Moving to Glasgow

Hi,

I'll be moving to Glasgow in the new year. I need to find a place to live; somewhere between Glasgow Central, Clydebank and Milngavie.

Can anyone out there give me some advice on good areas to live and, more importantly, places to ride?

Hoping to get a midweek night ride and then the occasional weekend when I'm spending it at home.

TIA

Andrew.

GMBC[/url] do a midweek run on a Tuesday and Wednesday and either an away or local Sunday run. They leave from Milngavie.

I'm biased but you can't beat the west end in terms of travel facilities, nightlife etc. Areas like Hyndland, Broomhill, Kelvinside, Kelvinbridge, Partick but it depends on your budget.

what he said, but id go up and spend a week having a look around lots of nice (and cheaper) places to live, for local riding mugdock is your friend

and for bike kit go to alpine

You'll be looking at the west end then.

Generally it's the most expensive part of the city, though there are some areas that look like Beirut on a bad day.

I think Anniesland is ideally situated to be the midpoint of your three named locations, and is well served by roads, paths and rail to get you where you need to go.
As mentioned though, your budget will determine where you can choose from.
Fontmoss's idea is a good yin.
Put out another shout nearer the time, and mebbes you can get a welcoming party to show you around.

As above, Anniesland is perfectly in between your 3 locations mentioned. Lived there for 3 years. Easy buses & trains into West End or city centre, also trains to Clydebank.

We sold a really nice modern 2-bedroom flat with loads of space for about £140k 18 months ago (i.e. right at the peak of the market!) if that gives you an idea of house prices.

I live in Southside, and I like it there. We live in a nice tenement street, it's cheaper than the west end and a short cycle into town.

I must admit though, that I don't really like Glasgow. There is the sectarian violence, the parts that look like Kosovo, most of the roads are big, wide, fast and so more dangerous for cycling, and it's always raining. The best part of Glasgow is leaving and going into the hills.

Sorry Glaswegians!

Awrite big man,

Glasgows pure brilliant n that innit.

The west ends pure good n that but the soothsides allrite too man.

You should pure check out shawlands and that too as its crackin n that.

Gee us gadges a shout when yir comin and organise a cycle tour of glasgow.

Nae worries boss.

🙂

Well thanks for all the help.

I'm not going to le a bit of sectarian violence scare me off…. I lived in Sheffield (Duke Street….) for 3 years in the early 80s

I'll probably rent a room as a lodger to keep costs down (I'm from Yorkshire originally!) and I've planned a weekend in Glasgow for looking around.

I'll definitely be up for some tours once my knee is better.

Can someone tell me when it gates dark in the summer? Thinking about late evening summer rides…

Big thanks

Andrew.

What is this 'summer' you speak of?

midsummer it's light til 11ish.

I lived in Sheffield (Duke Street….)

Comparing anything to old firm fail!! 😳

Parts of Glasgow you cant walk about in certain colours because it means your associated with the 'other' team. Its mighty sad and thats why i bike and not play ball

Parts of Glasgow you cant walk about in certain colours because it means your associated with the 'other' team.

Very true. I often biked past Celtic park on my way home from work in fear as I was riding a bike made by Orange which was also I lovely shade of Rangers blue.

Summer? When I was last in Glasgow it was on the 22nd of July from 2 till 3 in the afternoon.

Gee us gadges a shout when yir comin and organise a cycle tour of glasgow.

Nae worries boss.

This is great. Its like listening to a Glasvegas song. 😀

gadges are edinburgh, neds are glasgovia.

You'd think reading some of the above that Glasgow is basically a cross between Belfast 15 years ago and downtown Gaza – total p1sh. The city's certainly got more than it's fair share of ropey areas, but no more than Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham etc.

Glasgow is a warm and friendly city on the whole (apart from in some of the overtly affluent western and southern suburbs) though clearly riding past Rangers Football Club at 2am in a Celtic top on a £4k mountain bike wouldn't be a great idea – show me a big city where it would be.

The city's certainly got more than it's fair share of ropey areas, but no more than Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham etc.

Epic fail

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/glasgow-is-britains-murder-capital-as-knife-crime-spirals-737329.html

http://www.health.am/hypertension/more/glasgow-worst-for-blood-pressure-and-cholesterol/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/337109.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8000029.stm

BoardinBob – the only one of your links that relates to Glasgow being a dangerous city is from 2003.

Maybe it hasn't changed (though Shottingham must be up there, no?) but I doubt it's much worse than other big cities as others have said

just discovered this by looking at one of those articles. its highly amusing, but really quite sad. http://www.wido.co.uk/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=index

A more recent article
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article5733964.ece

Having had many nights in Glasgow, I find it generally OK but, if there's football on it can be a tad threatening [especially to an Englishman]
The only time it actually came to anything with me though was when I left a pub – sensing that the atmosphere wasn't exactly friendly – I got a bottle on the back of my head as I walked down the road away from it

A more recent article
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article5733964.ece

Epic fail

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/glasgow-is-britains-murder-capital-as-knife-crime-spirals-737329.html

Are these statistics not slightly skewed in that they are always per head of population? Glasgow, by boundary definition, is not that large a city (600k IIRC?)Yet the surrounding area makes up approx 40% of the population of Scotland that flock to Glasgow for shopping, entertainment and to practise bigotry. It seems that Glasgow, West of Scotland & Scotland (to some extent) is interchangeable in these stats.

