Advice on Day Trips from Glasgow

Rob

Hello! I'm new to the forum and I thought I'd attempt to gather some information here to help with planning our first trip to Scotland in August.
We'll be staying in Glasgow for 6 days, and along with spending some time to explore the city, we would like to try a couple of day trips to other locations using public transportation.
Looking for advice for possible day trips that would offer great scenery, small towns, and maybe a castle or two.

Horizons

Hey @Rob, there are a number of day trips you can take from Glasgow. Based on how much time you're willing to spend on public transport, you can see some spectacular places.

Great scenery : You must take a Citylink bus day trip to Glencoe (check weather conditions first). Take the 6:50 AM bus out of Buchanan Street bus stop and get off at Glencoe at 9:22. Do a walk or two from the many options or honestly just sitting in the pub is a worthwhile exercise. The last bus back leaves at 7:41 PM but you can take the earlier 2:30 PM bus for a stop at north Loch Lomond (Ardlui perhaps).

Castles : I'd recommend Stirling for a trip to the castle as well as the Wallace Monument. Trains take you directly to Stirling and local buses will take you to the monument. We also highly recommend taking the train the Stonehaven for Dunnottar castle (pre book a taxi beforehand to take you to the castle from the station and then walk back to town via the coastal path).

Small towns: Take either the bus to Luss or the train to Balloch to see villages around South Loch Lomond. We also highly recommend taking the train to Pitlochry for a beautiful town, great scenery and an excellent distillery.

Hope this helps. Have a great Scotland trip. Use the ScotRail website for buying train tickets (off peak day return tickets offer the best value for day trips).

VisitScotlandMarina

Hi @Rob!  How about a  day trip to Ayrshire?
We've got castles at Culzean, Portencross and Dundonald  to name just 3!!
We've gorgeous beaches to walk along - you could follow the Ayrshire Coastal Path.
Or you could take the ferry from Ardrossan over to the Isle of Arran 
But there's lots of choice! Check out our pages for more ideas!

YourScotlandTour

If you're looking to book a taxi from Stonehaven rail station to Dunnottar try http://www.auroracabs.co.uk 

VisitScotlandAngela

Hi @Rob!

Balloch is a small village at the bottom of Loch Lomond and is around a 50 minute train journey from Glasgow.  Balloch iCentre is  across the road from the train station where you will find a path to Loch Lomond Shores where there are some amazing views . I took this photograph at Loch Lomond Shores last summer....it's only a ten minute walk from the iCentre!

Balloch Castle Country Park also offers some fantastic and although the castle itself is not open, there is a fantastic network of lochside, parkland, and woodland trails to follow.

There's lots to do in Balloch; from cruises and cycle hire to segway safaris and high wire adventure courses so have a look at this section of our website which may be of interest!

eilidh__cameron

Hi @Rob, I would recommend taking the 926 bus from Glasgow to the small town of Lochgilphead in Argyll. It takes around 2.5 hours and during the journey you take in the beautiful scenery of Loch Lomond, Glen Croe and Loch Fyne. Lochgilphead it's self is also very pretty.

Samantha_Grant

Hi @rob I'd suggest visiting the lovely and fascinating town of New Lanark.  It's a great day out plus there's a stunning walk from the village to the Falls of Clyde.   You may find this blog I wrote about a recent visit helpful. 

https://theweewhitedug.com/2016/10/25/1813/

I’d also suggest a walk in the Kilpatrick Hill to see the Whangie.  I've only visited by car but I believe a bus service from Milngavie stops there.  It’s a weird, natural corridor cut through rock and there are stunning views of Loch Lomond nearby.  If you do visit and are feeling brave then you may also want to check out the otherworldly Devil’s Pulpit in Finnich Glen.  It’s a deep gorge where the water looks red.  It’s like something straight out of Jurassic Park.   It's a bit hair raising getting into the gorge but worth the adrenaline buzz once you're in! :-)

Rob

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. They are truly appreciated.

VisitScotlandAmyR

Hi Rob! If you are still looking for ideas, check out our new page on day trips from Glasgow. As well as suggestions on trips by public transport, there are some ideas for great organised tours that you can take advantage of too!