A visit to Glasgow Scotland isn’t complete without a stop at Pollok Country Park. Highland cows, gorgeous gardens, and an art collection you have to see to believe. All this in a park? Yes!
Let’s go over all the details of visiting Pollok Country Park so you can make the most of this incredible place just outside of the Glasgow city center.
We dedicated one whole day to visiting Pollok Country Park. That was the best decision we could have made. Pollok Country Park is an incredible park you should definitely add to your Glasgow itinerary.
Why Visit Pollok Country Park
You may be wondering whether it’s worth visiting Pollok Country Park, even with Pollok House being currently closed for refurbishment. The answer is an undeniable YES.
We were drawn to Pollok Country Park because of its Highland cows, but we soon discovered there was so much more to see and explore.
There are Highland cows. The main attraction at Pollok Country Park are the hairy coos. You don’t have to travel all the way to the Highlands to see them as they’re right here in Glasgow.
There are beautiful gardens. The stunning grounds of the park and the Pollok House Gardens are a must see. You’ll be blown away by how gorgeous it all is.
It’s free. The park is free, the gardens are free, the museum is free. Almost everything in the park is free. (If you are driving to the park, parking is not free, however.)
It’s big and historic. Pollok Country Park is the largest park in Glasgow at 361 acres with more than 6 miles (11 km) of woodland trails. The park was formerly part of the Old Pollok Estate and it contains Pollok House, which was built in 1752 and was the ancestral home of the Maxwell family. However, the Maxwell family’s roots in Pollok Country Park go back even farther, to the 13th century.
Quick Facts about Visiting Pollok Country Park
Location: 2060 Pollokshaws Rd, Bellahouston, Glasgow G43 1AT
Cost: Free
Hours: Park open 24/7; Pollok House currently closed; The Burrell M-Th and Sat: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri and Sun: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Parking: £5 for 4 hours and £10 for all day (between 10 a.m.-6 p.m.)
Closest train station: Pollokshaws West (2-3 min walk to park entrance)
Things to Do in Pollok Country Park
1. Visit Pollok House and the Edwardian Kitchen
The house and Edwardian Kitchen cafe are currently closed for renovations, but they will reopen again sometime after November 2025. (Learn more about the refurbishment plans.)
While you can’t see inside the house right now, you can still explore around the house and its gardens.
It’s a gorgeous, historic estate, now owned by Glasgow City Council and managed by the National Trust for Scotland.
We visited in January 2024, after the house had closed in November 2023, but we were able to visit the Edwardian Kitchen as it was open a few months longer than the house (eventually closing too in April 2024). We had a cup of tea and a pastry there and loved it. I definitely recommend returning once they are open again!
Does anyone live in Pollok House?
No one lives in Pollok House anymore.
The estate and its collections were gifted to the city of Glasgow in 1966 with the intent that it would be for the public.
Interesting History of Pollok House
Pollok House was built in 1752 in all its Georgian grandeur.
Inside, it contains an extensive library, artwork and artifacts, opulent rooms, and a vast servants quarter. Pollok House once had a staff of 48 to serve 3 residents.
Its former owner, Sir John Stirling Maxwell, 10th Baronet, was one of the founders of the National Trust for Scotland.
Three castles built here before Pollok House
Pollok House was not the first house the Maxwells built at Pollok. They actually built three castles before the Georgian Pollok House.
- The first and third castles were built where the Stable courtyard currently is. The first one was built sometime in the 13th century and third one was built in the 16th century and used until 1747. Some of the remains were incorporated into the stable courtyard.
- The second castle was built at the current woodland garden in the 14th century and then destroyed sometime before 1752.
2. Visit Pollok House Gardens
There are extensive gardens at Pollok House that are free to visit despite the house being closed for refurbishment.
Do take the time to visit the Pollok House Gardens as they are simply gorgeous.
We visited in winter and still thought it was a stunning place. I can’t imagine how it looks in spring or summer when the flowers and plants are blooming.
