Glasgow Murals Trail

Glasgow has a fantastic array of street murals. These impressive creations decorate blank end walls and vacant buildings and help to tranform otherwise less attractive corners of the city into striking public art works. This walk visits many of the most impressive creations within the city centre; the artworks give great focus to an exploration of the city on foot. These works are emphemeral by nature; they are created, recreated and lost as buildings move into and out of use; some of the murals may change or be removed in the future. If a shorter walk is needed, the length can be reduced by more than half whilst still seeing most of the murals by leaving the walk after the Mitchell Street murals and returning to Buchanan Street from there.

Terrain

City pavements; many road crossings.

Public Transport

Train to Queen St. Station; Glasgow subway to Buchanan St; bus to Buchanan St Bus Station.

Start

Buchanan Street steps outside Royal Concert Hall, near Queen St. Station and the bus station. Please note there is no parking - the walk is best done from public transport. Open start point in Google Maps for directions.

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Walk Statistics

Distance: 9.25km / 5.75 miles
Time: 3.5 - 4 hours
Ascent: 55m (Profile)
Start Grid Ref: NS591656

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Walk Description

Stage 1

Begin by walking south along Buchanan Street - Glasgow's main shopping street - from the steps below the Royal Concert Hall. Turn left onto West George Street, and follow this past George Square. The first mural is near the end of the next block and the junction with John Street, where the Hip Hop Marionettes, created by Rogue-One (aided by Art Pistol), tower above a small parking area. Continue along George Street, soon reaching several more murals on the walls of Strathclyde University; first is a lecture hall on the facing wall, then the road continues alongside the 'Wonderwall' celebrating the University's most celebrated people.

Stage 2

A mural of an equatorial telescope is then passed, before, looking back, a final gable depicts the Land-Ship which was a mock-up navigation bridge once used to teach at the school of Navigation. All these murals were made by Art Pistol, aided by Rogue-One and Ejek. Continue along George St to the main junction with High Street. From here, make a detour to the left up High St. until the end of the first block of buildings on the left. On the final gable wall is a stunning photo-realistic depiction of a man with birds, made by Smug (Sam Bates). From here turn around and walk back down High Street, ignoring the junction back with George St and continuing before taking the next right turn onto Ingram Street.

Stage 3

After the first block there is a car park on the left side; the wall enclosing this has a huge mural entitled Fellow Glasgow Residents - also created by Smug - which depicts the varied wildlife of Glasgow's parks. It takes some time to take all of this one in! At the far end of the mural turn left onto Candleriggs. You are now entering the Merchant City; once the bustling commercial heart of the city, the area fell into decline before being regenerated in recent decades - it is now packed with restaurants and bars.

Stage 4

After the first block look right to see 'Badminton' - a mural by Guido Van Helten created in the run-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Continue along Candleriggs until the junction with busy Trongate. From here the route visits a series of murals of Billy Connolly - one of Glasgow's most famous sons. To see the first, detour left along Trongate, passing the impressive clock tower at High Street, crossing this busy road and then passing to the left of the Merkat Cross onto Gallowgate. After passing under the railway line, the first mural of the Big Yin is seen across Moir Street, by Rachel Maclean. Return the same way back along Trongate, and this time go straight on at the junction with Candleriggs, taking the next left onto New Wynd - a covered alleyway.

Stage 5

On the right is the second mural featuring Billy, this time by John Byrne. Take the next right onto Osborne Street, then left onto Glassford Street. As you reach the busy junction at Clyde Street there is a series of murals by Rogue-One, Art Pistol and Ejek seen across the road, depicting local history and personalities on the wall of the Clutha. Continue the walk by crossing Clyde Street and then turning right along the Clyde Walkway, heading upriver. This leads past the Glasgow Tiger mural. After passing under a suspension bridge leave the river and turn right, using the pedestrian crossing at the busy road and then heading up Dixon Street. On the right is the third mural of Billy Connolly, by Jack Vettriano.

Stage 6

Continue ahead, heading through the pedestrianised St Enoch Square. At the far end of this turn left onto Argyle Street, and then almost immediately turn right onto the narrow Mitchel Street. There are several murals along here; first on the left is 'the World's Most Economical Taxi' by Rogue-One. Look closely - that is not really a brick wall! Further on is Smug's 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids', and then finally Wind Power, created by Rogue-One and Art Pistol. Next to the Lighthouse building, detour to the right along Mitchell Lane to see 'Glasgow's Panda', before returning to continue along Mitchell St.

Stage 7

Take the next left onto Gordon Street, continue ahead at the junction to pass the entrance to Central Station. Turn left beyond this along Hope Street, then right onto Argyle Street. The second block on the left side is decorated with the Gallery, another work by Smug. This starts as an events' notice board and slowly develops into something much more creative. Turn left onto York Street - the mural continues round the corner. Continue down York Street to the River Clyde, cross the Broomie Law and turn right onto the Clyde Walkway once more. When the M8 bridge is approached fork right to head along the pavement beside the Broomie Law to pass under the M8.

Stage 8

The wall on the left side features the Swimmer - another huge mural by Smug, created as part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. On the far side of the M8 bridge turn right to cross the Broomie Law by the pedestrian crossing. Continue along the walkway parallel to the M8, following the path when it curves left beneath and alongside a sliproad coming down from the motorway. Fork left to follow the path which curves round climbing up onto a footbridge over the Clyde Expressway. Cross the bridge and follow the path as it curves round left again to descend to the far side of the Expressway. Turn left to pass back under the footbridge and continue on a walkway once more beside the M8, passing under a footbridge which spans the motorway. Cross St Vincent St at the crossing, then Kent Road to continue beside the Mitchell Library. Use the crossing to cross Berkeley St to still keep by the M8, passing the office building which is built over the motorway.

Stage 9

Use the crossing to cross Sauchiehall Street to the sloping memorial and the Clydesdale Bank. Detour to the right side of Clydesdale Bank to find the 'Glesga Crocodile', created by Klingatron in collaboration with Art Pistol beneath the pedestrian footbridge. Return to the junction with Sauchiehall Street, and turn left to use the pedestrian crossings to follow Sauchiehall St over the M8 (in a tunnel here) and head back into the city centre. Continue along Sauchiehall Street until the start of the pedestrian area; here turn left up Rose Street. Follow this uphill and then down to the junction with Cowcaddens Road. Turn right here, then left to pass under Cowcaddens Road using the underpass (decorated with line illustrations of insects) towards the subway station. On the far side head left past the subway station and left into another underpass to see the very creative 'Hand Shadow Puppets' by Rogue-One. This is the last mural; you can either return via the subway, or head back through the underpasses, left and then right along Cambridge Street to head back to Sauchiehall Street, and then left to reach the Buchanan Street steps. There are more photos of the murals in Our Pick's Glasgow Murals gallery.

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