several bus tours have sprung up, and the newest one of these, Mac Tours, markets itself on its Vintage buses. Being fairly new to the City, and still nonplussed by the street layout, a tour of the City seemed the perfect opportunity to finally
get my bearings.
The ’Vintage’ bus didn’t inspire confidence, and at first the rickety Vibrations, low-flying seagulls, bird-droppings and fag ash from the tour gUide was off- putting. However, the five-year-old in front didn’t seem to mind, so I rediscovered my sense of adventure and was very impressed.
The tour was informative and the View from the top floor was amazing. Beginning in the congested Waverley Bridge, the tour proceeded west along Princes Street, With the tour gUide highlighting landmarks, interesting architecture and historical facts along the way, With a bit of humour thrown in for good measure. The scenery around Edinburgh is spectacular and the tour takes you past all the major landmarks such as the Castle, St Giles' Cathedral, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Holyrood Palace, Calton Hill, Princes Street Gardens and Queen Street. Highlights of the tour included the helter-skelter ride up Castle Terrace, the View from the crosSroads of Hanover Street and George Street, and the pleasant jaunt down the Royal Mile. There was plenty of information to take in, for example did you know Princes Street Gardens was once a waste dump, or that Edinburgh had the first grid-pattern streets designed by local James Craig? There was also plenty of time to take it all in while manoeuvring around the
streets jammed With other tour buses.
As a brief introduction to the City, the hour-long tour worked well, but With the opportunity to hop on and off at designated pomts, it would be even more useful to take the t0ur, jump off at your favourite attraction and then work your way around the rest using the serVice which runs every twenty minutes. (Maureen Ellis)
Fun Factor 3/5. Informative 4/5 Value for money 3/5
How you get there Tours begin on Waverley Bridge beside the station. Mac Tours are the red buses, and similar tours are also run by GUIde Friday (green) and LRT
(white).
How much it costs £7.SO(£6.50); children aged S—1 2 free. When it's open Tours begin at 9.05am and run every twenty minutes until the last
tOur at 8.30pm.
5:52;: Mac Tours, Waver/ey Bridge, 220 0770. Guide Friday (556 2244) and LRT (554
4494)
Festivals
Scottish Holistic Health Festival Sun l6—Sun 23 Jtil. lidinburgh City Chambers. High Street, Quaker Meeting House. 7 Victoria Terrace. For information phone 557 264‘). A week of workshops and events including topics such as yoga. food and nutrition and faith healing. See photo caption.
Shows
Caledonian Canine Dog Show Sat 15 Jul. Royal Highland Centre. lngliston.
333 3036. You guessed it. it's a dog show.
Talks
Tartan: Exploring The Tradition Mon 10 Jul. l—l.45pm. £3 (£1.50); children under 18 free. Museum ()f Scotland.
Chambers Street. 247 421‘). Lunchtime lecture about our national cloth from llugh Cheape of the National Museum of Scodand.
Other Events
Hollywood Stunt Show Wed 1‘) Jul. 7.30pm. £6 (£3). Royal llighland Centre. lngliston. 333 3036. Monster trucks battle it out demolishing rows of cars. alongside a human cannonball. a human torch and motorcycle jumping.
PERMANENT ATTRACTIONS
Auld Reekie's Ultimate Ghost 8: Torture Tour
Meet at The Tron Church. Royal Mile. 557 4700. £6 (£5—children £4). Times
vary. Find out about Edinburgh’s grisly past in the company of a costumed guide on this city tour. which also takes in an underground haunted vault featuring '1 fully operational Pagan temple (harvests guaranteed or your money back then'.’). Brass Rubbing Centre Chalmers Close. Royal Mile. 556 4364. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Free. but there is a charge for making a rubbing. Situated in the apse of a Gothic church dating back to 1460. the centre houses a selection of church brasses and ancient Pictish replicas - as well as lots of crayons so you can get rubbing.
Caledonian Brewery Slateford Road. 623 8066. Tours Mon—Fri 11am. 12.30pm & 2.30pm. The award-winning Caledonian Brewery, still going strong after 100 years, will let you into the secrets behind the crafting of their fine ales. The tour takes you through the brewing process. from crushing the malt to brewing in the open coppers. culminating in a free beer of your choice in the sample cellar. Private evening and weekend tours available. call for details.
Camera Obscura
(.‘astlehill. Royal Mile. 226 370‘). Mon—Fri ‘).30am-6pm; Sat .5; Sun 10am—6pm. £3.‘)5 (£1.‘)5—£3. 15); family ticket £1 1.50. Pick up a pedestrian in your hand at this attraction. which gives visitors a real-time. 360° image of the city. The most recent addition to the venue is the Magic Gallery. giving hands- on experiences of the art of visual trickery. There is also an exhibition devoted to holographs and photography on the lower floors.
Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle Road. 661 4445. Daily ‘).30am—630pm. £1.80 (£1.30—children 75p). Fora real taste of history. take a drive out to this ramshackle old castle. which although not quite as intact as Edinburgh Castle. is far more atmospheric and the scene of much plotting during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Dynamic Earth Holyrood Road. 550 7800. Mon—Sun 10am—6pm. £5.95 (£3.50—£4.40); family ticket £16.50. With volcanoes erupting beneath your feet. a tropical rainstorm pouring down. earthquakes and tidal waves at every turn. the history of the earth has never been more interesting. [Edinburgh’s latest visitor attraction uses stunning new developments in interactive technology to piece together the history of the planet. creating a thoroughly modern way to step back in time.
Edinburgh Castle
(.‘astlehill, 225 9846. Daily ‘).30am—6pm (last admission 5.15pm). £7 (£2—£5). Although much of the castle's medieval character was lost when it was converted into barracks in the 1901 century. continuing excavations aim to redress this. ()ther attractions include James [V‘s famous cannon. Mons Meg. the ()ne ()‘Clock Gun with it‘s own exhibition. lots of military silverware and. of course. The Stone Of Destiny. used to crown Scottish kings since time began. Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour
Meet at The Beehive lnn. 18—20 Grassmarket. 226 6665. Daily 7.30pm. £7 (£5). Pre-booking required for parties of ten or more. An excellent way to imbibe culture by visiting the favourite watering holes of Scotland's literary heroes. including Sir Walter Scott. Robert Burns and lrvine Welsh.