I definitely recommend that you follow the Google Streetview route of the entire Glasgow DIY Walking Tour first, from the comfort of your own home before you head to Glasgow, as this will allow you to better visualise the entire route before you arrive].

START: Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum [PIC]:

The walking route starts from the left of the main stairs at the front of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum (as this is where the accessible lift allows you to exit the building).

Head along the side of the building (with the building on your right – and the gardens on your left).

At the end of this path, turn LEFTISH, and head to the pedestrian crossing on the main road.

At the end of the crossing, turn RIGHT, then almost immediately, turn LEFT, and head down the lefthand pavement of Bunhouse Road, with the Kelvin Hall / National Library of Scotland on your left.

At the end of Bunhouse Road, you want to turn RIGHT (into Old Dumbarton Road).

BUT.

You also want to be heading along the righthand pavement of Old Dumbarton Road, and you will currently be walking down the lefthand pavement of Bunhouse Road.

So, turn RIGHT near the end of Bunhouse Road, cross the end of Bunhouse Road (there are dropped kerbs on either side of the road here), and then continue STRAIGHT AHEAD along the righthand pavement of Old Dumbarton Road, until you reach the end of the road (there are now dropped kerbs at all places needed (including on both sides of the “Private Parking” area – some Google Maps images don’t show these yet).

You want to turn LEFTISH here (into Ferry Road). But, again, you want to cross to the other side of the street that you are on first, so that you are on the lefthand pavement of Ferry Road.

So, turn LEFT at the very end of Old Dumbarton Road, cross the end of Old Dumbarton Road (plus the cycle path too), and then continue STRAIGHT AHEAD/LEFTISH along the lefthand pavement of Ferry Road.

Railway Bridge [MAP]:

At the end of Ferry Road, pass below the railway bridge, and then turn RIGHT, and follow the paved path until it splits in two. Follow the righthand path (heading away from the main road), and follow it as it descends and passes below the two road bridges (the River Kelvin will now be on your right).

Continue along the path as it ascends to street-level again, and when it splits, follow the righthand path, towards the main entrance of the Riverside Museum.

Glasgow Riverside Museum [MAP]:

Leave the Riverside Museum building via the main/car park entrance (NOT the entrance/exit facing the River Clyde).

Walk straight ahead to the pedestrian crossing.

Pedestrian Crossing [MAP]:

After crossing here, continue straight ahead, and follow the path around the car park. The tarmac pedestrian path continues all the way until the Glasgow Clydeside Distillery.

Glasgow Clydeside Distillery [MAP]:

After visiting the Glasgow Clydeside Distillery, continue along the pavement as it curves around the Distillery building. At the furthest right, you will see a small gap, and a downward sloping path leading onto the Riverside Walkway.

The Gap/Path [MAP]:

At the end of the small gap/path, turn LEFT and continue along the Riverside Walkway (the River Clyde will now be directly on your right).

The surface of the Riverside Walkway here is brick/cobbles. But as cobbles go, the surface is reasonably easy/flat.

Continue along the walkway until you reach the very first bridge on your right (the Millennium Bridge).

Millennium Bridge [MAP]:

The Millennium Bridge is a smooth-surfaced pedestrian bridge over the River Clyde, and leads to the Glasgow Science Centre.

At the end of the bridge, continue STRAIGHT AHEAD until you see the main entrance of the Glasgow Science Centre on your right/on the left-hand side of the larger glass-covered building (just to the right of the cyclist in this photograph).

Glasgow Science Centre [MAP]:

After visiting the Glasgow Science Centre, walk east along this side of the River Clyde (in front of the BBC Scotland building), until you come to Bell’s Bridge (the next pedestrian footbridge leading back across the River Clyde).

Bell’s Bridge [MAP]:

The partially covered Bell’s Bridge is another pedestrian footbridge – which will take you back across the river, to the Scottish Events Campus (SEC).

At the end of the bridge, turn RIGHT, and continue along the River Clyde walkway (the river will be on your right again, and the “Armadillo” building of the SEC will be on your left.

Just before you reach the Titan Crane, the path veers slightly to the left/away from the river. Just continue following the path (you will now see the flying saucer shaped SEC Hydro building on your left.

Continue along the pavement (with the Titan Crane now on your right – and the SEC Hydro building, and road, on your left), until you see the Hilton Garden Inn Glasgow City Centre on your right (the Glasgow Radisson RED Hotel will be on your left, on the opposite side of the road).

PIT STOP TIME!

