Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

This evening, I am posting information on key sites which will be encountered in course of a Ring of Kerry driving tour.

First, close to the town of  Killarney is Muckross House and Gardens. This is an imposing mansion built in 1843 in Elizabethan style. Queen Victoria was a guest.

Muckross House, Killarney, Ireland

At Muckross it is possible to take a Irish Jaunty Car  ride (horse drawn buggy). This lasts about one hour and takes in the grounds and  lake .

Irish Jaunty Car, Muckross, Ireland

 Close to Muckross is Torc Falls which is deserving of a visit.

Next proceed on the Ring of Kerry route with a stop at the famous  Ladies View  (and Lakes of Killarney). Named after Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting who were enamoured with the vista.

Ladies View, Ring of Kerry, Ireland

Next stop is Sneem, a village comprised of brightly painted houses and a quaint village green. Here take a stroll  around the village taking in the falls, Murphy’s Bar and some shopping..

Sneem Village, Ring of Kerry, Ireland

Falls, Sneem, Ireland

Murphy's Bar, Sneem, Ireland

After Sneem move on and admire the scenic views of the coastline including the stunning Derrynane Bay and a prehistoric stone circle (or burial cairn).

Derrynane Bay, Ring of Kerry, Ireland

Prehistoric Standing Stones, Iveragh Peninsula, Ireland

From time to time sheep will be encountered wandering along the road, not unusual in this part of the world.

Other sites include :

• Cahersiveen. the main town on the peninsula.
•  Killorglin, a pretty village sitting on the slopes above a river and famous for its Puck Fair. A good stop for refreshment after a long day touring.

Cranes at Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow

This afternoon, I was attracted by a unusual concentration of construction cranes on a site near the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow. After obtaining a few images I walked back to the centre along the interesting waterfront encountering a wide range of interesting constructions en-route.

Images of the cranes can be found immediately above and below.

Cranes at Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow

Here is a crane from a by-gone age (1932) when Glasgow was very strong on commercial ship building and heavy engineering. Now redundant.

Finnieston Crane, Glasgow, Scotland

Here is the Clyde Arc or ‘Squinty Bridge’ which dates from 2006 and spans the River Clyde at Finnieston.

Squinty Bridge, River Clyde, Glasgow

Here is the Broomielaw-Tradeston Bridge aka ‘Squiggly Bridge’ which is for pedestrians and also spans the River Clyde. Opened 2009.

Squiggly Bridge, River Clyde, Glasgow

Here is Glasgow’s Central Station. This originally dates from 1879 but was re-built 1901-1905.

Inside Central Station, Glasgow, Scotland

Interesting image of a glass fronted building in Oswald Street.

Reflections on Glass-fronted Building, Glasgow

Overall, a short, but interesting journey taking in a diversity of engineering and architecture.

John Knox Monument, Glasgow Necropolis, Scotland

Today, I escorted two guests on a short architecture themed tour of Glasgow.

We commenced with the famous necropolis near Glasgow Cathedral. Here there are some 50,000 burials dating from around the 1830s onwards. Many of the memorials commemorate the ‘great and good’ of Victorian Glasgow which at the time ranked as the second city of the British Empire and was home to wealthy business people.

Above is an image of the John Knox memorial which dates from 1825 and thus pre-dates the Necropolis. Knox was a 16th century Protestant reformer.

Here is an image of one aspect of the Necropolis.

Glasgow Necropolis, Scotland

Here is a typically elaborate mausoleum.

Monteath Mausoleum, Glasgow Necropolis, Scotland

Here is a view of Glasgow’s 13th century Cathedral taken from the Necropolis.

Glasgow Cathedral, Castle Street, Scotland

Next we drove across ther river to the Gorbals to view the interesting architecture (mainly domestic) which has replaced a once very deprived area.

After the Gorbals we drove round to visit Govan, an old shipbuilding area on the Clyde. Here we went to the water’s edge to view the scenery which included the Tall Ship ‘Glenlee’  moored opposite.

Tall Ship, Glenlee, Glasgow

Next we visited Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s masterpiece, House for an Art Lover.

House for an Art Lover, Glasgow, Scotland

En-route to drop-off at Kelvingrove  we encountered this demolition in process at Govan.

Demolition in progress, Govan, Glasgow

Overall. a good day aided by bright, sunny weather.