CO.Ski

Hi all – I don’t post much – but thought I would jump in and share my pain Anyway due to a complete cock up of my own making I am traveling to Edinburgh (from the US) on Tuesday and just found out my UK passport has expired (luckily my Green Card is still valid), anyway after much panic/tears and many calls to the British Consular General and my sister in the UK, I think I am all set to travel on Tuesday with a Emergency Travel Document. Has any one done this? Does it cause issues at point of entry (London Heathrow) as I only have a hour to get my plane to Edinburgh.

However to be able to come back I need to go to Glasgow on Tuesday the 2nd of November, to the Passport Office, to be interviewed and get a new passport. My interview is at 11am then I have to wait 4 hours and go back and pick up my passport.

Now I am embarrassed to say despite growing up in Edinburgh I have not been to Glasgow – so this is a new adventure for me  I am thinking of taking the train to Queen Street Station, then walking to the Passport Office which is only 10 minutes away.

Does anyone have any thoughts about what I can do for 4 hours on a Tuesday in Glasgow. I will have my 8 year old son with me – so shopping will not be a popular idea. I have been looking on line and it looks like the Art Gallery is interesting – but any inside tips for kids?

Any thoughts ideas advice will be much appreciated.

candy wy.

I would not of thought have emergency travel document would hold you up entering the UK but only an hour between connection may pose a problem depending on how many flights are landing at that time.

MadRad

It should be pretty easy to occupy yourself for 4 hours. Queen Street Station is right in the middle, the passport office is about a 10 minute walk up into the Cowcaddens area - print a map as it's not signposted from the city centre. It's up the street opposite the fire station (I think the building is called Northgate).

The Museum of Modern Art is in Royal Exchange Square, just off Queen Street (about 2 mins from the Station). A better option though would be to get on the underground, either at Buchanan Street (about 1 min from the station), or at Cowcaddens (about a 5 min walk from the passport office) and scoot round to Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery or the Museum of Transport at the Kelvin Hall (you'd get off the subway at Kelvinhall station - would be about 10-15 mins journey from Buchanan St. Loads to entertain adults and kids at both and there's also Kelvingrove Park between Kelvingrove Museum and the university. You can walk from the city centre out there but it's might be a bit of a hike for a child. If you end up near the university wander down to Byres Road for some food and pick up the subway again at Hillhead. If you do go out there Kelvingrove Museum is on Argyle Street - note this is NOT the same Argyle Street as in the city centre!

Other option would be to get on the subway going in the other direction to Scotland Street, and go to Scotland Street School, which is an old primary school and well worth a visit, especially for kids. This would also take about 10-15 mins from Buchanan Street.

The Glasgow Museums website is pretty good and gives lots of info on different places.

I should say that kids always love the subway - it goes in a circle so you can't get lost! I still love it and I'm in my 30s. I think the trip all the way round is something like 24 minutes.

Hope this is of some help! I was a student in Glasgow so I know the city pretty well. I see you are also in Colorado - it's a small world right enough!

CO.Ski

Thanks Candy - I hope not when i booked I asked that specific question of BA and they did not seem to see a problem - I've done it before - but that was pre kid - and no passport issues

CO.Ski

Thanks MadRad; that is great - I'm off to google the address, subway and the Kelvingrowe info.

Thanks again

S Folinsky

Its been a long time since I was last in Glasgow -- but I was there when my daughters were young -- they got a kick out of the Willow Tea Room on Sauciehal Steet. I understand there are now two restored Rennie Mackintosh rooms.

Feed a kid calms them down and the location was interesting.

dunroving

One more vote for kelvingrove Museum here, especially since they revamped it a few years back - Spitfires suspended next to Pterodactyls, very "different". And yes, Byres Road is a good place to eat but you could easily kill all that time in the museum and they have a decent cafe. Not sure Byres Rd is worth the walk (especially with a child in tow - it's more of a grown-up, evening kind of eating place mostly, and you could end up waiting for your food if they are busy, which would only be stressful.

The Transport Museum would have been a suitable addition too (just across the road) except it's currently closed while they move everything to the new location.

I'd say a train trip to the Museum and back, with lunch there, will easily fill 4 hours.

MadRad

Forgot to add, the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow University is also good. They often have exhibitions on - worth checking the website. Again, it's a subway trip (round to Hillhead) though walkable from Kelvingrove Museum too - you can see the uni behind the museum.

henryh

If you can convince the airline to carry you, I believe you should be able to enter the US with just your green card and no passport at all.

Paul S

I'll add votes for both Kelvingrove and the Hunterian

Brat1

Born and brought up in Glasgow, 4 hours will be easy to fill. I would also vote for the Art Galleries, as if your wee one gets bored, you can either wander up Byres Road, or there are a couple of cheap eating shops right across the road from the entrance to the Art Galleries which are nice. Or you've got the Oldest House in Glasgow which I have not been in for years but if my memory serves me right it's really interesting. It's right next to the Cathedral and the Royal Infirmary and not far from Buchanan Galleries which has shops and places to eat, and is not far from Queen Street Station.

If you would rather walk around the shops for a bit, then grab a bite to eat, you've got the St Enoch Centre which has a stop right outside on the underground, but maybe that would be too boring for a child (I know, I have 3!!!)

By the way, the previous poster was right. The passport office is in Northgate and they are usually very friendly guys in there so you shouldn't have any problem. Good luck and enjoy your trip back to Edinburgh

CO.Ski

Thank you everyone this information is great - The silver lining is I get to go to Glasgow, I'm quite excited about it - we might even have to stay for longer than the required 4 hours. I really can't believe I have never been - my goodness its only 60 minutes away - these days I go further than that for lunch

My son is going to be thrilled to go on the subway and the train on one day - might end up being the highlight of our trip to Scotland.

Thank you also to everyone who has said calming things about my passport situation I am feeling much calmer now.

Jscl

My mum entered the UK on an emergency passport in 2006 (so info might be out of date) and it was all ok but she was asked a few more questions at Heathrow. Things like whether she was intending to work in the UK (which was weird, as she is decidedly past retirement age) and how she came to be without her passport. I think it only took a few minutes but it wasn't the usual swipe and go.