Pollok Country Park

With the Burrell Collection closed for refurbishment until 2020 (Angus will be 16 when it reopens!), we have been questioning whether a trip to Pollok Country Park is worth it now.  It is Glasgow's largest park though...

The Council is definitely trying to keep it alive with lots of planned activities.  There was lots on over Easter 2017 and Angus and Daddy went to the tour of the fairy trail one day.

Let's start there, if you walk as far as you can along the river beside the walled gardens, you come to the fairy trail.  The Grounds Staff are always about working and happy to offer directions.  The Fairy Village is very well done and culminates with a sleeping dragon

I imagine we will be visiting the village for many years, looking out for updates.

Going back towards the stables, there are dinosaur bones!?  Daddy discovered these...

The Walled Gardens are also good for a run around and include this pretty spectacular ship display.

As you walk along the river there are lots of ducks to see and it is a pretty good path to cycle or scoot along (in fact I learnt to ride a bike in Pollok Country Park).  At the Stables you can say hello to some heavy horses.  This is where lots of activities are based.

Walking further back you come to Pollok House, which is a National Trust for Scotland property and as such has an entry fee.  I wonder if you can access the Tea Rooms for free though?

Carry on past Pollok House and you walk alongside the Highland Cows.  Now you've visited all the captive wildlife!  Opposite the Burrell Collection is a fantastic playground.   It is huge and has equipment for toddlers through to big kids and it's all kept quite well.  There is often an ice-cream van around too.

If you take a picnic and scooters/bikes etc , there is enough to spend nearly a whole day.  There are lots of woodland and riverside walks to explore.

Down to the nitty gritty.  I was worried about the toilet facilities with the Burrell Collection closed.  I have seen online though that the toilets in the Burrell Collection are still accessible as well as those at the Stables.  You can park for £1 for 4 hours opposite the Burrell Collection or for free in the car park near Pollok House.  There are quite a lot of benches for a picnic.

Events in June

Do you need ideas for the sunny month of June?  Only if it rains may be.

Thursdays 8, 15, 22  June - Glasgow CeilidhKids
Are holding taster sessions of their dance workshops for 3-5 year olds with carers.  Each session is £2 and at Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church.  Would be useful if they could put a time on their FaceBook page! @Glasgow CK

Thursday 8 - Sunday 18 June - Glasgow Science Festival
Lots on - nothing for pre-school

Saturday 10 - Sunday 11 June - MamaBabaMe
A co-production between the Early Years organisation Starcatchers and Curious Seed, this dance/theatre piece is for 18 months - 3 years.  Three performances over the weekend, priced at £8.50, £5 and £4.

Sunday 11 June - RSPB Lochwinnoch Open Day
Free entry from 10am-4pm

Sunday 11, Saturday 24 June - Professor Murray the Magician
Roaming magician at Loch Lomond Shores, free!

Friday 16 June - Saturday 2 September - Brick Histories
This Warren Ellsmore exhibition may sell out - we have our tickets already.  It's on at Clydebank Town Hall from 10am-4.30pm daily.

Saturday 17 June - CarFest, Paisley
Raising money for St Vincent's Hospice, the procession is at 8.30am (!!) but you can see the vehicles from 10am-4pm.  As well as emergency vehicles, fairground rides, stalls and entertainers are promised.

Sunday 18 June - Wee Happening
At the Hidden Gardens from 12pm.  This one is all about Busy Bees.

Friday 23 - Saturday 24 June - Greenock P1 Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea
Boat racing!

Friday 23 - Sunday 25 June - Largs Live
Lots of music

#Tomorrow

A new Twitter feature is coming from Glasgow Family Notebook (@GlasFamNotebook).  Every day we will tweet one idea for something to do the next day - #Tomorrow

Follow us and never be bored again!

The Lansdowne

The Lansdowne is a bar frequented by both myself and Mr Glasgow Family Notebook long before we met each other and we only recently decided to revisit it with a toddler in tow.  It was a success and we have since returned.

The lunch menu is fairly good value.  There are lots of other daily offers on too.  The kids menu is excellent; a choice of protein, carb and side (mix and match) and pudding for £4.  You are supposed to get crudites as well but I don't think these have ever appeared.  Also, the salmon fishcakes (Angus's favourite) have always been "sold out".  It's a good balance of healthy options and treats.  The food for grown-ups has lots of options and is very tasty too.  We have taken the grandparents and Auntie and would be a good meet-up for larger groups.

