*~* About the Centre *~*

Clyde Shopping Centre is only a small 15 minute drive away from Glasgow city centre itself. Since its opening in the 1980s, the centre now boasts around 100 shops and free parking for approximately 2500 vechicles. However, parking within one of the centre's three designated car parks is restricted to a maximum stay of four hours.

Including stores such as Primark, Poundland, BHS, Home Bargains, New Look, Wilkinsons and Argos, there is a great array of stores to suit all needs, tastes and budgets.

Inside the centre there are two shopping halls which offer tea rooms and many stalls selling everything from jewellery to Chinese cuisine at very fair prices.

Adjoining the centre is also the Empire Cinema, so there is other things to do here besides purely shopping. This cinema runs a special kids club at the weekends where kids can see a selected film for a £1, which is great value for money in my opinion.

Personally I find that this shopping centre homes mostly budget stores and cheaper end fashion retailers. In my view, it lacks the more expensive clothes stores such as Topshop, River Island and the likes that you would find in most other malls. I think that this is down to the fact that Clydebank is not the most affluent of areas. Therefore, if you are looking for a lot of choice or designer stores then this shopping centre won't be for you. Nevertheless, Clyde Shopping Centre is great for picking up a bargain and it definitely suits my budget so I can't complain!

On various occasions, the centre hosts many fashion and entertainment events, along with its annual Christmas lights switch on. Most recently Britain's Got Talent rejects Stavros Flately performed at the centre, so there is the odd day where this is something fun on offer for the kids. However, most of the time there isn't much on to keep the kids amused whilst perusing the stores.

One thing that I know for sure is that you will not go hungry in this shopping centre. There are many eateries located within the centre complex itself. For instance, O'Brien's, McDonalds, Subway and numerous bakeries to name but only a few.

Every Wednesday and Saturday a market is held within the centre and this is always popular with shoppers. Featuring stalls selling fresh fish, home baking, shoes, plants and clothes amongst other things, there is a lot on offer and is a great opportunity to haggle and pick up a bargain. I like this aspect of the centre as I feel that this keeps up with tradition and is something unique that other malls don't offer.

Points to note are that no dogs are allowed in the shopping centre, along with bikes and photography equipment. When shopping here, I always see security staff patrolling the centre and I find this reassuring as it means that there is always somebody around to report to should you have a problem.

Considering how close the Clyde Shopping Centre is to Glasgow city centre, I definitely think that it is worth driving the small distance to see what the shops here have to offer. There are two bus stands situated around the centre and many buses run from the city centre to here, the quickest being the 204/215. So if you aren't a driver, the shopping centre is still easily accessible and not too far from town.

Although be warned, on Saturdays the shopping centre is very busy, so if you aren't a fan of crowds like me, then perhaps you are best to steer clear on this day, especially if you are looking for a quiet look round the shops. However, at all other times the centre is pretty quiet.

Despite its pros, in my honest opinion I would not go as far to say that the centre is as good as others nearby such as Braehead. This is simply due to the fact that its selection of stores are somewhat limited to cheaper retailers and the mall lacks the anchor stores such as Marks and Spencers or Debenhams that you would expect in any shopping centre.

Overall though, 4 stars from me!

*~* Opening hours *~*

Monday - Saturday - 9am - 5.30pm
Thursday - 9am - 7pm (late opening)
Sunday - 11am - 5pm
Public Holidays - 11am - 5pm

For more information visit the Clyde Shopping Centre's website: http://www.clyde-shoppingcentre.co.uk

Thanks for reading!