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A waterfall spilling down a mossy rock face into the Auldhouse Burn in Rouken Glen, ferns and trees all round.
Glasgow

Rouken Glen Park

A park of 143 acres on the edge of Giffnock, south of Glasgow, with a waterfall in a wooded glen, a boating pond and a walled garden, voted the UK's Best Park in 2016.

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Welcome

There's something lovely about a park with a gorge hidden in it, and Rouken Glen keeps its best part tucked down among the trees.

It spreads over 143 acres on the edge of Giffnock, about six miles south of Glasgow, and in 2016 it was voted the UK's Best Park. Follow the main paths to the waterfall, where the Auldhouse Burn pours through the wooded glen, then on to the boating pond and the old walled garden.

For more of a climb, take the Devil's Staircase, a hundred steps up through the glen, and look for the carved face of a devil on the fiftieth step. The rocks in the gorge are full of fossils from a tropical sea of some 325 million years ago. The park is open all day, every day, and the Boathouse café is there for a coffee at the end.

Before you go

The park is open all day, every day of the year.

The main car park is on Rouken Glen Road by the garden centre, with a smaller one at the East Lodge, and both fill quickly at weekends and in the school holidays. Whitecraigs station, on the line from Glasgow Central, is at the park's southern end. There are toilets in the Pavilion Visitor Centre and at the Boathouse café, and barbecues are not allowed.

Where
Rouken Glen Road, Giffnock, G46 7UG.
Open
All day, every day.
Entry
Free.
By train
Whitecraigs station, at the southern end of the park.
Walks
The Glen walks, a mile, about 30 minutes; the Devil's Staircase has 100 steps.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Open all day and night
Tuesday
Open all day and night
Wednesday
Open all day and night
Thursday
Open all day and night
Friday
Open all day and night
Saturday
Open all day and night
Sunday
Open all day and night
Where it is

On Rouken Glen Road in Giffnock, G46 7UG, about six miles south of the centre of Glasgow, with Whitecraigs station at the park's southern end.

Close byAround Glasgow's south side.
  1. Greenbank House, a pale Georgian mansion, across a wide lawn framed by clipped yews under a blue sky.Greenbank GardenA National Trust for Scotland garden in Clarkston, around a Georgian house of the 1760s, with a walled garden of more than 3,600 named plants and woodland walks.1 mileas the crow flies
  2. Pollok Country ParkPollok Country ParkGlasgow's largest park, the old Maxwell estate on the south side, with Pollok House of 1752, its box garden, the Burrell Collection and a fold of Highland cattle.2 milesas the crow flies
  3. A red sandstone tenement across a snowy bridge by Linn Park, an old lamp post in front.Linn ParkThe second largest park in Glasgow, 82 hectares of woodland and river on the south side, with the lime avenue of the old Lynn estate and Court Knowe.2 milesas the crow flies
  4. The Burrell CollectionThe Burrell CollectionSir William Burrell's collection of some 9,000 objects, given to Glasgow in 1944, in its glass building in Pollok Country Park, reopened in 2022 and free.3 milesas the crow flies
  5. The roofless stone tower of Crookston Castle seen from the grass below, its tall walls pierced by small windows.Crookston CastleThe only medieval castle left in Glasgow, a Stewart tower of about 1400 inside a ditch dug in the 1100s, and the first place the National Trust for Scotland owned.3 milesas the crow flies
  6. A woman with long hair looking out from Cathkin Braes over the whole of Glasgow to the hills beyond.Cathkin Braes Country ParkThe wooded ridge on Glasgow's southern skyline, the highest ground in the city at 200 metres, with views to Ben Lomond and Arran.4 milesas the crow flies
  7. The Orry at Eaglesham, a long sloping green under blossoming trees with a row of white cottages along its far side.EagleshamA planned village begun in 1769, its two rows of houses facing each other across the Orry, a long common green with a burn running down it.4 milesas the crow flies
Directions
Squares of rocky road topped with icing and sprinkles.CafeDandelion Café2.0 miles
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Shelves of secondhand books to the ceiling.ShoppingYoung’s Interesting Books2.8 miles
Strawberry and pistachio tarts on a tray by a yellow wall.CafeHoneytrap Bakery2.8 miles
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A chef plating brunch in the open kitchen at Cafe Strange Brew.CafeCafe Strange Brew2.8 miles
The navy shopfront with the Stephen O'Neil sign, click and collect in the window.ShoppingStephen O’Neil Art2.9 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the park, and when each is next free.

A grey sofa with cushions sits before a black and white kitchen, a framed print on the wall to the left.Moment Blythswood Street
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Glasgow
  • 5 miles from Rouken Glen
Check datesCrossbasket Castle, GlasgowCrossbasket Castle
  • To stay
  • In Glasgow
  • 7 miles from Rouken Glen
Check datesA grey corner sofa with cushions and a sheepskin throw sits before a shelf of books and a round mirror, a wood burning stove and log store to the right.Talli House
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dunlop
  • 8 miles from Rouken Glen
Free 30 Oct – 1 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in GlasgowAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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