There are lots of TV screens showing sport.  Which Angus and Daddy appreciate.

As the dining section is separate from the bar, you don't feel like you are in a pub or disturbing someone else's appreciation of a game of football.  The "glasshouse" looks like a pleasant place to eat too.  I can see Angus and Daddy coming here in a few years "for lunch" to watch whole sporting events.

The Lansdowne is at 7a Lansdowne Crescent, just off Great Western Road.  Parking is free on Sundays but more complicated the rest of the week!  There is a flight of steps down into the bar but I think there might be a step-free back entrance into the conservatory (I have seen people with buggies come and go this way).  The toilets are lovely and clean but I'm not sure the baby change is exceptional (as with most bars!).  The staff are busy and do double-check your receipt.

Botanic Gardens (Glasgow)

The Botanics is a firm favourite amongst West End mums.  I'm not a West End mum, so a visit is more occasional for us.

It's not a "whole day out" place but has quite a bit to offer.  The glasshouses have fish as well as plants (fish are much more popular with Angus than plants).  The Children's Garden is cute but I'm not sure whether there are any sessions any more.  Someone is definitely keeping it in order though.  The playground has really good quality stuff and is kept well (no broken glass or litter).  There is a range of equipment from climbing, riding, swinging to sensory bits and pieces too.  There is the obligatory Rose Garden for running around (Glasgow City Council loves a rose garden).

The Tea Room is run by Encore, which I haven't tried yet.  There's usually an ice-cream van too.  There are lots more catering options on Great Western Road and Byres Road too.  It's a lovely place for a picnic, with lots and lots of benches.

On a sunny day it is glorious and not too many hills for buggy-pushers!

The Friends of Glasgow Botanic Gardens website has lots of information.  There are toilets behind the Kibble Palace, which are quite well kept.  Parking is typically West End and I wouldn't drive there myself as I'm a nervous parker.  Mr Glasgow Family Notebook can always get parked at the west side of the park near Kelvinside Academy.

Rhythm Time

A Mum Chum had taken her (then) baby to Rhythm Time classes at Whiteinch Community Centre.  As a "something new to do", my Monday Club decided to book into the Toddler class at Hillhead Sports Club on a Monday morning.  I think we initially did a term and a half, took a couple of terms off and returned for one final term before the boys turned three.

The classes are led by one member of staff, Helen and then Amelia, who are very friendly and whom the children adore.  Each session is very formulaic but babies and toddlers love that!  Overall, I thought each session was well-thought out and includes: action songs, pitch, tempo, dynamics, rhythm and beat activities, listening activities (with a tickling rabbit in a hat!) and lots of instruments.  There is a "What's in the box today?" segment, which introduces new things.   The pace could have been quicker for the boys, as they easily got distracted (especially when the tractor was out mowing the lawn) and started to run around the large space.

I do feel the boys gained some musical skills over their Rhythm Time journey but the classes are definitely age-appropriate and when they were three they had got everything out of the Toddler classes they were going to.  I haven't been to any other franchise music classes, so I can't compare to Music Bugs etc. but I think the programme provides lots of fun and good basic skills.

I can't quite remember how much the classes were, about £4.50 per session and you do have to book a block.  I'm sure when we started each session was about 45 minutes but this seemed to shrink and shrink.  The session was very busy and popular.

One of the absolute highlights for Angus is the CD you get each term with all the songs and music.  It is a firm favourite in the car.

The venue at Hillhead Sports Club is quite posh.  There is lots of on-street parking.  We usually stopped for a fancy coffee at Cafe Source Too downstairs.  The toilets and baby change facilities are excellent.  There is a lift upstairs to the space but most people left their buggies downstairs (space for about 10 indoors and sheltered space for lots more outdoors).

I can see that Helen, the Glasgow West franchisee has lots and lots of sessions elsewhere too: Funworld in Greenock, Partick Burgh Hall, Strathgryffe Squash Club in Houston, Whiteinch Community Centre and Kilmacolm Community Centre.  I am considering taking the New One (when they arrive) to the Young Baby classes.  There are also franchisees for Glasgow South (Giffnock, Busby and Newton Mearns) and Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Bonnybridge.