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Things I learned from going up the Glasgow Tower.
You can see for miles and miles and miles
It's not, in fact, broken.
It first opened in 2001, proud above the Glasgow skyline, back before that part of the city became trendy.
I don't remember the grand opening, but I do remember the subsequent closings and even the slightly dramatic rescue of trapped visitors.
All the problems have been fixed now, apparently.
It revolves on a ball bearing
Yes, really. Not exactly spinning on a dime, but not far off it. Something to think about when you're standing under the 460-tonne tower getting ready to ascend.
It's taller than you think.
Tiny little tower.
Maybe because I've ignored it (broken) for so long and it's so skinny. I was taken by surprise by how high you are up there (127m) and how far you can see. Miles and miles, it turns out.
It's a former record holder.
Once proudly the tallest fully rotating tower in the world. Don't know how much competition there is, though. Apparently four people can move it on its axis which would probably be worth seeing… a bit.
Don't look down – OK, do.
It's should have been somewhere else.
The reason it turns is to allow it to go pointy end into the wind (wind, in this part of the world, perish the thought) to make it less wobbly for visitors. I could imagine it's a bit alarming on a gusty day. The website says "unnerving" and that consequently you can't visit if winds are stronger than 25mph at the platform height. Unnerving in the way that Andy Murray is "mediocre" at tennis. Gusts of 25mph would probably turn your brolly inside out, but that's about it.
It was originally planned for the city centre, a bit away from the exposed riverside. Though, in reality, it should be either Alice Springs or Harare, which Google informs me are among the least windy in the world. Don't suppose the view of the Clyde would be so good there, though.
We live in a very beautiful place.
I may have mentioned it before, but we really do. Get up the tower and you'll see what I mean.
Not that the tower was hair-raising. It was the Van der Graaf generator (not the same as a Van der Graaf Generator)
Filed Under: boys, family, review Tagged With: boys, busy weekend, children, Clyde, family, Glasgow, Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow Tower, Something happened in my life, travel
Jeannie Mackenzie says
You are brave! I keep telling myself it's still broken…as an excuse.
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