You  have a choice here: the indoor/outdoor riverside terrace of the Hilton Garden Inn (the accessible entrance is also on the riverside side of the building), or the rooftop Red Sky Bar (also indoor/outdoor) of the Radisson Red Hotel (open from noon). The Red Sky Bar also serves Afternoon Tea – with amazing rooftop views of Glasgow city centre, and views over the River Clyde (call +44 (0)141 471 1687 or email info@redskybar.com to book your Afternoon Tea slot in advance).

Both options have accessible toilets too.

After your wee pit stop, continue in the same direction as before, and you will shortly arrive at the Pedestrian Crossing – which crosses the road of the Clyde Arc bridge (you are staying on this side of the river though, crossing the road only – and not the actual bridge itself).

Pedestrian Crossing [MAP]:

After crossing the road here, continue along the pavement ahead of you, until you see the ramp on your RIGHT which will take you back onto the pedestrian riverside walkway.

Follow the riverside walkway, again with the River Clyde on your right, and passing below the Kingston Bridge, until you see the Squiggly Bridge on your right.

Squiggly Bridge [MAP]:

After crossing the S-shaped, and pedestrian, Squiggly Bridge, turn LEFT and follow the opposite bank of the River Clyde (along Clyde Place Quay – also pedestrian – the actual river will now be on your left then), until the path ends at the King George V Bridge.

King George V Bridge [MAP]:

The King George V Bridge is the final bridge over the River Clyde that you will cross. The King George V Bridge is a road bridge, carrying traffic into central Glasgow, but you don’t have to cross the actual traffic here (instead, just remain on the pavement on the left).

After crossing the bridge, a pedestrian crossing (in two stages)  AHEAD of you, will take you across the Broomielaw (the road that runs parallel to the River Clyde). At the end of the second crossing, turn RIGHT, and almost immediately, turn LEFT into Oswald Street.

Oswald Street [MAP]:

Walk up the pavement on the left-hand side of Oswald Street, until the end, where you will see a Pedestrian Crossing on your right (taking you across Oswald Street to the Glasgow Motel One).

Pedestrian Crossing [MAP]:

At the end of the crossing, turn LEFT, and you will almost immediately see a second Pedestrian Crossing ahead of you (which crosses Argyle Street).

At the end of the crossing, continue straight ahead (up Hope Street). You will also see an entrance to Glasgow Central Station here – but it involves taking a lift up to the main station level, which leaves you INSIDE the ticket barriers – so just ignore it (unless it’s raining quite heavily, when the advantage of staying dry outweighs the need to have to take the lift – the lift is immediately on your left as you enter).

Continue along this right-hand pavement of Hope Street until you see the junction with Gordon Street (on your right).

Turn RIGHT here, and continue along this righthand side of Gordon Street, passing the main entrance of Glasgow Central Railway Station).

Should you ever neeed a taxi in central Glasgow, these can be found on the taxi rank just outside the Gordon Street Entrance.

Glasgow Central Station (Gordon Street/Main Entrance) [MAP]:

About 50 metres after the main entrance entrance to Glasgow Central Station, you will see a light-controlled pedestrian crossing directly ahead of you (which crosses Union Street.

At the end of the crossing, continue STRAIGHT AHEAD, along the righthand pavement of the continuation of Gordon Street, until you see another light-controlled pedestrian crossing AHEAD of you.

After crossing here (across Mitchell Street), continue STRAIGHT AHEAD along the righthand side of (the now pedestrianised) Gordon Street.

At the next corner (where the pedestrianised Gordon Street meets the also pedestrianised Buchanan Street), continue STRAIGHT AHEAD (slightly RIGHTISH), and walk down the also pedestrianised Exchange Place.

After passing through the arch at the end of Exchange Place, you will see the stepped platform that the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art (GoMA) sits on. And how you pass those steps is very clever indeed.

Continue STRAIGHT AHEAD along the righthand side of Royal Exchange Square (with the GoMA building on your left). At the end of the building, turn LEFT, and head for the famous traffic cone-wearing statue of the Duke of Wellington on horseback.

On either immediate side of the statue, there are ramps which allow you to pass the first set of steps (up onto the platform). Able-bodied walkers should just head directly up the steps ahead, towards the main entrance.

For a step-free entrance to the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art (GoMA) though [and I’m personally really impressed with how this has been done – making historic buildings accessible sometimes requires some very clever solutions], turn LEFT, and follow the base of the steps. When the columned facade of building ends, turn RIGHT, and on your right you will immediately see the ramp that bypasses this second set of steps

Your Glasgow DIY Walking Tour now ends with a visit to the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art (GoMA).