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Clydebank is part of the Glasgow City Metropolitan Area. It marks the northernmost extent of Roman power in Great Britain, since it includes part of the Antonine Wall, a fortification built on the order of the Roman Emperor Antonius Pius in the second century CE. The wall extended from the Clyde to the Forth. It was abandoned two decades after its construction, but reoccupied under Septimus Severus in 208, and so is often known as the Severan Wall. That second occupation lasted only a few years before the final withdrawal, after which the wall was left to decay.
History
In medieval days the Antonine Wall came to be called Grim's Dyke. Three kilometres inland from Clydebank lies one of its best features, the ruin of the bathhouse at Bearsden. Each of the seven rooms is plainly discernible. The Bearsden fort was a large one, but much of its remains lie now lie under occupied residential buildings.
The great growth spurt in Clydebank's history was in 1870 when the City of Glasgow appropriated the Clyde Bank Iron Shipyard's premises to expand the city's shipping capacity. JG Thompson, the company that owned the shipyard, relocated it to Clydebank and built tenement blocks to house workers. Other manufacturers moved in, and in 1882 the area had to be made a police borough which was named Clydebank after the shipyard. All this industry made the area an attractive target to the Luftwaffe, and in March of 1941 Clydebank suffered massive aerial bombardment. Over 500 people were killed, and 600 more injured. Visitors with an interest in industrial history should check out the walking tours of the area offered by local operators.
Activities
One attraction unique to Clydebank is the Titan Crane, a huge blue relic of the shipbuilding industry. Visitors ascend the structure to enjoy a view of the estuary from nearly fifty metres up. Charitable organizations sometimes abseil down from the Titan to raise money.
Victoria Park and Fossil Garden is an exceptional recreational facility located just south of Clydebank. In addition to its formal gardens and arboretum, the park also offers bowling greens, model yachting on one of the ponds and the only maze in the Glasgow area. There is a playpark accessible to disabled children, a Fossil Grove displaying the remains of part of a Carboniferous forest of giant club mosses and an orienteering course. The park contains the home grounds of local cricket and rugby organizations and frequently hosts chamber music or other community events.
Boaters, cyclists and long distance walkers may be interest in the Forth and Clyde Canal. Recreational craft may use the canal and walkers and bicyclists its towpath, in conjunction with that of the Union canal, to get from Glasgow all the way to Edinburgh. The Forth and Clyde originates at Bowling, just west of Clydebank, and runs through the town. Just east of Clydebank the Kelvin Aqueduct carries the canal 120 metres over the River Kelvin 20 metres below.
Walkers may also wish to investigate the Kilpatrick Hills to the north of Clydebank. Its unique geology is the result of the weathering away of softer rock to expose the volcanic basalts beneath. The route through the Whangie, a deep gash in the living rock, is particularly attractive.
Clydebank is home to no less than four golf courses, and many more lie only a short distance away. Other nearby attractions include Lamont City Farm's array of animals. Cruises and boat charters are also a natural for this area. The Monkey Madness Play Centre caters to children, and the Play Drome's pools and sports facilities to all ages. Climbzone Xscape three miles away has not only climbing walls but the Skypark, an aerial assault course, and the Drop, a free fall activity.
Access and Places To Stay
Clydebank is on the main rail line north out of Glasgow, making connections to all parts of the UK quite simple. Bus travel to Glasgow to connect with motor coaches is also a possibility, and of course Glasgow is also home to Abbotsinch and Prestwick airports. The A82 Great Western Road leads through Clydebank, making travel by automobile quite simple.
Culinary options include "Scottish home cooking" as well as other cuisines in fine dining establishments as well as tasty ethnic fare in family eateries, pub grub and takeaway. Accommodations may include self-catering arrangements as well as B&Bs as an alternative to luxury hotels and modern chains.
Accommodation in Clydebank
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