Queens Park

Date I ran: 26th January 2020
Run time: 34:59
Distance covered: 3.74m (6.02km)
Soundtrack: Laura Lippman, The Lady in the Lake
Conditions: cold, sleet



Probably one of the worst runs I've endured in terms of weather conditions. Started off cold but bearable, and a couple of minutes in it started raining, and then the rain turned to sleet. It was not fun to be out there in January in shorts and t-shirt. As a side effect, my phone screen is cracked, and it was so wet that I couldn't end the Strava session which meant I had to keep running, frantically trying to unlock my phone with numb fingers, like a really terrible version of Speed.


But anyway, the park. Queens Park is one I've visited a fair amount, so it wasn't new territory for me. It's one of the major parks in the city, and like many it was originally on land owned by a wealthy family, in this case the Maxwells of Pollok. Wikipedia reports that it was Glasgow's third park (I'm assuming following Glasgow Green and Kelvingrove, but I may be wrong), bought by the Glasgow Corporation in 1857. The queen it's named after wasn't Victoria as I had assumed (we'll get to hers later), but Mary Queen of Scots, who lost the Battle of Langside nearby. I've always thought Battlefield was one of the coolest names for a neighbourhood ever.



What I hadn't appreciated on my other visits is how hilly it is. There's practically a goddamn mountain in the middle of it. You can enter through the main gateway (pictured above) and just keep going up, and up, and up. And then there's some more up.

The good thing about that is you eventually get to a great view. You can see north toward the city centre and beyond, and east toward the suburbs. I was warned by one of my coworkers that the flagpole at the top of the park is a popular location for doggers, but happy to report that the sleet seemed to have kept them away on my visit.





This is one of Glasgow's best parks. Interesting topography, beautiful landscaping, a boating pond (not used for boating any longer, unless you count radio-controlled), basketball courts, and a network of meandering paths roaming all over. I love the area too; different textures on all sides with opulent flats and townhouses rubbing shoulders with seedy hotels and bedsits. The tenements on Queens Drive overlooking the north and east sides always remind me of the flat in 101 Dalmatians.




Crappy day, challenging run, great park. I'll definitely return for another run in balmier conditions.





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