Bob even the independant story is talking about something that happened in Dumbarton – not exactly Glasgow.

but I doubt it's much worse than other big cities as others have said

Unemployment runs around 20% which is amongst the highest, if not the highest, of any major city in the UK.

I can't find the report but there was one that showed Scotland's health was among the worst in Europe, but if you took the figures for Glasgow out, Scotland went from one of the worst to one of the best!

Don't get me wrong, I love living here, but I'm under no illusions that it is a bit of a shithole.

Boardin Bob – If you want to get on the smack nice and early as there's nothing else to do, piss school up against the wall at about 11, then find yourself trapped in a high rise scheme with not much going for you; then Glasgow fits the bill and will deliver you all the usual stereotypes.

However, if you are lucky enough not to be in that world, Glasgow is a city with a lot going for it. The bars, restaurants and clubs are second to none, and there is epic outdoorness on your doorstep. There are prettier cities in Scotland, but none buzz like Glasgow (IMO of course).

Having said all that I recommend you head in to Easterhouse and say "Epic Fail" to someone. Give us a shout when you're doing it.

Don't you live in England?

I went to a gig at the SECC a few weeks ago, stayed near Kelvingrove Park. I thought it was really nice, lots of cool bars and places to eat etc – pretty studenty I suppose but I liked it.

Grumm, that's the West End and it's nice.

Yes, Manchester. However prior to January I lived in Glasgow since 1996, and prior to that just down the road since '78 so don't go down that road you wee profile snooper!

Anyway it's a Friday and Im in too good a mood to fall out with anyone virtually so let's move on.

Bludgeon

It's a great city to live in. Great restaurants, bars, public parks, music venues,cinemas, museums etc. If you go looking for trouble, you will find it just as you would in any other big city. If you were to ask the same questions about other big cities, you'd get the same variety of answers. All have their faults as well as their highlights.

There are several excellent bike shops (Alpine, Wheelcraft, Craig McMartin, BikeLove amongst others) and a great choice of road and off road routes within riding distance of the city centre. It's also ideally situated for forays further north and down to the Borders and the Lake District.

When you move, come out with GMBC and we'll be more than happy to show you the trails.

Cheers

Sanny

Yawn… I see some of the same old glasgow bashing comments (thankfully mixed with a lot of positive stuff). I have lived in glasgow for 10 years and (just) over the border in nearby renfrewshire for the rest but consider myself a glasweigan through and through. I have never been attacked, threatened or mugged and my commute goes through the east end (not the best bit of glasgow)… dalmarnock, parkhead, cantyne, cambuslang etc. I have a family member from edinburgh and I am shocked at the perspective of glasgow people have from only 50 miles away… sad in a way.

As above there are some less appealing areas than others, no more or less than other UK cities IMO. Of the area you are looking at I would say it would need to be west end if you are looking to rent/lodge as the rental market is massive there – I would say that kelvindale/partick and right up to anniesland would be best and all easy enough to commute from and excape the city (Glasgow is pretty small and loads of hills nearby). I would avoid clydebank as it is more remote and not as much going on than west end, milngavie would be brilliant (I would love a house there!) as mugdock park and some amazing riding is on your doorstep.

To be honest though I would always buy south side as prices are better and there is a bit more space, although the cappacino count per head is lower!!!

Hook up with GMBC for some local trail knowledge, you wont regret it 🙂

Ill sell you my flat in North Kelvin Side If you like 😉

Ive lived in Glasgow for 10 years and worked pretty much all over it, I Lived in The high flats in SightHill when I first moved up.. I did that just Cu's I wanted the experience to see what it was like.. It wasn't to mental lol I did witness some crazy stuff though and soon moved away…. there are plenty of places I WOULD NOT even contemplate in living in Glasgow.. for me the west end or the cusp of the west end is the only place's Id consider.. I feel the south side is way too congested especially if you rely on the car for transport (as I do) maryhill isn't to out the way either, it has changed quite a lot in the last 8 years

Why would you only consider 'west end'? it is very expensive for property and out of reach for most people with families so tends to be a good location for couples, single folk or students. I actually like the west end and used to socialise a lot up there as it is pretty safe (away from west end of partick) and good bars etc. but for the price of a nice 3 bed detatched house in a good south side location I would struggle to get a fairly dingy 2 bed flat in the west end.

I would say there are bits of Glasgow I wouldn't consider, not that they are too dodgy (well maybe a little) but i just don't like… however southside has some nice areas and not nearly as congested as west end… crookston, newlands/cathcart, pollokshields, mosspark, giffnock etc.

If you want a flat then westend or shawlands on southside are safe bets, if you want a house then the westend (or anywhere near) is a bit spendy and I would always say head southside or look at renfrewshire or dunbartonshire perhaps.

I do come under the couple's bracket and family's (kid's) don't come under my sickie 🙂

but… I can only go on by my experience's, any time Ive spent in the south side… Ive spent too much time fighting through traffic, but that's maybe because I need to be close to the m8, my work is in Bishybriggs plus I spend quite a lot of time (when not at trails centres) in and around Murdock, so the south side would mean a lot of comuting…

Also i couldn't be arsed commuting from the south side to the west end for nights out, I'm not keen in the city centre at night.. too many mucker's for my liking..

ha.. maybe I'm just stuck in my way's 😆