Day 2 of #MyScotrail #UnlockScotland ticket trip
The new ScotRail Glasgow Days Out travel pass (there's also an Edinburgh days out ticket should you live there) allows you to enjoy two consecutive days of unlimited off-peak travel within around an hour of Glasgow. Click HERE to see where we went on day one with our ticket.
They are priced at £18 for an adult ticket (so £9 per day), or £34 for a family pass (two adults and two children). That's the price for two consecutive days on the one ticket so you can think of it as costing £4.25 per family member per day.
Being southsiders we took the slightly faster route to Lanark via Newton and then changing again at Motherwell to avoid the city centre but the easiest option is to take a direct train from Glasgow Central.
Around 50 mins after we set off we arrived at Lanark station.
Next to Lanark Railway Station is Lanark Bus Station where you can get the 135 bus to New Lanark ( timetable here), or it's a leisurely 35 min walk.
New Lanark Mill Hotel
We soon arrived at New Lanark and headed towards the New Lanark Mill Hotel for afternoon tea. They have a choice of two different afternoon teas and we opted for the heritage afternoon tea priced at £13.95 each. For this you get a choice of starters from soup, chicken Caesar salad or mini prawn cocktail. Then onto scones and preserves, sweet treats and sandwiches and you finish off with a scoop of ice-cream made at New Lanark.
The New Lanark ice-cream was delicious. Mr Foodie picked melon and ginger, whilst I had pink grapefruit sorbet. The flavours were strong and fresh so I'm sure we'll be back to try out the rest of them (you can also buy the ice-cream in the museum cafe on the ground floor).
Afternoon tea can appear deceptive, it doesn't look like much but it soons fills you up (mostly with sugar!). Following this sustenance it was time to discover the history of New Lanark.
New Lanark - UNESCO world heritage site
We'd both been to New Lanark decades ago but aa lot has changed since then so there's a lot to see from the Annie McLeod Experience Ride, Robert Owen's School for Children, Millworkers' House, Robert Owen's House, Village Store, Roof Garden, a Lego Brick City exhibition begins today in fact and of course the Falls of Clyde aren't far away either. Click HERE for the New Lanark website.
The 10 minute or so Annie McLeod Experience Ride gives you an insight into the life of one such girl who worked at New Lanark when it was an active mill. After that you get to see some of the noisy looms working away and it was hard not to imagine children scurrying underneath to collect rubbish. It certainly was an eye opener to working conditions, and this was a "good" employer!
It's not all history, there are areas to relax and enjoy the view. Such as the roof garden. You can get a smashing view of the village from up there.
We met some new friends buzzing about, they seemed to appreciate the roof garden as well!
Falls of Clyde
There's a small waterfall viewable from the village itself but only a short walk away is the Falls of Clyde. Click HERE for Scottish Wildlife Trust website. Entry to the Falls of Clyde is free and it's a great way to educate kids on wildlife as well as appreciating the scenery.
The pathway isn't too strenuous. It's however not suitable for those who find it difficult to walk on uneven ground and younger kids will need to be watched as the path is right next to the river, we did see a few parents pushing buggies but I'm not sure how close they got to the waterfalls.
Along the pathway there are maps as well as information signs about the various different types of plants growing. The visitor centre just before the walkway gives lots of information on the animals who live here and has some "hands on" exhibits for kids (or Mrs Foodie!)
We made it as far as Corra Linn waterfall before walking back to the village as we were running out of time. As you can see the scenery is beautiful. I would've been happy sitting here all day in the sun.
There's lots of wildlife about,well, mainly insects! Including this lovely butterfly who sat for a while, enjoying the sun (I assume)!
By now we had burned off our afternoon tea and it was time for dinner. So we headed off for food at Inn on the Loch just outside Lanark. The restaurant is around 20 mins by foot from the centre of town, or around an hour from New Lanark. It's beside the main road and looks onto Lanark Loch. We decided on their Sunday Roast menu which runs from 11:30am until 8:00pm. For £16:95 each you can get three courses. Mr Foodie loved the butternut squash, coconut and lime soup whilst I picked chicken liver pate. Then roast beef for Mr Foodie me roast lamb for me. We of course squeezed in a pudding, apple tart and custard for me and a huge chocolate sundae for Mr Foodie.
We were stuffed, and felt guilty so wandered around the loch and then walked back into Lanark in time for the train home.
City Days Out ticket details
Flexible: use on ScotRail services to many destinations within around one hour of each city*
No need to book in advance, can be purchased from any manned station
Free travel for under 5s, half price for 5-15s
Hop on-hop off as much as you like
Only valid for Standard Class and off-peak travel
Your travel is flexible, but the validity period is not: the 2-day period starts on the first day of travel
No Railcard discounts apply
There's a £10 admin fee for changes or refunds
*See here for more details
Disclaimer: Many thanks to ScotRail for providing free tickets to test them out!
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