Highlights of Pollok House Gardens:
- Gazebo
- Polloktoun Bridge
- Hedge maze
- Fairy village
Polloktoun Bridge
Today, the Polloktoun Bridge is a pretty bridge that seemingly leads to nowhere. Just fields and a golf course are beyond it.
However, 300 years ago, the bridge led to a small village. It was a typical Scottish farming village called Pollok Toun, and many residents would cross this bridge, heading to work part-time at the former Pollok castle. They’d return home to tend to their crops and animals.
A famous case of witchcraft in the village
In 1676, Sir George Maxwell, a known witch hunter, fell ill, and one of his servants at Pollok castle accused six villagers of being witches and causing his illness. Five of them were sentenced to die. The grisly case inspired the play, “The Witches of Pollok.”
What happened to this village?
As you can see, it’s no longer near Pollok House.
After Pollok House was built, in the early 1800s the 36 houses in the village were cleared, and the villagers were moved to Pollokshaws.
There were a few possible reasons for this.
- Was it to improve the view for Pollok House?
- To make way for a road?
- Because the Maxwell family had invested in the development of Pollokshaws, which needed more workers for its cotton mills?
The exact reason is lost to history, but it could be any or all of these.
Today you can visit Polloktoun Bridge and imagine for yourself the history that has happened here.
Hedge Maze
The hedge maze is one of the first things you’ll see upon entering the garden, something you can’t miss.
It’s beautiful in any season and a great spot for photos.
There are stairs nearby where you can climb for a better view and angle of the maze.
Fairy Village
A fairy village seems quite unexpected for a place like Pollok House Gardens, so we were so surprised to see signs pointing us in its direction.
What do you do when you see a sign for a “Fairy Village”? Follow it, of course! And I definitely recommend doing so because this fairy village is stunning.
First of all, it’s a lot larger than you’d expect — and it’s so elaborate.
The details! There are little stone houses with little wooden painted doors. Little laundry hanging on a little clothesline. Little flags, a stone clock tower, and even a dragon!
We spent quite some time admiring this fairy village. I’m not sure who created it, but they did an incredible job.
3. Feed the Hairy Coos
There are about 50 Highland cows at Pollok Park, and they each have their own Gaelic name. Visitors come to see these cute cows, which have won awards in local agricultural shows.
Where did the Highland cows come from?
The Pollok fold of Highland cows were established nearly 200 years ago by the Maxwell family (former owners of Pollok House). They were brought down from the Scottish Highlands to graze the ground within Pollok Country Park.
Where are the Highland cows in Pollok Country Park?
We found the Highland cows in two areas at Pollok Country Park. I’ve marked them in the map below, for an exact location.
Spot 1: Near Pollok House Gardens. On Pollok Avenue, you can find them roaming about in the fenced-in fields.
Spot 2: Near the Burrell. There is another fenced-in field near the Burrell where you can find more hairy coos.
Tip: Bring Carrots
Pick up a bag of carrots at a grocery store before heading to Pollok Country Park.
The cows were initially really far away from us in the fields. But we were able to draw one closer by waving our carrots around. A local also stopped by with some radishes that the coos loved.
If you are taking the train from Glasgow Central, there’s a Sainsbury’s and Tesco right across from the entrance, which is where we bought our carrots (we checked both stores because one of them didn’t have carrots, but I can’t remember which one, sorry!).
4. Visit The Burrell Collection
Hours: Monday-Thursday and Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday and Sunday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Cost: Free
The Burrell has an incredibly impressive collection of art and artifacts — and it was all amassed and donated by one person: a Glaswegian, Sir William Burrell.
He donated his collection to Glasgow in 1944 and had two conditions for the city:
- That it would be displayed amidst nature
- That it would be seen by the public
The Burrell Collection (opened in 1983) does both perfectly. Large windows frame the outside trees, letting in light that shines on the art. The art is displayed so well, in various rooms, across three floors.
