Day 57: 19 May 2014; Glasgow to Milngavie

Walk descriptor	LEJOG2014		Day	57
Date	Mon 19 May 2014		Start to end time	04h 47m
Start point	Glasgow		End point	Milngavie
Miles today	13.40		Cu miles	1,063.50
Ft today	922		Cu ft	140,302
Route miles left	430.04		Route ft left	58,943
Today’s weather	Warm and sunny all day. Light Easterly breeze. No rain. About 17C

Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)		GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“It’s strange but true – the further North I’ve got on my walk, the warmer the weather has become. Doubtless the progression of the seasons has had something to do with it, but whatever the cause, today was undoubtedly the warmest day of the walk so far. I was warm all day whilst I was walking – for the first time, actually, since I started walking 57 days ago.

I had a very relaxing evening in a hotel in Central Glasgow, and given that I only had a short walk to Milngavie today, I allowed myself a bit of time to have a lie in and to look round the town centre. It was a lovely warm morning, so it was a good opportunity to relax and soak up the atmosphere. Actually, the latter was a bit of an exaggeration – I thought the part of Glasgow around the Central Station, where I was staying, was looking a little down-at-heel, as if it was still suffering from a bit of a hangover from the recession.

So I wasn’t away till 10 o’clock this morning, but only had a short hike through town to rejoin the Walkway along the banks of the Clyde, as it progressed downstream through the ultra-modern Exhibition Centre to connect up with the Kelvin Walkway. I followed this route all the way to Milngavie and, a bit like the equivalent on the Clyde, I found it interesting and easy to walk.

Kelvinside was altogether much more relaxed than central Glasgow today – it’s a well maintained parkland, and includes an attractive botanic garden. And incidentally for any physicists reading this, William Thomson the mathematical physicist worked at the university here and subsequently became Baron Kelvin. The name “kelvin” was given to the unit used for the measurement of absolute temperature, in his honour.

I continued up the Walkway out of Glasgow and into the countryside to the North. It remained sunny and warm, so I took is slowly, knowing that I’ve got a much harder day tomorrow, and really enjoyed soaking up the warmth. I arrived in Milngavie in the early afternoon, in time for tea and millionaire’s shortbread (of course..). It’s a local holiday (Victoria Weekend) in Edinburgh today, and partly as a result Mingavie seemed to be bustling with visitors. It’s also populated with enthusiastic looking walkers getting ready to start the West Highland Way walk. It’s funny how clean and smart they all look! Anyway I think I might have company for the next few days’ walking – something of an oddity as up to now I’ve had most of the paths I’ve been walking pretty much to myself.

So tomorrow another chapter in the hike begins, with the journey from Mingavie to Loch Lomond via the West Highland Way. I’ll tak’ the low road, as they say…”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


In Union Street, Glasgow, this morning. If you look carefully you might even spot a man in a kilt. This one was not 50% off, evidently..	Setting out in the warm sunshine on the Clyde Walkway, near the Scottish Exhibition Centre

Kelvin Hall, opened in 1927: a multi-purpose sports and arts centre	Kelvin Bridge, near the Botanic Gardens (I think..)

Impressive looking but rather hairy caterpillar blocked my path this afternoon	Elm trees – distinguished by the asymmetric lower lobes on the leaf. A rarity in England after the Dutch Elm Disease epidemic of the late 1970s (except in Brighton which escaped, seemingly) but thriving on the banks of the river today

Panorama showing the historic Finnieston crane on the left and the Rotunda building – now a casino but formerly gave access to a subsequently hidden tunnel under the Clyde