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Glasgow City Music Tours - Merchant City Tour

167-169 Stockwell Street/Bridgegate, (Meets outside The Clutha Bar), Merchant City, Glasgow, G1 4SP

Access Guide

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Introduction

  • Comments View
    • The tour meets and begins outside The Clutha/Victoria Bar at the Clyde Street/Bridgegate junction and finishes nearby at Kings Court on King Street.
    • This is a guided tour through the Merchant City out to the Barras Market and back to Kings Court in a near loop over approximately 1.25 miles.
    • The group tour is scheduled every Saturday (except under extreme weather conditions) and takes around 2 hours to complete. Private tours are available which can be fully customised if more flexibility is required.
    • This is a relatively flat tour with some easy slopes in places. The wide pavements have mainly tarmac surfaces with some lightly cobbled surfaces in places. Nearly all road crossing points offer dropped kerbs, and many are at pedestrian crossings which offer tactile paving on both sides.
    • The tour is near the city centre and busy areas but was planned to keep away from major thoroughfares as much as possible by mainly sticking to quieter streets. There are various on-street talking and viewing points throughout the tour. Guests are encouraged to bring any required refreshments with them, although guides are used to people occasionally dropping into shops along the route and catching up with the tour.
    • There are at least two of the on-street stops which offer seating areas on Gallowgate at the Billy Connolly mural around the halfway point, and later at the Barrowlands Park.
    • There is an early stop at the Britannia Panopticon venue which has stepped access being on the upper floor. With prior arrangement the organisers can allow for this part of the tour to be presented outside of and around the building for anyone who would prefer.
    • There are no other inside venue stops on this tour, although if a toilet break is likely or required, guides will be able to recommend or arrange possible stops along the route.

Opening Times

  • Please contact the venue for details of opening times and Opening times for the venue vary according to bookings/events taking place.

Location

  • There is a bus stop within 150m (164yds) of the venue.
  • The nearest National Rail station is Argyle Street.
  • The nearest underground station is St Enoch.

Parking

  • The venue does not have its own car park.
  • Public Car Parks View
    • There is a car park for public use within 200m (approx).
    • The name of the car park is NCP King Street Car Park.
    • The car park is located off King Street.
    • There is not a/are not Blue Badge parking bay(s) available within the car park.
  • On Street Blue Badge Parking View
    • On street marked Blue Badge bays are not available.
  • On Street Standard Parking View
    • Clearly signed and / or standard marked parking bays are available.
    • Standard marked parking bays are located on Bridgegate and King Street.
  • Drop-off Point View
    • There is not a designated drop off point.
  • Comments View
    • There are further car parks nearby, although King Street is closest to the starting and end points of the tour at The Clutha Bar and Kings Court.

The Clutha Bar to Britannia Panopticon

  • The tour meets in the wide paved area in front of The Clutha Bar and briefly crosses Clyde Street for a better view of this area.
  • There are pedestrian crossings on Clyde Street to view the murals then return back across.
  • Stockwell Street is crossed using the pedestrian crossings and island over to the right onto Bridgegate.
  • The walk then follows Bridgegate over Howard Street and round to the left onto King Street.
  • There are level changes without dropped kerbs at the entrance/exit to the King Street Car Park where assistance may be required.
  • From King Street the tour continues round to the left onto Osborne Street, then crosses over at the pedestrian crossing and onto New Wynd which has a modern lightly cobbled surface to the Britannia Panopticon.

Britannia Panopticon to Merchant City

  • The tour then continues right onto Trongate where there may be some A-frames to be aware of, before crossing at the pedestrian crossing and left onto Candleriggs.
  • There is a crossing at Wilson Street where the road has a modern lightly cobbled surface before continuing up towards City Halls and Old Fruitmarket theatre.
  • The cobbled road beyond Wilson Street is currently pedestrianised so is used to return back towards Bell Street on the left.
  • Mharsanta Restaurant and Bar is on the opposite side of Bell Street here and is a feature venue visit for the shorter Scottish Traditional Trail Tour & Dinner covering some similar parts of this tour.
  • The route continues round to the right onto Albion Street which is crossed to avoid the Q Park Car Park entry and exit roads and followed back down to Trongate opposite the Tron Theatre.

Merchant City to The Barras Market

  • The Trongate is followed to the left and High Street is crossed at the pedestrian crossings at Glasgow Cross, using the Tollboth Steeple Island before crossing fully onto Gallowage. Continuing along across Watson Street, under the railway bridge and across Moledinar Street there is another traffic light crossing at Spoutmouth where there is then a seating area in front of the Billy Connolly mural.
  • There are options around this area as the Barrowlands Park is located across the road and is returned to later in the tour, which may be preferable to spend longer at for anyone not wanting to cover the full distance.
  • The tour continues further along Gallowagate crossing lanes at Little Dovehill, Great Dovehill and Saracen Head Road before the pedestrian crossing over to The Barras at the Barrowland Ballroom.
  • The Barras Market may be entered here although an alternative route around the Barrowlands Ballroom via Gibson Street is sometimes used to show a further mural.

The Barras Market to Barrowland Park

  • On Saturdays there will be stalls on the pavements throughout the market, so the roads are used as they are pedestrianised during market events. The roads have a tarmac surface with block paving to the sides and the market is generally quiet enough for the tour to navigate easily. Some roads are single width but most are double with plenty of space.
  • The tour follows Kent Street (possibly via Gibson Street and Mochrum Street) past the Barras Art and Design building venue onto Suffolk Street leaving the market via Ross Street onto London Road.
  • Turning right onto London Road the tour then heads back towards the city centre crossing Charlotte Street at the pedestrian crossing and Moir Street using the pedestrian crossing and traffic island over to Barrowland Park.
  • There are easy slopes down into Barrowland Park where there are seating areas available at the side of the Album Pathway art walk. There are some gravel surfaces towards the seating but the paths and Album Pathway have tarmac surfaces.

Barrowland Park to Kings Court

  • The Album Walk is travelled and the slopes back up onto London Road are followed before crossing over towards James Morrison Street before Merchant City Music.
  • There are only dropped kerbs on the far side here at James Morrison Street, although cycle lane kerbs without dropped paving must be navigated around or over before that.
  • James Morrison Street is followed to St Andrews Square where there are some bollards to be aware of, and the tour then crosses over to and follows St Andrews Street where there are no dropped kerbs.
  • There is a lane crossing on St Andrews Street where kerbs are fairly low before turning right at the junction on Saltmarket and crossing it at the pedestrian crossing under the railway bridge towards Osborne Street/Parnie Street.
  • Parnie Street is crossed and followed past the Tron Theatre until turning left onto King Street opposite the Transmission Gallery.
  • Following King Street south and across Osborne Street at the pedestrian crossing leads to the end of the tour in front of Kings Court.

Access Guides Available For (Nearby Venues and Tour Features)

Accessible Toilet

  • Tour organisers will be able to advise on available accessible toilet facilities within venues near to the tour.

Standard Toilet(s)

  • Standard toilets are available within the Britannia Panoptican which has stepped access.
  • Tour organisers will be able to advise of alternative toilet facilities.

Additional Info

  • Documents are not available in Braille.
  • Documents can be requested in large print.
  • A bowl of water can be provided for an assistance dog.
  • An assistance dog toilet area can be provided onsite.
  • The assistance dog toilet area is located at various points throughout the tour.
  • A member of staff trained in BSL skills is not normally on duty.
  • This service cannot be requested.