Our first day exploring Glasgow ended with excellent Indian food and a great night’s sleep. Today, our last day began with another trip to the Hilton Glasgow’s fantastic breakfast buffet.
Check out our last blog post for more on our first day of exploration.
Today, we are off to explore two iconic sites just outside of Glasgow – Stirling Castle and The Kelpies. Then it was back to Glasgow for our Farewell Dinner. These excursions would wrap up our Gate 1 Travel 14-Day Classic England & Scotland trip.
Stirling Castle
Castle Wynd, Stirling FK8 1EJ, United Kingdom
We left our hotel for the trip to Stirling Castle, about a forty-five-minute drive outside of Glasgow.
The castle dates back to the 12th century, with many of the buildings constructed between 1490 and 1600. Stirling is considered one of the most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland.
Filming of Game of Thrones, Outlander, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail are just a few examples of productions that have been filmed at Stirling Castle.
Surrounded on three sides by cliffs, Stirling Castle has an excellent defensive position and, at one time, protected the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth.Â
Before the unification of England and Scotland, it was one of the most used castles by Scottish Kings and Queens.Â
The Kelpies
Helix Park, Flakirk
In Scottish folklore, a Kelpie is a shape-shifting water creature. They often appear as a grey or white horse. Enticed to ride them, the rider is taken to a watery grave.
However, these Kelpies, located near the Forth and Clyde Canal, are approximately 30 meters high (98 feet) and made of steel. They were created by sculptor Andy Scott in 2013.
The surrounding Helix Park was a great place to spend a few hours, providing an excellent break on our way back into Glasgow. There were several sculptures crafted from natural materials, as well as a gift shop and a small café.
The Citizen Glasgow
24 St Vincent Pl, Glasgow G1 2EU, United Kingdom
Our farewell dinner was hosted at The Citizen. Once home to the Glasgow Citizen newspaper, this historic building now serves the freshest Scottish produce with a distinct Glasgow influence.
It was an excellent opportunity to enjoy a celebratory meal with friends, both old and new. This was before heading home the next morning.
We were seated in the private mezzanine dining room, overlooking the beautiful bar and main floor.
Group Dining Menu
The Pressroom Group Dining Menu offered us a selection of six Starters, six entrées, and four desserts. We could choose from these, along with a variety of Beer and Wine Options.
We each started with a Tennent’s, a beer we both developed a taste for.Â
For starters, Chuck opted for the Korean Crispy Chicken, accompanied by a Sweet and Spicy Korean BBQ Sauce and Herb Creme Fraiche.Â
Mark embraced our time in Scotland and chose the Haggis Stack. It stacked traditional Haggis with Neeps and Tatties (mashed Turnips and Potatoes) and served them with a Red Wine Sauce and a Whisky and Mustard Sauce.
For entrées, we both chose the Citizen Steak Pie. It featured slow-cooked Scottish Beef and Cumberland Sausage in a Red Wine and Port Sauce, all under a Puff Pastry Crust. Mark went with a side of Mashed Potatoes (amazing), and Chuck with Rustic Chips.
Other entrée choices included Buttered Chicken, Pan-Fried Sea Bream, a Grilled Halloumi Bowl, a Vegetarian Yellow Coconut Curry, or the Citizen Beef Burger. We’re sure that any of them would be excellent, and we both loved our meals.
For dessert, we both chose the Glayva Chocolate Cake. It was a decadent Chocolate and Almond Cake, Chocolate Ganache-glazed Banana steeped in Glayva, and a Ginger Tuille. We had no idea what Glayva was, but we’re fans!
Random Weird Stuff
Glayva is a Scottish whisky liqueur made from a blend of aged whiskies, honey, tangerines, and almonds.Â
We’d HIGHLY recommend visiting The Citizen if your travels take you to Glasgow.
Heading Home
After a good night’s sleep, our Gate 1 Travel, 14 Day Classic England and Scotland tour was finally coming to an end. With the extra days we added to explore London on our own, we spent nearly 18 days in the UK. We had an absolute blast. Mark joked that if anything happened to Chuck, you would find him living in the Scottish Highlands.
We visited places where our ancestors came from and traveled through, meeting incredible people and enjoying fantastic food along the way.
It was absolutely an adventure we will talk about for years to come.
What’s Next?
Next, we have a brief review of our first flight with KLM Airlines. Then we’re off to our next adventure, our first European River Cruise!