There are more than 9,000 pieces in this collection, including famous paintings, Gothic tapestries, and Medieval stained-glass windows. About 55% of the collection is on display at the newly renovated museum, up from 20% before 2016’s renovations.
How did one man have so much art?
Sir William Burrell became wealthy through his family’s shipping company, and this wealth allowed him to pursue his passion of art collecting for more than 75 years.
His contributions to art led to him being knighted in 1927.
His donation of his entire collection is considered one of the greatest gifts ever given to a city.
5. Go on a Woodland Walk
There are over 6 miles (11 km) of trails for both cyclists and walkers. The trails are surrounded by woodlands and traverse all over the 361-acre park.
The park was much too big for us to explore completely on foot in its entirety (especially just on a day trip). I’d highly recommend renting a bike and cycling around. There is a lot to see in the back part of the park, where the shuttle doesn’t run.
There’s a bike rental station across the street from the park (see exact location on the map below).
When to Visit Pollok Country Park
I think you can visit Pollok Country Park and enjoy it in any season. Spring and summer may be best to see the beautiful garden, but I thought it was lovely even in winter. If it’s raining, you can still go see The Burrell Collection.
I visited Pollok Country Park in the winter time. It was a cold January day. The sidewalks were icy. Mist hung in the air and frost clung to the leaves.
Despite the cold, there were a LOT of locals out and about at the park, undeterred. It’s a beautiful place to be in any weather.
How Much Time to Spend at Pollok Country Park
Plan on visiting Pollok Country Park for a full day or at least a half day. It’s a huge park, so you have a lot of ground to cover, especially if you plan to visit the gardens, museum, and the Highland cows.
We made a day trip out of our visit to Pollok Country Park, coming back late afternoon for dinner.
How to Get to Pollok Country Park
We visited Pollok Country Park on our last day in Glasgow. It’s about 3.5 miles outside the city center, so you’ll need to take a train, taxi, or bus to reach it.
There is parking at the park if you plan to drive. Between 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., parking costs £5 for 4 hours and £10 for all day.
(It may be cheaper to just take the train, my preferred method.)
Take the ScotRail train from Glasgow to Pollok Country Park
I am partial to trains, so we booked a train ride from Glasgow Central Station to Pollokshaws West Train Station, which is right at the entrance of the park. The ride takes just 9 minutes. It cost us $3.50 (or £2.60) round trip, per adult.
How to book your train tickets: You can purchase your tickets on Trainline.com or in the Trainline app. Select the open day return option if you’re not sure what time you’ll be done visiting the park.
We used Trainline to purchase all our train tickets in the UK. I loved how easy it was to search train tickets from various train companies and to pull up our tickets in the app when needed to scan or show them to employees. Everything was all in one place, making it very convenient.
How to save money on train tickets: If you will be doing a lot of train travel in the UK, consider getting a railcard for 33% off. I was traveling with my mom so we got the Two Together Railcard and saved quite a bit.
How to Use the Shuttle at Pollok Country Park
The free shuttle service officially makes three stops inside Pollok Country Park:
- At the entrance
- In front of Pollok House
- In front of The Burrell Collection
You can flag down the shuttle. If you see the shuttle passing by elsewhere on its route, simply flag down the driver and he/she will most likely stop for you.
This was our experience when we saw the shuttle and flagged it down, well away from the nearest bus stop. The driver graciously stopped to let us on.
Your shuttle driver may make extra stops. We had the same driver heading out of the park, and he was SO nice that he stopped in front of the Highland cows to let us see them for a few minutes (at spot No. 2 in the map below). THEN he dropped us off right in front of the train station instead of making us walk. Granted, we were the only ones on the shuttle, but it was still incredibly nice. It felt like we had VIP service. I guess that’s Scottish hospitality for you.
Did I mention the park shuttle is completely free??
