{"id":1820,"date":"2020-01-08T17:03:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T17:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/?p=1820"},"modified":"2022-09-26T10:51:12","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T09:51:12","slug":"viewpark-the-five-minute-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/viewpark-the-five-minute-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Viewpark: The Five-Minute Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Five-Minute Guide to Viewpark The Quintessential Ex Mining Town.<\/p>\n

\"Viewpark\"

Image G Laird\u00a0\/\u00a0Burnhead Parish Church<\/p><\/div>\n

Viewpark: Miner\u2019s territory. Where the residents are the grandkids, sons, daughters, and even great-grandkids of the miners that worked throughout North Lanarkshire at the various pits. Viewpark was built in the \u201940s, specifically to house these miners and their families. When the pits eventually closed this became a much poorer area, for obvious reasons.<\/p>\n

When the miner\u2019s rows in nearby Tannochside were brought down in the late fifties there were a lot of new residents to Viewpark. The government closed down the pits, then closed down the steelworks, then threw up a shopping mall hoping to provide employment. If Clan Douglas were still in effect during this time, there would have been a war. Instead, much of Viewpark is a housing estate and nobody has a job.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Viewpark doesn\u2019t have a great name as a holiday destination\u2026 but all that can be changed! All we need is a few good attractions and some perseverance. In reality, it\u2019s only a twenty-minute train ride from Glasgow<\/a> and is next door to both Bellshill and Motherwell, both destinations with great shopping and interesting nightlife.<\/p>\n

So if you were to spend some holiday time in post-clan Viewpark; what should you do? We listed some of their best bits to make life easier.<\/p>\n

The Best bits of Viewpark<\/h2>\n

On a day trip to Viewpark? Looking for things to do? Read on. As usual, Five Minutes Spare<\/a> has got your back\u2026<\/p>\n

Viewpark Gardens<\/a><\/h3>\n

Besides from the annual flower festival they hold here, the Viewpark gardens are a great place for the plant enthusiast. There are four greenhouses which house an extensive range of tropical plants. There are miniature waterfalls, a striking black and white themed garden, and collections of trees that you just don\u2019t get in this neck of the woods\u2026 pardon the pun.<\/p>\n

There are water features, a butterfly and dragonfly assortment that will blow your mind, and a sustainable garden demonstration all geared towards conservationism. If you can., make sure that you go when the weather is nice. It isn\u2019t the best place in the rain.<\/p>\n

Strathclyde Country Park<\/a><\/h3>\n

So it isn\u2019t in Viewpark but it is near enough. While in North Lanarkshire you should pop over to Strathclyde Country Park and spend some time there. There is a marina with boats you can hire, plenty of walking opportunities, some woodland, the River Clyde, some playparks, and various other bits and pieces.<\/p>\n

M & D\u2019s Theme Park<\/a><\/h3>\n

While you are perusing Strathclyde Park, put some time aside in the evening to pop past M & D\u2019s. They market themselves as Scotland\u2019s only Theme Park and they\u2019re not wrong. It has a Ferris wheel, some dodgem\u2019s, a few other rides and stalls. It always makes for a fun day out. The candy floss is a little over-priced, but the kids will love it. It isn\u2019t so far from Viewpark either that you couldn\u2019t get a taxi back if you had to. They also have a sort of indoor petting zoo with small animals. They call it Amazonia, it\u2019s perfect for the kids.<\/p>\n

One thing we will say is that you should avoid driving here at night. To be honest this is where the boy racers come to race their not-very-impressive cars. It\u2019s fine and you probably won\u2019t have an accident \u2013 but because of their idiocy, there are always police patrols in the area. One thing you will learn about Scotland if you spend any time here is that we have the same number of idiots on the roads as anywhere else does\u2026 but a whole lot more rain and ice.<\/p>\n

Bothwell Castle Golf Club<\/a><\/h3>\n

As ever, a Scottish town deserves a golf club all of its very own. Bothwell Castle is the nearest to Viewpark and is favoured by local golfers. You are also well situated for Bellshill Golf Club<\/a>, which gets less of a star rating and doesn\u2019t have the same views. Sandyhills Golf Course<\/a> is also in range\u2026 but keep in mind that none of them will be as impressive as the ones up north.<\/p>\n

When you don\u2019t have a spare four hours to take to drive up to St. Andrews<\/a> but you want to impress someone? You go to the Bothwell club.<\/p>\n

Where to Eat, Drink and Party in Viewpark?<\/h2>\n

If you are looking for a place to eat that may or may not be followed by drunken revelry; then head to the rolling barrel<\/a>. Mr Singh Ji<\/a> can bring you some fantastic Indian food and is perfect for big groups. If you want a little more choice then head to the Hot Flame World Buffet<\/a>\u2026 a favourite chain in the area.<\/p>\n

If you want good nightlife we suggest you head into nearby Hamilton and visit the Palace<\/a>. If not, then go for Glasgow<\/a>. The city centre has some of the best nightclubs in Scotland\u2026 and some of the friendliest people in the whole wide world!<\/p>\n

Other Notable Nearby Attractions<\/h2>\n

Of course, since this is a Miner\u2019s town it is a little lacking in entertainment. Don\u2019t panic, there is still loads to do nearby. Check out some of these:<\/p>\n