St Andrew’s suspension bridge

September 2017

By late afternoon we left Falkirk Wheel headed for Ibis Budget, Glasgow our hotel for the night. On the way, we stopped by Glasgow Green, a park in the east end of Glasgow. It is a 55 hectares (136 acres) park and is the oldest of the city’s parks situated on the north bank of the River Clyde. Here you’ll find St Andrew’s suspension bridge built in 1855. It is a wrought iron suspension bridge and the only interest to us is it looks great being photographed!

The bridge on the side of Adelphi street.

Beautifully maintained after all this years.

The bridge on the side of Glasgow Green.

Plaque on Glasgow Green side.

Overlooking river Clyde & Glasgow city from the bridge.

Welcome to Glasgow Green.

Part of the Glasgow Green park.

Nelson’s Monument in the park.

Located at Springfield Quay, this will be our first time staying at Ibis Budget Hotel. It’s sort of away from Glasgow city centre. The hotel floor starts on the 6th, and guest are entitled to free parking. The building incorporates a multi level car park for what seems to be unattended. Although lighted during the night, the car park gives an ‘unsecured’ feeling. Nothing happened however when we checked-out the next morning.

Check-in was effortless but the lift from the car park up to the hotel level is confusing. The room is a little smallish but clean. In what seems to be a little oddly designed, the wash basin is ‘exposed’ to the room and away from the shower whilst the toilet is in its own closet.

Ibis Budget, Glasgow. Located at Springfield Quay. Free parking provided.

The rather compact room.

CTV by the corner of the room. Ample 240v power sockets to charge your devices.

The shower cubical and the exposed wash basin outside the cubical.

Toilet in a separate closet. No water pipes here.

Once freshen up, we took a bus on the other side of the hotel facing the main road to Glasgow city centre. You can take bus no. 9 or 10 and you would want to disembark at Buchanan bus station. You’ll take the same bus for your return journey and get off at Paisley Road bus stop. The adult single bus fare is £1.40 payable to the bus driver.

Disembarking at the Buchanan bus station, you’ll get a chance to see The Clyde clock. It is a 20 foot high stainless steel clock, suspended on two long legs made to seem like they are in motion, running to get somewhere. Across the road, is the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Walking around this building will bring you to Buchanan Galleries and the start of Buchanan street.

The Clyde clock in-front of Buchanan Bus Station.

The Glasgow Royal concert hall opposite Buchanan bus station.

Buchanan Galleries back-to-back to the concert hall.

Buchanan Street is one of the main shopping areas in Glasgow. Although Edinburgh is the capital, Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland. Buchanan street forms the central stretch of Glasgow’s famous shopping district with a generally more upmarket range of shops.

The busy Buchanan street.

Buchanan street is a pedestrian boulevard.

The shopping street in Glasgow.

Hard Rock Cafe located on Buchanan street.

No doubt where we are.

Tribute to Nelson Mandela.

Allsaints & their signature display of sewing machines from floor to ceiling.

Princes Square shopping mall.

Within the vicinity of Ibis Hotel, one will be able to see the ‘Clyde Arc’, a road bridge spanning river Clyde that flows behind Nando’s. Quite an interesting form of a curved bridge design that crosses the river at an angle and providing Glasgow with an interesting landmark. A great place to walk and take photos of the surrounding.