Milngavie
Milngavie (pronounced "Mill-GUY") is a town in Clydeside in the Central Belt of Scotland. With a population of just under 13,000 in 2022, it's a commuter and retirement town for Glasgow six miles to the southwest. The main reason to visit is to walk the West Highland Way, which starts here. Milngavie is also a good base for exploring the Campsie Fells to the northeast, and Loch Lomond to the northwest.
Understand
[edit]"Milngavie" may mean windmill (Gaelic muileann gaoithe) or windy hill (meall na gaoithe). Local lore derives it from muileann Dhàibhidh, "Davie's mill", but that was somewhere else and Davie was some other guy who wasn't even called Davie. It was a small farming village, sometimes allocated to Stirlingshire and sometimes to Dunbartonshire, before becoming industrial in the 19th century with paper mills and bleach works. It became a leafy well-to-do suburb once the railway arrived in 1863, then was heavily urbanised from 1950 to re-house those bombed out along Clydebank during the war. For a time the Glasgow trams even ran this far out. Those were axed in 1956 but Milngavie retained its rail and bus links to the city, and is now mostly a commuter town.
Milngavie pitched a daring bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. Somehow the decision went to Tokyo, then Paris pipped it for 2024. Huh, it's obvious money changed hands... better luck for 2028?
Get in
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By train: Trains run daily every 30 min from either Glasgow Central or Glasgow Queen Street, taking 25 min via Bearsden. Many of these run direct to Milngavie from Edinburgh or Motherwell, but along slow lines — it's quicker to take the fast train from Edinburgh to change at Queen Street, and from Motherwell to change at Central.
1 Milngavie railway station is central in town. There is a staffed ticket office and machines, coffee kiosk, waiting rooms and toilets. There is step-free access to all platforms.
By bus: Glasgow Citybus 15 runs from Glasgow North Frederick St via Hillhead, Kelvinside, Anniesland and Bearsden to Milngavie, taking just over an hour. It runs every 30 min M-F, hourly Saturday.
Midland Blue X10 / X10A runs from Glasgow Buchanan station via Maryhill and Bearsden to Milngavie (40 min) and continues via Balfron, Aberfoyle and Blairdrummond to Stirling. It runs hourly M-Sa.
McColls Bus 47 runs between Milngavie and Kirkintilloch M-Sa every couple of hours.
By road leave M8 at jcn 16 (from east) / 17 (from west) and follow A81 north through Bearsden.
Get around
[edit]Milngavie is a small place and Mugdock Country Park is just a mile north. You need wheels to explore the Campsie Fells and shores of Loch Lomond.
Taxi firms are Ambassador (+44 141 955-0555) and Station Taxi (+44 141 942-4555).
See
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- 1 Mugdock Country Park is a mile north from town along Ellangowan Rd, with the ruin of the 14th-century Mugdock Castle. A mansion was built here in Victorian times, but burned down and has been demolished.
- Gruffalo Trail is just across the town boundary south, see Bearsden.
- 2 Auld Wives Lifts are two massive boulders on the hillside with a third perched on top. So they look like a prehistoric megalith but are believed to be a natural formation, and a circular etching on one was probably by a modern quarryman. Their name stems from a folk tale that three old women had a contest for the heaviest stone they could carry here in their aprons.
- 3 Lennox Castle is a spooky ruined mansion. It was completed in 1841 as a plush residence, but in 1936 it became a hospital for people with learning difficulties. This was notoriously understaffed, overcrowded, abusive and unhygienic, yet it took until 2002 to close it down. From the 1940s to the 60s there was also a maternity hospital here, where the singer Lulu was born. The castle was already semi-derelict when a fire finished it off in 2008, so now it's a hollow ruin. Part of the site has been redeveloped as a training facility for Celtic FC.
Do
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- Football: Glasgow Rangers women's team play at the Rangers training ground, south of town along A807 Auchenhowie Rd. They play in the Scottish Women's Premier League, their top tier. Celtic have a training facility at Lennoxtown but their women play in Hamilton.
