Caledonian Walks: Pollok Country Park and Burrell Collection

Today was a beautiful day so a nice cycle round one of Glasgow's parks was a good way of enjoying the late summer sunshine.

We took the folding bikes on the train to Shawlands and cycled the short distance to Pollok Park. The park has won many awards including the Best Park in Britain in 2007 and Best Park in Europe in 2008.

The park has many attractions including Pollok House and the Burrell Collection. It also has many paths for walking and cycling and some lovely gardens.

Pollok Park Attractions

We entered the park on the Pollokshaws Road entrance and passed Polloc Cricket Ground where a match was being played. I am particularly fond of cricket, so we stopped and watched the action for a while.

Cricket match at Polloc Cricket Club

We then followed the path along the riverbank but it was stop-start because of the number of people on the path. A young girl tripped and fell into some nettles in front of us further along the path and I was able to give her some of my anti-histamine cream to put on the stings. I told her just to keep it as she had been badly stung by the nettles.

Gardens

We arrived at some gardens which were part of Pollok House. There was a large area with vegetables and next to it was a flower garden. A scarecrow watched over the vegetable garden.

Scarecrow in Pollok House Garden

Face of scarecrow

The flower garden was lovely and was very popular.

Flower garden in Pollok House

Courtyard and Stables

The courtyard and stables were also very popular and many people were drawn to the horses.

Arthur - a Glasgow City Horse

Glasgow City horses win many awards in heavy horse competitions. The horses were very big but they were also very friendly.

The Courtyard

Pollok House

This magnificent house is now run by the National Trust for Scotland. It was the ancestral home of the Maxwell family and was built in 1752 and was originally given to the City of Glasgow in 1966 by Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald before passing to the National Trust for Scotland.

It was designed by William Adam. It has a large, private collection of Spanish paintings, including works by El Greco, Francisco Goya and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

Pollok House

Weir on the River Cart

Burrell Collection

The Burrell Collection contains over 8,000 objects which were left to the City of Glasgow in 1944 by Sir William Burrell. The exhibits are frequently changed so it is always worth visiting. Sir William Burrell was a wealthy Scottish shipping merchant and philanthropist, who collected a variety of objects throughout his life.

The museum was only opened in 1983 as Sir William had stated in his will that the collection had to be in a rural setting and the City had to find a suitable venue for it. The collection is housed in a purpose-built building which in mainly constructed from glass.

There is also a tearoom which sells food and drink at very reasonable prices. Entry to the Gallery is free.