Glasgow Explorer

Ashton Lane, which runs parallel to Byres Road, features pretty universally in guide books to the city — it’s an attractive cobbled street, full of cosy (and not-so-cosy) bars, pubs and restaurants.

It’s very easy to spend a whole evening there, perhaps starting in the Ashoka, one of the Glasgow-based Harlequin Group’s popular Indian restuarants, or the Ubiquitous Chip, a long-established West End favourite, which serves traditional Scottish and British food in an intimate setting.

As far as pubs are concerned, both Brel and Jinty McGinty’s are worth a look, the former for its range of Belgian and continental beers, and the latter for its no-nonsense (and lively) atmosphere.

Later, bars such as the Loft and Vodka Wodka are stylish and well-staffed, and are ideal for something a bit stronger.

The lane also boasts the Grosvenor Cinema, which shows the latest selected releases alongside classic films.

Ashton Lane is probably best seen on a lazy summer’s day, when bars and pubs are typically open until 1am, with customers spilling out in to the cobbled lane in the warmth of the evening sunshine.

The lane plays a large part in the annual West End Festival, and also hosts its own Hogmanay party. 2005 also saw the first Ashton Lane Beer Festival.

Interestingly enough, there’s also a band called Ashton Lane, with a vague Glasgow connection — they released a single called Yesterday’s Too Late in 2002, but haven’t really surfaced since…

Useful links

• More articles about Ashton Lane
• Map showing the location of Ashton Lane

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 4th, 2006 at 10:49 pm and is filed under Glasgow, Bars, Pubs, Restaurants, Brel, Ashton Lane, West End, Music, Live Music, Food, Drink, Beer, Curry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.