A cheap day out!

*About Summerlee*

Summerlee is a heritage park which is based on the ground of the most important ironworks within Scotland. The ironworks were opened in 1836, however as the steelworks became more popular, this led to a decline in the need for the site. It was demolished in the late 1930s and the remains of the ironworks were covered over. The site was then used by various light engineering companies after the war.

The museum was opened to the public in 1987 and other attractions have been added since then. Summerlee is set in 22acres .

*Where is it*

Summerlee Heritage Park is located in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire which is a few miles outside of Glasgow.

*How do i get there*

It is a short walk from Coatbridge Central Railway Station and bus stops. It is well signposted and down a short street.

*Price*

Admission is free however some attractions you do have to pay for.

*Attractions*

New exhibition all with interactive displays - various displays of iron works, cars etc
Electric tramway - a tram can take you a journey through the park to the miners cottages. This is charged at £1 for a return fare!
Underground mine - Experienced staff can take you underground to the real mine
Miners cottages - these have been designed to be like the cottages miners would have lived in. There are presented well and you can go in so far and view it.
Playpark - down a fairly steep hill and near the huge lake there is a large swing and play park for children. There is also an area where you can have a picnic.

*Other facilities*

Cafe - located in the main building and run by North Lanarkshire Council the cafe offers a wide selection of snacks and meals at very competitive prices. Your order at the til and take a seat and your food is brought to you. Highchairs and baby food warming facilities available on request.

Gift shop - located as you enter the main building. It sells various token gifts, sweets, postcards and stationary. Depending on what you are buying will depend on the price you pay. There is also a small gift shop near the miners cottages which sells home made jams!

Free parking - a limited amount of free onsite carparking is available.

Toilets - available in the main building.

*Address*

Heritage Way
Coatbridge
ML5 1QD

Tel 01236 638460

*My opinion*

My sister used to take me to Summerlee as a treat when i was young and i always enjoyed it. Since then there have been major developements within the park such as every display and the giftshop/cafe has been moved to the main building and the smaller building at the entrance is no longer used. Since the refurbishments in 2008, i returned with my son and partner a few months ago. We travelled by train from our local station and it took us a few minutes to walk in to the park from the station.

We were hoping to go on the tram however the wee one fell asleep in his pram and there wasnt enough room to go on with the pram up however before this we went to the play park. It was very busy but my son managed to blag a swing and loved it. We took a wander round the lake which was pretty dirty yet someone was still fishing in it! Up the steep hill (yes i was knackered by the time i reached the top) we went into the main building and took a wander round the displays which were well presented and very noisy! We settled down for lunch which was nice. I had a roll and chips and juice and hubby had a cheeseburger and chips. The wee one decided he wanted to throw his food on the floor and when we asked for a brush to clear it up, one of the staff was over like a shot, very helpful!

After lunch when the wee one had fell asleep, we took a wander up to the miners cottages which depending on your pace will take on average 10-15minutes. We bought some jam from the giftshop up there and they walked back down to the main giftshop to buy some little souvenirs for our sons memory box. We had a really good time and didnt spend a great deal of money which is good when you dont have alot to spend in the first place! I would recommend this to anyone with children from school age onwards.

Tip - during school holidays, they have various activities on in the main hall with high skilled childrens workers which is well worth looking into