Glasgow livery yards - suggestions?

[MissSBird]

A rather sudden change in circumstances is suggesting that I might be moving to the west end of Glasgow. Does anyone have any ideas for livery yards in that area?

Exactly where isn't set, but i imagine I'll be somewhere near Glasgow Uni, and will have a car.

 

[Brightbay]

There are lots of options - there are a couple of small yards on the outskirts of Glasgow city, but best places to look are Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, Dumbartonshire, Ayrshire, and look for distance to Glasgow and by what road.

When I lived near Glasgow Uni (Park Circus), I had a share horse in Houston (Renfrewshire) and it took me 20 mins to get from home to her yard - it was along the M8 pretty much all the way.

I ended up moving out to the countryside, and now do the commuting in the opposite direction - me and the horse live near Kilbarchan, and I work in the city centre - 20 minutes drive off peak, and an hour door to door park and ride on the train.

There are loads of yards in Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire (search on here for a recent thread that might have some slightly biased additions, and also look at Paisley, Cathkin Braes and Barrhead), also yards in Dumbartonshire (e.g. Drumchapel, Helensburgh), yards out in the Ayrshire direction. In the other direction (maybe slightly less convenient for Glasgow West End) there are yards in Cumbernauld, Uddingston...

I am sure lots of other people will chip in shortly

Glasgow is a very easy city in terms of getting to the countryside fast - traffic jams are minimal, roads are good, and the countryside is near. I am still rather astonished that I can wake up in the countryside, surrounded by dairy farms and sheep baaing, and be at my desk in the city centre in 20 minutes

 

[Caol Ila]

I lived in the West End for about three odd years and kept my horse at yards up near Strathblane, then near Airdrie, and then South Lanarkshire.

The area up near Strathblane and Killearn is lovely, but a pain in the bum to get to. Traffic could be horrible through Anniesland, Bearsden, and Milngavie. And it was far. 45 minutes on a good day.

If you drove like a maniac and had no traffic, you could get to Airdrie from the West End in twenty minutes. But it averaged about half an hour, more if you got stuck in rush hour traffic on the M8.

Horse is half an hour away from Glasgow now at her yard in South Lanarkshire. With the new M74 extension, I didn't have much bother with traffic jams. I think if you were trying to get out on the M77 towards Renfrewshire at rush hour, you would get stuck in traffic as it always seems to be a car park at that time of day.

 

[MissSBird]

Yeah, I'm already stabled in East Renfrewshire and know what the M77 can be like at rush hour, so really looking for options avoiding that road...

Just curious as to what there is on that side of the city. I'm rather spoiled now with the yard 10 minutes from my house, which I suspect won't be possible with this move!

 

[Caol Ila]

Once the new M74 got up and running, I did not have any trouble commuting from the West End to my yard near Larkhall. We're still talking a half hour commute, but I think you will be stuck with something like that.

I found a DIY yard near Clydebank but it didn't suit my horse. That's probably as close as you'll get.

 

[fburton]

The area up near Strathblane and Killearn is lovely, but a pain in the bum to get to. Traffic could be horrible through Anniesland, Bearsden, and Milngavie. And it was far. 45 minutes on a good day.

There are definitely good and bad times of day for that route. When I was going for riding lessons in Drymen with Liz & Pat Rennie, I set off from the West End at 3.30pm to avoid the rush hour. The journey would take me 30 mins or so. If I set off an hour later, I'd get stuck in the slow moving going-home traffic in single-lane roads up to and thru Bearsden, making the journey more like 50 mins. I think the distance is about 17 miles.

ETA: Along that route, I'd be in countryside in 20 mins, as Brightbay said. Glasgow's good for that!

 

[Caol Ila]

Sure, you could be in the countryside in 20 minutes or less, but getting to a livery yard (or at least one that provided what my horse needs) in that time frame was an entirely different question.

That said, I live in rural South Lanarkshire now and there must be a 20 mile livery yard nexus surrounding my village.

 

[Miss L Toe]

Gryffeside if you need turnout all year round, good, estate type hacking, and not expensive forthe facilities. Not sure about the commute.

 

[Brightbay]

Yes, I have made the mistake of trying to drive home along the M8 at rush hour... my goodness, it took me 35 MINUTES to get home .

Honestly - the M8 gets busy, but let's put it in perspective, I have friends who work in London and keep horses . I still think I'm spoiled!

In order to avoid driving at rush hour thing, I choose to live near the horse and travel to work, rather than live near work and travel to the horse.

 

[fburton]

Sure, you could be in the countryside in 20 minutes or less, but getting to a livery yard (or at least one that provided what my horse needs) in that time frame was an entirely different question.

I imagine so. When I was keeping a horse on grass and DIY livery, it was a bit easier because the farms I used were just to the north of Glasgow. I tended to go for places that didn't have a big yard because I wanted to avoid yard politics. That was a while ago now, though, and there may be fewer such places available these days.

 

[Caol Ila]

I think there are more options if you want DIY/grass livery. As I needed a place that kept all horses to a strict routine (or my horse has a meltdown), had an arena, and provided individual turn-out, my options were (and are) very limited.

It once took me two hours to get from the Easterhouse junction to the SECC junction. Not funny. It's all happier now that the new M74 takes some of the traffic off the M8.

 

[MissSBird]

Well, the feeling I'm getting is that there arn't many stables that are going to be less of a commute than the one I'm at now which is good to know as I'll need to take it into account when discussing what the future holds!

I would be loosing an 1+ commute to uni every day with this move, so it'd still be beneficial from that perspective. Also, you guys have reminded me that it is really easy to go stables/work/work/stables at the moment, so I need to think about that as well. It's more than just the distance of the yard from home...

Thanks guys - you've certainly given me some fresh thoughts on this!