You Would Think They'd Learn........

First of all, I'd like to draw your attention to the link in my sidebar regarding the plans Glasgow City Council have to install a 'Go Ape' treetop adventure playground in Pollok Park. Against the wishes of a great many local residents, the National Trust For Scotland and the Maxwell family whose ancestral home lies in the estates grounds, Glasgow City Council have decided that such a development would be a spiffing idea. It seems the clowns in GCC haven't been out in Pollok park in quite some time. As well as being a visitor magnet with the Burrell Collection and Pollok House, it's also something of a cracking little wilderness, a great place to get lost in and enjoy the peace and quiet. The proposals seem to take up a fairly small area of the park, but their impact could be immense. If the venture is a success, there really is nothing to stop the council deciding that more land should be freed up to accommodate extra rides. Yes, I'm saying I don't trust the City's elected representatives. Nobody should, certainly not after a painstakingly secretive consultation process which would no doubt have elicited a wry grin from Douglas Adams. It seems the true extent of the consultation wasn't nearly as widespread and up-front as the council would like you to believe. Apparently a large part of it consisted of asking schoolkids what they thought of the idea. Things have come to something of a head recently, with the GCC planning committee deciding to see for themselves what impact the proposals will have on the area. I don't hold out much hope, but it would be nice to see a bit of common sense prevail on this issue. So, what does a Go Ape park consist of? Suspended walkways, Zip slides, Tarzan swings, all that bollocks. Great fun for the kids and wannabe commandos everywhere. Theres one in Aberfoyle, as well as various others throughout the UK, all situated in Forests oddly enough. The North Wood in Pollok Park is just that, a wood, a glade...........It's the biggest expanse of greenery in the City, sure, but wouldn't something like this be better off being set in an area that does it some justice? Is it just me, or does the proposal for the North Wood look a bit, well, shite? At £25 quid a pop, I'd be looking for something a bit more expansive.............. Go to the one at Aberfoyle, it's got a zipslide that's almost half a kilometer long. Anything longer than a hundred meters at Pollok Park will probably land you in the lobby of the Burrell.