| Comment | Outside the city, but Dumbarton Rock and Castle. Easily overlooked by visitors and even native Glaswegians because Dumbarton itself isn't a particularly glamourous part of the world, but it *blows my mind* that this isn't given bigger billing by Visit Scotland or other tourist bodies. It should probably be a Unesco World Heritage Site. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbarton_Castle
It was the capital and main fortress of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, one of the largest Brittonic kingdoms that existed on Great Britain before Scots, Gaels, Angles, Saxons etc arrived. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Strathclyde
It's like something out of Lord of the Rings: winding staircases leading up to battlements, overhanging stone archways. Absolutely amazing views from the top, all the way out to the edges of the Firth of the Clyde and up northwards to the Highlands across Loch Lomond. You can see why it was such a pivotal strategic location for centuries, for the various rulers that came and went.
A lot of the structure is long gone, but it's remarkable to walk around and imagine, and see what's still there. Only about a fiver to get in, and it's a 5-10 min walk from Dumbarton East train station. |
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