Glasgow; Thursday, 28 May, 2009

From the Murk of England into the full blown downpour of Scotland, almost at the same time as the train crossed the border the weather deteriorated, which didn’t look good for the day.

Thankfully, by the time I reached Glasgow it was down to a slight drizzle which itself was starting to ease. I caught the station link bus round from Glasgow Central to the bus station and dropped my bags off at the left luggage office.

I walked the short distance to Queens street station and then caught the train out to Hillfoot to visit a less famous Roman Wall.

Built 20 years after it’s more famous southern relative, the Antonine Wall ran the much shorter distance between the Firths of Forth and Clyde. It wasn’t a success and not more than 20 years later the Roman army retreated back to Hadrian’s wall, but in the time they were there they managed to leave a mark. Halfway between Hillfoot and Bearsden stations are the remains of Bearsden Roman Baths, the only remaining part of a fort that stood on the line of the wall.

Having looked around the baths I walked back to Bearsden station and caught the train south and over 1000 years forward through history to Uddingston and the castle of Bothwell.

After looking around Bothwell it was time to head back into Glasgow, pick up my stuff and check into my hotel for the night out at the airport. Having done that I caught the bus the short distance into Paisley and picked up the train to Ayr on the Scottish west coast.

As I arrived in Ayr the weather was already well on the turn with the skies rapidly clearing, and as I walked along the sea front the mists in the distance started to clear and I had the stunning view across the millpond still waters to the isle of Arran and behind it the Mull of Kintyre peninsular.

Then it was time to head back to the hotel to get some sleep. I wandered back to the station and caught a train back to Paisley, contemplating the idea at getting off at one or two of the other seaside stations on the way back up. In the end I didn’t which proved to be the right idea as I discovered when I caught the last bus of the evening back to the hotel, one train later and it would have been a two mile walk (or a taxi)!