Natural Glasgow: 8 of the best nature reserves in Glasgow to get back in touch with the natural world this Summer

Glasgow has always been a great city when it comes to greenery - the Glasgow corporation had the innovative idea back in the day to make sure most every Glaswegian was in walking distance of a park or green space - due to the fact that most people living in the cities tenements had no garden. A huge change for many of the Scots who moved down following the highland clearances.

We’ve looked at parks of Glasgow before (you can read about the best parks in Glasgow here) but today we wanted to focus on the designated areas in Glasgow that have been reserved for the natural world. A relatively new initiative, these areas are called Local Nature Reserves.

Local Nature Reserves are protected areas of land designated by a local authority because of their special natural interest and/or educational value. Currently there are 22 Local Nature Reserves in Glasgow.

These are scattered widely throughout the city from Robroyston Park in the north to Cathkin Braes in the south of the city. They range in size from large sites that form a complex landscape of wildlife habitat (e.g Cathkin Braes LNR) to small sites with smaller wildlife habitats.

Councillor Angus Millar, Glasgow's convener for climate, said of Local Nature Reserves: "Designating additional land as Local Nature Reserves is a vital part of our response to the climate and ecological emergency, protecting local natural habitats and helping to preserve safe and responsible access to nature for Glasgow's citizens.

"It has been shown that connecting with nature is great for our physical and mental wellbeing and can enhance our quality of life - with urban environments being generally noisy and busy places, everyone needs greenspaces where they can get outdoors and experience nature."

Take a look below as we explore 8 of the very best nature reserves in Glasgow to get back in touch with the natural world this summer.