Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls and Tennis Centre

Angus has been admiring people playing bowls for quite a while and when a friend visited it seemed like a good opportunity to give it a go.  We went to Kelvingrove and had a great time despite being rained on (the full Glasgow experience for a tourist).

It's a very picturesque place to play and the greens seemed well kept (I suppose you are playing at a Commonwealth Games venue!).  The best part is...it's free.  Actually the service was equally good.

I don't think you can book, it's first come, first served.  At the pavilion, we asked to play and the attendant provided us with all the equipment we needed and took us out to show us the ropes.  He couldn't have been friendlier and explained the game simply.  The only proviso to playing is that you are wearing flat shoes.

The game is simple, you bowl the jack and then bowl the rest of your bowls aiming to be the closest to it.  The equipment is all free to borrow, including the mat.  There were special, light bowls for toddlers/children too.  The only tiring thing about playing with a toddler is that you can't play the full length of the green.  This means you have to keep collecting the bowls up and bringing them back rather than switching ends like usual.  If wasn't for this I think Angus would have wanted to keep playing for longer.

We played for about half an hour before moving on to visit the play park, get some lunch (at Firebird, review here!) and then visit the gallery.

Parking is easy behind the gallery and £1 for four hours.  We didn't use the toilet facilities so can't comment on them).  The Centre is open from Easter to the September Weekend.