Our September Venture took us on a repeat visit to the charming town of Broughty Ferry.

As is now traditional, the first stop was for a revitalising coffee to set most of us up for venturing out to explore the town on a very windy.

Several of the group ventured along the shoreline to the castle and the museum / gallery before returning for lunch

Most of the exploration after lunch was inland around the small independent shops of Broughty Ferry before returning to Glasgow.

Now that the nights are drawing in, our Ventures will be more local with the October trip to Helensburgh

The August Venture with a Bus Pass was to Aberfoyle, a town that we had not visited previously and did
not disappoint, unfortunately, the weather was not on our side.

With very regular buses from Buchanan Street and summer bus links to the Trossachs, this town is worth
a visit especially in October when there is the successful Aberfoyle Book Festival.

There were plenty of walks in the local area and some of the group visited the Old Graveyard where
they not only saw the tin coffins but also met some locals who regaled us with the local legend of the
Rev Robert Kirk.

After a welcome lunch of soup and sandwiches and a visit to some local, independent shops, it was time
to head back to Glasgow.
Next month we are visiting Broughty Ferry, a beautiful East Coast seaside town.

The June Venture was a trip to the Doon the Watter to Dunoon and the day was a bit of an adventure for the 6 of us who came along.

Our journey started in Gourock with a bus ride to Hunter’s Quay to pick up the Western Ferry and onward to Dunoon by bus – what started of in a grey monsoon suddenly changed to brilliant sunshine giving us magnificent views of the Clyde Coast.

Arriving in Dunoon, we immediately headed for Bookpoint for a restorative coffee and cake – this is a must for anyone visiting the town. After a walk, we met up again in The Boat House for, yet another, refreshment.

Although we were a smaller group than usual, we certainly made up for it in the amount of subjects that we found to discuss in a few short hours before we headed back via Calmac to Gourock and Glasgow.

The April Venture was a trip to the historic city of Stirling. The weather was magnificent and warm for April.

Arriving in Stirling our first stop was for a coffee in the highly recommended Café Vera. After coffee, we split into 2 groups with one group exploring the town and shops and the other climbing up to Stirling Castle. On such a clear, sunny day, the climb was wee-rewarded with the wonderful views, you could see for miles over the Forth Valley.

Both groups had lunch and managed to sit outside soaking up the sun before the trip back to Glasgow.

We plan to meet monthly over the coming months but will probably venture further afield as the days get longer.

If you would like to join Ventures with a Bus Pass and join us on future visits, please contact us via the website, Glasgow West End u3a: Ventures With a Bus Pass (u3asites.org.uk) and click the pigeon.

The first Venture of 2025 had to be cancelled due to wintery weather, so we were all keen to get out and about in February.   After a period of dismal greyness, it was a beautiful, crisp,  sunny day when we met in the centre of Glasgow for our trip

Arriving in Paisley our first stop was for a coffee in the delightful setting of tuihe Abbey Café and a welcome hot drink. After coffee, we explored the magnificent Abbey and had quite a chat about the history of such a building.

As a group, we decided to take a walk up the High Street but the winter chill got too strong and we happily retreated in to Café Fairfull for hot soup and snacks. Everyone was quite happy not to move on too quickly so we spent a long time blethering over a good lunch.

This Venture was more talking than walking – a great way to catch up after the winter break.

We plan to meet monthly over the coming months but will probably venture further afield as the days get longer.

Our September Venture took us down the Clyde to Largs.

Once again, the first stop was for a revitalising coffee to set most of us up for venturing out to explore the town on what turned our to be one of the few sunny days of summer.

Most of the group ventured along the riverside returning at one to take part in the fine Glasgow tradition of lunch at Nardini’s.

After lunch, there was time for a quick look around the town before heading back to Glasgow.

After a very comfortable bus journey, the first stop was for a revitalizing coffee in the terrace of a café overlooking the museum, great for people watching.

We had booked tickets to see The Stone of Destiny, tickets are essential but free and can be easily bought online.  There was a 12-minute presentation giving the history of the Stone – well worth seeing if you are in Perth.

After lunch, the group decided that it was too nice a day to spend indoors so we headed to the riverside for a walk before getting the bus back to Glasgow.

Looking forward to more Ventures over the summer – coastal visits to Broughty Ferry and Largs have been suggested for August and September with an October trip, possibly, to Pitlochry to see Scotland in its Autumn splendour.     

The June Venture with a Bus Pass was to Greenock, a town that we had not visited previously and did not disappoint 

Helen organised the trip with a special interest in visiting the George Wylie Gallery . First a coffee at the Beacon Arts Centre, we had travelled all the way from Glasgow!!   

We walked along to the new gallery which has amazing views over the Clyde. Most Glaswegians will be familiar with his work and the story of his life was fascinating, well worth a visit. After lunch there was time for a bracing walk along the Esplanade before heading back to Glasgow. 

With very regular buses from Buchanan Street and 2 new arts centres, Greenock would be worth considering for a day out.