It’s hard to tell from looking at it - but Glasgow’s a very steep city, particularly towards the north end of the city centre and the West End - with some hills in particular leaving us hunched over gasping for a break before we’re even halfway up.
Compared to Edinburgh, which is clearly a very verticle city, Glasgow can look deceptively flat - but just because we don’t have a huge lump of a volcano with a castle stuck on top of it, doesn’t mean we don’t have some incredibly steep streets.
Just ask any university student, it’s not just University of Strathclyde students who have to stare the steep pavements in the face on a daily basis - Glasgow uni and Glasgow School of Art students have some steep hills too. The only students who don’t have to face such hills are Caledonian students, something to bear in mind if you’re thinking of going to uni in Glasgow next year.
To prove just how hilly Glasgow can be, we put together this list of the steepest streets in Glasgow - so no longer can your pals from lesser Scottish cities slag you off for getting puffed out while walking up to the corner shop.
1. Gardner Street
Gardner Street in Glasgow - just off Dumbarton Road in Partick - was nominated by BBC readers as one of the steepest streets in Scotland (alongside Douglas Street and North Portland Street). The Glasgow Warriors rugby team made use of the streets steep 8.03 per cent gradient to put on a strength and conditioning session as part of their training. You’ll even find the off snowboarder or ski-er on the street around Winter time.
2. Gibson Street
If you’re walking up from Woodlands towards the University of Glasgow, this might just be the worst way to do it. The street has a way of tricking your eys into thinking it’s just a short steep hill, when in reality it’s about a half mile long. Home to a bunch of unfortunate students, we can only assume they were walking down the hill rather than up the way on the way to the flat viewing. But then again given the state of the student housing crisis in Glasgow, who can hold it against them for choosing to live on Gibson Street, they probably have much stronger legs than us as well. The street is reportedly incredibly haunted as well, after one BBC podcaster branded it the ‘Bermuda Triangle of Glasgow’ for the amount of ghost sightings seen in tenements on the street.
3. Oban Drive
Located in North Kelvinside, it’s a very pretty street - with the blonde sandstones tenements shining in the unobstructed summer sun - that’s all well and good, but it’s hard to admire the scenery when you’re gasping creased over with your hands on your knees. Forget about cycling up this hill as well, you’ll need to jump off and walk it - but that gives you plenty more time to admire the scenery. The problem with the hill on Oban Drive, is that its deceptively long - turning to the right but keeping its steep incline.
4. Douglas Street
Leading from glass skyscraper offices of Glasgow up to Sauchiehall Street, this hill really is a killer. It’s not a road walked by your everyday tourist or shopper - but is the dusty old trail walked by the lone commuter. Forget cycling to work - or if you’re crazy enough to try it make sure your brakes are working, lest you risk skyrocketing headfirst into the lobby of one of Glasgow’s many fine-commercial office spaces.