Byres Rd/West End, Glasgow

There is plenty things you can do at Byres Road. I discribe Byres Road as Small Happening Shopping Area.

In the weekend you can just drop by at Hillhead Library that situated along Byres Road. After that you can relaxing at bar or coffe shop nearby.

Byres road and the west end of Glasgow is chic, lively and student filled. The nearby Glasgow University makes the west end a student hot spot with fantastic vintage shops and a great atmosphere its a great idea to hop on the subway and take a trip out west. The Botanic gardens is also located here, this beautiful garden features glasshouses with amazing plants and the grassy areas around are a great place for a picnic on a nice day.

For eating and drinking you are spoilt for choice, the West end features numerous restaurants ansd bars, most of which are really great and reasonably priced. Ashton lane has many great eateries. My favourites in the west end are Brel on Ashton Lane and "La Creperie" on Byres road (Amazing sweet and savoury crepes in a french style cafe).

Byres road and the west end of Glasgow is chic, lively and student filled. The nearby Glasgow University makes the west end a student hot spot with fantastic vintage shops and a great atmosphere its a great idea to hop on the subway and take a trip out west. The Botanic gardens is also located here, this beautiful garden features glasshouses with amazing plants and the grassy areas around are a great place for a picnic on a nice day.

For easting and drinking you are spoilt for choice, the West end features numerous restaurants ansd bars, most of which are really great and reasonably priced. Ashton lane has many great eateries. My favourites in the west end are Brel on Ashton Lane and "La Creperie" on Byres road (Amazing sweet and savoury crepes in a french style cafe).

Ashton Lane is a hidden gem (well to some) just off Byre's Road. The lanes in this area were originally for stables and lots of these have been converted to shops, bars and restaurants. This cobbled lane is flanked by several bars and eateries that are all have an individual lure to tempt you within their doors.

These are (from North to South)

Ashoka (famous indian restaurant)
Jinky McGinty's
Ubequitous Chip
Vodka Vodka
Mimmo's Brasserie
The Lane with The Loft above
Grovsenor Cinema
Brel
Cul de Sac
Radio with Nude above

Other bars of note in the area are

Bar Budda (lane just North Of Ashton Lane)
Tennants on Byres Road

I used to live here and have recently seen several bars that have opened or been re-developed to complement the older institutions along Great Western Road. I would recommend the following (running from East to West)

Junkyard Dog (formerly Oblomov)
The Landsdowne
The Big Blue
Coopers (formerly Bar Oz)
The Viper Club (formerly Cleopatras or Clatty pats) - bar early evening then club later
Hubbards
Oran Mor

See the nightlife tips for in more details.

The Halt Bar, on Woodlands Road, could be easily by-passed for looking like nothing special, but venture in on a Saturday night and you will find a diverse crowd of punks, goths and Average Joes', all assembled for the Halt's famous open-mic night. The acts are always interesting to say the least, and even on a poor night there is still brilliant house guitarist Zac (who really should've been discovered by now) and his merry men to lead the proceedings. Gigs by unsigned bands can also be seen at Ivory Blacks on Oswald St in the city centre (formerly Strawberry Fields), although this is best avoided if standing amongst a crowd of sweaty, restless adolescents is your idea of hell, as the majority of gigs here are for those 14+. There is, of course, still a bar here, but if you would prefer to mix with a slightly more mature crowd, head a few doors along Oswald St and turn left, where under the bridge you will find Rockers. There is still the odd 'unders' gig but most of the time the stern door staff ensure that only those of legal age get in. You will probably hear the music bursting out of this place before you see it, and inside it has a rough, almost underground feel. There is also a waitress service here, so you don't even need to miss a minute of the action on-stage! A pub that does exactly what it says on the tin!

Take a trip down Ruthven Lane, just off Byres Road, where you will find The Glory Hole. Aptly named, this little offshoot from the bustle and business of Byres Road, is filled with a host of second-hand goods, with a wider and more interesting selection than your average second hand shops. Within the building, there are four or five little shops, including a clothes shop which sells good quality and often designer second hand clothes, and also an Aladdin's Cave of bric-a-brac such as old currency, records, stained glass windows and even road signs! A real find, where anyone who appreciates the nearly new could spend hours.

It is almost a relief to find spaces like the Botanical Gardens, having spent a morning or two walking the streets, museums and shops.

Take a picnic (there is a good supermarket nearby on Byers Road) and relax!!!

Free to go in, and is a sea of tranquility in a city of noise.

To get the flavour of Glasgow, you really should include the West End, and by that I mean Byers Road and its side roads, the Botanic Gardens and BBC Scotland, Ashton Lane and the University around Hillhead.

This photo shows the entrance to a tiny lane - Ruthven Lane - opposite Hillhead Underground Station. Its not obvious, despite guidebooks fleshing it out to be more than it is - but, it is never the less worth having a look, just to see a side of glasgow different to the Football / Bars / Chip Shops image that pervades.

I hope you can read the individual signs - view full size, if possible.

This hidden away secret of Glasgow is, in my mind, a Must See.

With your back to Hillhead Underground station, on Byers Road in the West End, turn left then left again, down a rather uninspiring back street, called Ashton Lane. Around the corner you'll see this.

Busy at night, and very popular, with good bars and food, it has a friendly, lively atmosphere.