Read more FAQs about the park shuttle, such as if it can carry bikes and dogs.
Map of Pollok Country Park
Where to Stay in Glasgow Scotland
The top things to do in Glasgow, like visiting Pollok Country Park, are pretty far apart, so there’s not one central place to stay to see it all.
My best recommendation is to stay near a train station or a subway station so you can easily get to all the different areas of Glasgow.
Where I stayed: I stayed at the Holiday Inn Glasgow City Center Theatreland, an IHG Hotel, which is near the Glasgow Bus Station. We needed to take the bus, with all our luggage, to the airport, so it was the most convenient hotel for us. It’s also an easy walk to the Glasgow Queen Street Train Station.
Other recommended hotels in Glasgow:
- AC Hotel Glasgow (near the Queen Street Train Station)
- The Z Hotel Glasgow (near the Queen Street Train Station)
- voco Grand Central Glasgow, an IHG hotel (near the Glasgow Central Train Station)
- Leonardo Hotel Glasgow (near the Glasgow Central Train Station)
- Clayton Hotel Glasgow (near the Glasgow Central Train Station)
- Hotel Indigo Glasgow, an IHG hotel (near the Glasgow Central Train Station)
- The Address Glasgow (near the Glasgow Central Train Station)
What to Pack for a Trip to Glasgow
Warm, waterproof wear
If you’re visiting Glasgow during its cold and rainy season (almost every month of the year besides a few weeks in summer), you should definitely bring a warm waterproof jacket and waterproof walking boots.
- This waterproof jacket and these waterproof boots I took with me to Scotland helped us explore no matter the weather. We walked around Glasgow during foggy mornings and chilly evenings, and enjoyed it all. Be prepared for cold, rainy weather, and dress for it, so you don’t miss out.
- Also consider bringing fleece-lined leggings — I loved this pair I packed!
Favorite travel essentials
- I really recommend these compression packing cubes. They’re very thick and durable and allow you to pack more than you expect.
- I also love this travel backpack that opens like a suitcase, fits almost as much as a carry-on, and has tons of pockets as well as a strap to attach to your luggage handle. It makes traveling so much easier and more organized. It also fits nicely under the airplane seats.
- I bring this AirFly receiver for AirPods with me on long-haul flights, so I can connect to the plane’s video screen with my own AirPods.
- I no longer hop on a flight without wearing my Sockwell compression socks because they really do help relieve/prevent leg cramps from sitting so long in one place. I have the lotus pattern, but there are other patterns to choose from, such as this cat pattern or this flower pattern. See all sock patterns in the Sockwell storefront.
- For Americans, I recommend getting the Capital One Venture X credit card to relax and eat free food in select airport lounges. I’ve had my Capital One Venture X credit card for a few years now, and accessing airport lounges is my absolute favorite perk of the card. Every lounge is different, but most have a buffet available where you can eat and drink to your heart’s content. The annual fee of this card is high, but it evens out with the $300 annual travel credit and 10,000 anniversary miles you get (on top of lounge access and free TSA PreCheck or Global Entry)!
Other Posts to Help You Plan Your Trip to Scotland
3 Day Edinburgh Itinerary: Ultimate Guide for First Timers
17 Best Things to Do in Edinburgh For Free
Complete Guide to Joining the Edinburgh Torchlight Procession during Hogmanay
Create Your Own Harris Tweed Bag in the Islander Edinburgh Workshop
Is There an Underground City in Edinburgh? (Guide + Map)
10 Best Places for Afternoon Tea in Edinburgh (I Tried 4!)
Is a Day Trip to the Scottish Highlands from Edinburgh Worth It?
20 Best Things to Do in Inverness, Scotland
All About the 2-Day Isle of Skye Tour from Inverness
Guide to Visiting Dunvegan Castle on Isle of Skye
Day Trip from Inverness to Dunrobin Castle (and Dornoch)
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Great article and love the history behind the house.