- Rugby: West of Scotland FC call themselves simply a "football club" because when they were founded in 1865, the separation of codes was not complete. They play rugby in the amateur leagues at Burnbrae (capacity 2500) behind the Premier Inn.
- Golf: Milngavie GC is a mile north of town, white tees 5818 yards, par 70, visitor round £20.
- Dougalston GC is a mile east, 5721 yards, par 68, visitor round £35.
- Clober GC is half a mile northwest, 4963 yards, par 66, visitor round £30.
- The West Highland Way starts here and stretches 96 miles (154 km) to Fort William. It's usually done south to north, to have the sun and wind at your back, and to have the easier southern sections prepare you for the tougher terrain ahead. There are eight stages of 10-15 miles apiece. One easy way to do it, especially for working folk who are time-poor, is to tackle each half-stage as a Sunday afternoon bimble there-and-back, no rucksack no grief, drive home three hours later and do the next half-stage whenever you please. The first stage is Milngavie to Drymen, 12 miles (9 km), all easy lowland going. Start from the granite obelisk in town centre and plod north across the golf course and Mugdock Country Park, on into the fields and by small lochs. Zag west on B821 then on north by Dumgoyach Standing Stones, Dumgoyne village, west at Gartness to cross the river then bear north into Drymen.
- John Muir Way is a coast-to-coast hiking trail. Westbound you approach on the Kelvin river path: hikers continue via Strathblane to Balloch, bikes take the West Highland Way via Dumgoyne and Gartness. The last stage is from Balloch to Helensburgh.
- Campsie Fells are a few miles north, surrounding Fintry. Their highest point is the Earl's Seat at 578 m (1896 ft). "Campsie" is from the Gaelic for "crooked fairy", but it's best not to dwell on this.
- Bearsden & Milngavie Highland Games are held at the West of Scotland rugby ground, midway between Bearsden and Milngavie. The next are probably on Saturday 7 June 2025, tbc.
Buy
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- Tesco is 100 yards south of the railway station, open M-Sa 7AM-11PM, Su 8AM-10PM.
- Waitrose and Aldi are on A81 south side of town by the boundary with Bearsden.
Eat
[edit]- Classic India, 5 Douglas St G62 6PA, ☏ +44 141 956-6360. Daily 4:30-10PM. Good reviews for this trad Indian restaurant 100 yards west of the railway station.
- Others near the railway station include Garvie & Co and Chinese and fish & chips takeaways. Andiamo is a block east.
Drink
[edit]- Talbot Arms, 30 Main St, Milngavie G62 6BU (200 yards southwest of railway station), ☏ +44 141 955-0981. Su-F noon-11PM, Sa 11AM-midnight. A traditional pub in town centre. Dog-friendly, live music Fridays and pub quiz Sun evening.
- Glengoyne is a whisky distillery in the hills north towards Drymen and offers tours.
Sleep
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- 1 Premier Inn Milngavie, 103 Main Street G62 6JQ (south edge of town, jcn A81 & B8030), ☏ +44 333 777 7286. Large reliable chain hotel. B&B double £110.
- 2 Premier Inn Bearsen is just over the town boundary, see Bearsden#Sleep.
- Craigmaddie Glamping is a mile north of town on Strathblane Rd.
- 3 Kirkhouse Inn, Glasgow Rd, Strathblane G63 9AA, ☏ +44 1360 771771. Welcoming place on the long-distance hiking trails. B&B double £110.
Connect
[edit]As of Nov 2024, Milngavie and its approach roads have 4G from all UK carriers, but 5G has not reached town.
Go next
[edit]- For the scenic east shore of Loch Lomond, follow A809 north to Drymen then B837 to Balmaha. For the busier west shore, take A810 west to join A82 north to Dumbarton, Balloch and Luss.
- Stirling northeast is an attractive miniature Edinburgh.
- Glasgow city lights are only half an hour away.
| Routes through Milngavie |
| Trossachs ← Drymen ← | N  S |
→ Bearsden → Glasgow |