AN adventurous dad and daughter have revealed why they spent two years exploring Glasgow “top to bottom”.

Scott Nicholson and his six-year-old daughter Emma, who stay in Partickhill, completed their journey to go to 108 parks and green spaces across the city last week after undertaking the challenge in July 2022.

Scott explained that the idea came about as the duo were at a loose end when all of Emma’s clubs were off over the summer.

Scott and Emma in Kelvingrove ParkScott and Emma in Kelvingrove Park (Image: Gordon Terris)

The 39-year-old said: “We had been going to cinemas and farm parks but I was spending a fortune.

"One day we were in Kings Park and we had a great time so I decided to look online and found a PDF listing 108 Glasgow parks and green spaces.

“I thought ‘we could make a thing of this’ and we decided to start ticking all of them off. It was almost every weekend that we’d do it.

“It was a lot of exploring the city top to bottom, finding places, and seeing the variety between the grand old parks and the smaller ones, some of which are quite run down.

“You never knew what you were going to get. I moved to Glasgow nine years ago and it was great to get around the city and go to places I’d never been before.

“Emma was four when this started and now she’s six. She’s been everywhere in the city. It’s been great.”

The father-daughter-duo documented each of their trips on social media highlighting what stood out for them, what surprised them, and which spaces they enjoyed the most.

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(Image: Gordon Terris)

After completing the list from the PDF last week Scott said he and Emma sat down and made their own top ten list.

Scott and Emma’s top ten favourite Glasgow parks

  1. Pollok Country Park
  2. Tollcross Park
  3. Queen’s Park
  4. Victoria Park
  5. Cathkin Park
  6. Kelvingrove Park
  7. Hogganfield Park
  8. Glasgow Botanic Gardens
  9. King’s Park
  10. Toryglen Park

Scott expanded on how they reached their final decision.

He added: “I’ve documented as we were going along on Facebook with photos of each place and the count down to us completing it.

“Last week I scrolled through the pictures with Emma and she told me which ones she liked the most.

“For her, I think it was the ones where there was something extra to do. So at Tollcross Park, they’ve got a little animal park there, at Pollok they’ve got the Burrell Collection, and at Victoria Park there is the Fossil Grove.

“There were also odd ones that really grabbed us. Cathkin Park used to be a 50,000-seat football stadium and the trees have grown through it.

“It’s such a valuable time that I’ve spent with Emma. She’s at an age where she wants to spend time with me.

“All the time that we’re out we were talking about things we see and things that pop into her head.

"It’s been lovely.”

(Image: Gordon Terris)

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Scott and Emma added a further challenge into the mix with the additional goal of visiting each of the city’s council-run libraries and swimming pools.

They ticked off all 32 libraries when Elder Park Library reopened in June this year and all twelve swimming pools with the reopening of Drumchapel Pool in August.

Scott told of the value he feels that green spaces provide in cities.

He commented: “It’s so important to have these spaces so kids have somewhere to play and see nature.

“There is the cost of living crisis too. It’s so expensive for families to do things nowadays and these all add up.

“They are great resources with so much history.”