Overview

If you are looking to be surrounded by plants and greenery and step out of the Scottish weather into tropical climates, you have to go no further than the West End of Glasgow. There are two impressive glass and metal structures near the main entrance to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens: the white Kibble Palace and the brow Main Range Glasshouse. The main range contains ten different areas with different climates and their corresponding plants. There is a pool in the centre of the flowering plants area complete with tadpoles and the impressive central hall with a towering canopy of large-leafed trees creating the perfect backdrop for a tropical photo shoot. I loved exploring the dense displays of different flowers, bushes, trees (even a piece of a fossilised one!) and cacti and forest bathing in the lush environment, but the relaxation was slightly tempered by a couple of stressful moments trying to navigate the space in my powerchair. If you are visiting the Botanics on a nice day and are looking for a bit of excitement, the greenhouse is a great place for some new impressions, but if you are coming especially to explore the greenhouse, I would recommend choosing a time that is likely to be less busy, such as daytime during the week or when the weather is not very nice.

Transport & Parking

Parking There are signs saying that blue badge holders can drive up to the front of the main range glasshouse, but I have never seen anyone drive a car into the botanic gardens. There are parking spaces along Queen Margaret Drive, Byres Road and Great Western Road towards Kelvinbridge. Parking is only free with a blue badge and otherwise paid via the RingGO app. Footpaths I was shocked by the state of the pavement on Byres Road, which was very uneven and full of potholes. On the left side of the street (going towards the Botanic Gardens), there were no lowered curbs crossing Loudon Terrace and the lowered curb on the far side of Roxburgh Street was so steep that it nearly tipped over my wheelchair. In conclusion: go down the right side of Byres Road if you must go down there at all. Public Transport The closest subway stations are Hillhead and Kelvinbridge. The subway is not wheelchair accessible and both stations use a mix of stairs and escalators. There are bus lines along all the main roads around the entrance to the Botanic Gardens nearest the greenhouse.

Access

Accessing the Building There are two entrances on either side of the glasshouse. They are both manual double doors with only one of them unlocked as standard, which was just about wide enough to fit my powerchair. The second door could be unlatched at the top and bottom (by helpful strangers) and opened for easier access. There is a wider set of doors with a ramp in the middle of the greenhouse which was locked when I visited. The entrance on the right/nearer the entrance to the Botanics has two steps up from the vestibule, so I turned around and took the left exit further along the path, which has even access. The door on the right side opens by pulling from the outside, the door on the left side opens by pushing from the outside. The whole of the main range is connected and on one level, so you do not miss anything if you cannot take the steps. Moving around Inside On the inside, visitors follow along paths which are mostly loops of the different sections without any open areas that are not occupied by the plants. Most of the paths are wide enough to allow people to pass someone in a wheelchair without too much hassle and for the wheelchair user to turn around on the spot, but the two sections at the back on either side (flowering plants and orchids) have narrower paths that just about fit my wheelchair. There is no space to turn on the narrow paths, which is not a problem when simply completing the loop, but one half of the orchid area was closed, which meant that I had to go backwards around the circular end until I could turn when it joined the straight section. There are a few doors between sections with different climates that are all manual. I managed to open them myself easily enough, except for in the orchid section where the path was very narrow, but there were also plenty of other visitors around that offered to hold the door for me. Trip Hazards and Obstacles (see photos) The floors are tiled evenly and I did not notice any uneven flooring. There are slight sills on some of the doors, but they are sloped on either side. There is a slightly raised/uneven edge where the flooring of the vestibule meets the flooring of the main area at the left entrance. The biggest challenge in terms of unevenness were the watering hoses along and across the paths throughout the greenhouse. They are bright yellow and contrast well with the dark brown flooring. In the more luscious parts of the greenhouse, the plants often hang over into the path, which especially in the narrower section might mean that someone at sitting height gets a leaf in the face. I embraced it as part of the immersion, but someone who cannot see should be prepared for surprise brushes with foliage. Seating There is no dedicated seating such as benches in the glasshouse. There are a couple of chairs tucked into worktables that seem to be for staff use but are freely accessible. There are no wide ledges on any of the planters to rest on. The best option for rest are the benches all along the outside of the greenhouse and the Botanics in general. It can be very busy on a nice day, but people in Glasgow tend to be very friendly, so don't hesitate to ask and share a bench! There is also plenty of lawn right outside the main range if you are happy and able to sit on the ground. Signage There are a lot of different informative signs throughout the greenhouse ranging from simply the names of the plants to whole A4 pages of small-ish print about the history and ecosystems associated with the different flora. There are no braille or large print signs and the existing signs are sometimes slightly hidden between then leaves. I did not stop to read many of the signs, as it was quite busy and I was wary of blocking the path for other visitors, especially in the narrower areas.

Toilets

Staff

There is no customer service staff at the venue, but you might meet staff taking care of the plants. I spoke to one member of staff because I was curious about one of the signs specifying the care of plants and they were happy to clarify what it meant.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

While there are still signs advising visitors to maintain physical distancing, there are no COVID precautions in place. I visited on a sunny Saturday and it was very busy. Some of the areas are quite warm and humid (especially on the left side of the building as seen from the main path and in the central hall), whereas the cactus area and the main area on the right side are a bit cooler and more arid in comparison. Only assistance dogs are allowed inside the greenhouse. Opening Times via https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/botanicgardens: The grounds are open from 7.00am until dusk daily. The glasshouses and tea rooms are subject to opening times. Glasshouses: April to September 10.00am - 6.00pm (4.15 pm in winter) Tea Rooms: Mon-Sat: 10am until 4.15pm, Sun: 11am until 4.15pm, Afternoon Tea is served 12 noon until 4pm Toilets: 10.00am - dusk (this varies throughout the year) Free Entry to Gardens and Glasshouses