Glasgow's Winter Wonderland

As we approach the end of the year, our Review Crew have been writing about their experiences of different December activities. In the first of three festive features, Review Coordinator Pat tells us about their visits to the St Enoch Square and Glasgow Green Christmas markets.

There is no shortage of options when it comes to having a Christmassy outing in Glasgow, but the most prominent is probably the Winter Wonderland. There are two locations: the usual smaller market in St Enoch Square and the larger fair making its Glasgow Green debut. Usually it would be taking place at George Square, which is being renovated at the moment, but they are putting the extra space to good use by including an ice rink and a panto tent.

The event’s website states that the St Enoch Square portion is “fully accessible”, but what I saw in both locations felt more like a nod to accessibility rather than an embrace of it. There is no mention of wheelchair access in the Glasgow Green FAQs, but they do state that entry is free on two separate occasions.

Whether you will find either of the Winter Wonderlands accessible and which more so, depends on what your needs are, so hopefully I can help you know what to expect.

St Enoch Square Christmas Market

St Enoch Square has the advantage of being in a central location with lots of transport links and well maintained paving on the square itself and coming from Buchanan Street. All cables are well covered and ramped and there is plenty of lighting.

Access to the bar tent is step-free, but the bar counter is extremely tall and most of the stalls around have either high counters or non-ramped platforms. Even the Solar Wheel, boasting about its accessibility online and on the attraction itself, did not have a ramp put out when I first arrived and I had to get someone’s attention and wait a good while to even get up to the ticket booth.

The ferris wheel was both the highlight and the lowlight of my visit. It is the most exciting thing to do at an event that is mostly just about buying stuff. (The live band in the bar tent would have been another contender, but it was just so loud.) I enjoyed spending some time in my own little bubble and rising far enough above the hubbub for the Christmas music to be at a pleasant volume. I felt comfortable and safe, even though I made the capsule swing quite a bit when I tried to turn around to see the market behind and way below me.

Unfortunately, the whole experience was overshadowed by the before and after of my ride into the skies. All of the ramps had to be specially brought out, which took quite a while, and the one into the capsule was so steep that it felt almost impossible. I only got in with a lot of pushing from the staff and I think it damaged my wheelchair. There was not enough space to turn my chair and see all around me and I think that anyone with a larger chair than my wee foldable number might struggle to fit in at all. Going backwards down the ramp was quite scary (much more than being 100 feet up in the air!. I was also given the impression when buying admission that my carer would be free, but I was charged for an adult and a child and I only found out when I checked my bank statement because the card payment machine was too high up for me to see the amount I was paying from my wheelchair.

The accessible toilet is a slightly larger than usual porta potty with level access, but I found it to be quite hidden and even the staff I asked where to find it had to call in their supervisor for the answer. At least St Enoch shopping centre is right next door, which has both an accessible toilet and Changing Places toilet in their food court, just make sure to bring your RADAR key.

I do not think I would go to visit the St Enoch Winter Wonderland again, except for maybe when passing by or accompanying a group of friends. Even then, we could probably find somewhere with a more festive atmosphere and less overwhelming noise in any decent pub or restaurant that is decorated for the holidays.

Glasgow Green Christmas Market

While it is slightly more out of the way, the larger, less built-up space in Glasgow Green immediately felt more appealing to me. Going through the big gate and along the path lined with lit up trees felt festive in a somewhat classy way. That being said, I could not have done it without my powerchair! You need to walk or wheel quite a way to reach the first stalls and while there are some park benches, the event seating does not start until you reach the bar tent. The first thing you get to is another ferris wheel, this one also advertising an accessible capsule, but again there was not even a ramp put out to get up on the first platform and I figured one ride was enough for one day.

I found the variety of stalls and attractions a bit more interesting than at the smaller fair in town and due to the sheer number there seemed to be more that were within reach to a wheelchair user like me. Still, I ended up trying to not get too excited about anything I saw from afar because it seemed so likely that I would not be able to properly get to it.

A significant downside of the park setting is the comparative lack of paving and lighting. The main part of the Winter Wonderland is set up roughly in three parallel strands with the existing path in the middle and lots of metal flooring set up to create paths and areas on the grass to either side. While the metal walkways are much better than getting stuck in the mud, there are still a lot of potential trip hazards where the plates connect. My biggest concern is the connections between the paths and the metal areas, though.

There is only one ramped access to each of the side areas, which meant that after almost tumbling down a curb in the dark, I had to go all the way back to where I came from to get to the other areas. The flooring between the ramp up to the bar tent area and between the tent and the toilets is also less sturdy and at times patchy and overlapping, creating both trip hazards and opportunities to get stuck in the mud.

Speaking of toilets: there is a proper accessible bathroom in addition to the larger porta potties that can accommodate wheelchair users with larger chairs and a few other people.

One of the special attractions at the Glasgow Green Winter Wonderland is the ice skating rink. It is advertised as accessible and there were two ASN sessions during the first two weeks of the event with fewer skaters and music at a lower volume. When I visited on a weekday afternoon, it was not super busy either and the music was not the loudest I have heard, so it might be a better option if you struggle with sensory overload than a weekend or evening session. The ice rink does cost quite a bit extra, but you can save a little by booking online and getting a Glasgow residence discount and providing proof.

As for wheelchair access, the staff were quick to confirm the accessibility but I found them a bit slow to put it into action. They have simple wooden ramps that can be stacked and two ramps up to the rink and one ramp down onto the rink was a good setup, but it felt like I had to convince them all over again with each ramp to bring it out.

In the end I did make it onto the ice and there were no issues. I barely slipped and felt quite in control, but I also tried it out in between sessions, so there were no other skaters. It is lovely that I would be able to join my friends and family on the ice if we were to go ice skating, but it would be for the company, as being on the ice in a wheelchair is not much more exciting than being on the ground.

I might go back once my wheelchair has been repaired, but I will be less adventurous and won’t use any ramps that require me to be pushed and lifted. While I was relieved to have gone in daylight to see the best routes with the flooring or spotting curbs where you would expect a ramp, I would come back in the dark since it does look much prettier with the lights.