Glasgow three parks (10.5 miles)
From the city centre, follow Jamaica Street over the river and stick to the main drag (A77). Queen's Park is our first point of interest and you can shorten the walk by taking a train to the station of the same name. Explore the Victorian green space, making sure you take in the cityscape from the hilltop and also check out the glasshouse and Scottish Poetry Rose Garden. Exit on to Langside Avenue where an impressive monument commemorates a battle involving Mary, Queen of Scots. Hook up with Pollokshaws Road, which soon splits from the A77 and leads us to Pollok Park - the largest such amenity in Glasgow.
Follow the White Cart water trail past a cricket field and towards the stables and walled garden. You will hopefully encounter the herd of Highland cattle along the way. Perhaps explore part of the Woodland Garden en route to Pollok House - a grand stately home from the mid-1700s now cared for by the National Trust. Admission is £8.50 at the time of writing but a free tour of the grounds is highly rewarding. There are myriad paths through the park but a good option is to take the steep grassy Lime Avenue directly opposite the main gates of Pollok House. Keep a straight course until the trail (now known as Rhododendron Walk) bends sharply to the right. Double back on the tarmac road upon reaching a pond and go over the crossroads to make your way out of the park, past a golf course and rugby stadium.
Follow Drumbreck Road above the M77 and turn left into Mosspark Boulevard. After 600 yards we find the entrance gate to Bellahouston Park. A huge area of grass lies before us. Maintain a straight course on the path and go over the mound. Two popes have held masses at Bellahouston and the park also hosted the 1938 Empire Exhibition. The only remaining evidence of the latter event is the Palace of Art - now a sports centre. Sadly, the views from the hill summit are now obscured by trees. Check out the House for an Art Lover - built in the 1990s to exact specifications laid down by famed architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Exit right on to Paisley Road West. This thoroughfare leads all the way back to the city centre. Ibrox Stadium - home of Scottish football giants Rangers - is close by. Subway and bus connections will take the strain, if required.
