#glasgowmuraltrail

[pitcaithlycottage]

Glasgow is only a 70min drive from the cottage and it's definitely worth doing a day trip. Great restaurants and the The Mural Trail is a fun wee adventure. #glasgow #glasgowmuraltrail #glasgowfood #VisitScotland #scotland #unalomebygc (at Glasgow, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU3Yr__qSM8/?utm_medium=tumblr

[princesswind]

#StrathWonderwall . . Glasgow Mural Trail. . Strathclyde University's Wonderwall was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Charter which conferred the University's status and also the 2014 Commonwealth Games . {last year spring break} . . . #glasgow #glasgowmuraltrail #mural #scotland #theAzventure #theAzharGlasgow #fujifilm #fujifilmxt20 (at University of Strathclyde) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QZU7tgDRE/?igshid=jk5hoyjt829r

[princesswind]

Fellow Glasgow Residents by @smugone . . Glasgow Mural Trail. . . . {last year spring break} . . . #glasgow #glasgowmuraltrail #mural #scotland #smugone #theAzventure #theAzharGlasgow (at Glasgow City Halls) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QW2XmgqND/?igshid=5nlrvmtsmr0v

[rhys1812]

Photo from the Mural trail walk. #glasgow #glasgowphotography #glasgowmuraltrail #glasgowmurals #photography https://www.instagram.com/p/By3e93-FkWR/?igshid=11baw5qjtwyqp

[diamondchauffeurtravel]

#glasgowmuraltrail #glasgow #glasgowlife #glasgowcity #scotland (at Glasgow, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByQcSnlBRef/?igshid=wecwg6oeoj59

[colinemill]

A Study of a Woman in Black Another of the murals in the Glasgow Mural Trail is this intricate stencil mural by James Klinge (aka “Klingatron”) in his collaboration with Art Pistol. A study of a Woman in Black is an example of the intricate detail this artist displays in his amazing street art. @instaglasgow @peoplemakeglasgow @visitglasgow @glasgow.life @visitscotland #glasgow #glasgowmuraltrail #mural #streetart #streetphotography #urbanphotography (at Glasgow, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsgsUDmnF2J/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ycvuwk17f2yi

[colinemill]

St Mungo at High Street, Glasgow. This is a mural by Glasgow street art regular Smug and it can be found on a gable end at the top end of High Street. Depicting a modern-day St Mungo it references the story of The Bird That Never Flew. Fittingly, the nearby Glasgow Cathedral is the final resting place of Glasgow's patron saint. @peoplemakeglasgow @instaglasgow #glasgow #glasgowmuraltrail #mural #streetart #streetphotography #urbanphotography #stmungo @this_is_scotland @visitscotland (at Glasgow, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsgI33qH9lN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xk5c7wmod59l

[exotericenvironmentalism]

Cycling to art: Glasgow’s Mural Trail 

I really enjoy discovering sites, exhibitions and examples of art and culture when I visit other places. It is also something I like to do in and around my own city and country. I find that my bike, which I use just as a regular means of travel, for sport and fitness, as well as for holidays and exploring, is a great way to access and experience art, both at home and abroad.

From wee day trips in Glasgow, to further afield in Scotland, and to multi-day tours in the Lowland countries, I’ve used my bike to access some great art and culture over a number of years.

One of Glasgow’s most recent additions to its rich art and culture is the city’s Mural Trail (see the council provided guide map and information here)- a  growing body of contemporary street art commissions around the city centre adorning various buildings and public spaces. 

With a number of the artworks featuring figures and stories associated with the city- from saints such as St. Enoch and St. Mungo, to architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and comedian Billy Connolly- the murals are increasingly being recognised as a notable part of Glasgow’s artistic and cultural fabric. It really brings a smile to my face when I see a group of people, or an individual, stopping to take a picture or just admire one of the artworks. 

Importantly, for me, is that the best- and really only way to be able to appreciate the trail- is through ‘human level’ travel modes like walking and cycling. The murals are in relatively close proximity, a number of which are situated down alleyways and lanes, and so do not suit being visited by car. They are public art pieces best accessed by human forms of mobility.  

Last Saturday, the 22nd of September, was international car free day. Cities and places around the world closed off major streets and thoroughfares to cars and other motorised traffic, and opened them up to people and human powered mobility to take over. In Glasgow, Kelvin Way- a road in the city’s west end- took part. But while these single day events can be useful for demonstrating the benefits of human focused streets, they can sometimes pigeonhole sustainable mobility into to exclusive one off ‘events’. ‘Nice days’ that we have every so often when the wee people get a chance to have their fun, before the cars and other traffic return to take over as (what’s become) normal... 

I decided to take the chance to do the trail on my bike (with some examples of the murals, as well as some maps of my notepad planning and Strava route, in the images above) in addition to attending the festivities at Kelvin Way. Cycling the route was a really good way of accessing the murals. However, at the same time, I took note and made observations of some of the challenges of regularly having to mix with busy traffic to move between each artwork. Thinking to other places in which I have visited, not least ‘cycling heaven’ that is the Netherlands, I can only imagine how much more appealing and accessible the trail would be in a Glasgow city centre with better cycling infrastructure...   

Providing for human forms of mobility, such as cycling, is something that should be facilitated and prioritised in towns and cities. There are a range of sustainability benefits from designing and providing for sustainable mobility that can be incorporated into the everyday lives of people in towns and cities. Accessing art and culture is one such less obvious manifestation of this- and the Glasgow Mural Trail is both an example of the possibilities for accessing art by sustainable mobility, but furthermore a pointer to the vital improvements that are needed in the city.