Coatbridge

Coatbridge and neighbouring Airdrie are towns in the Clydeside region of the Central Belt, Scotland. A working class and industrial town, Coatbridge earned the name Iron Burgh in its heyday, while Airdrie was known for weaving and textiles. The main attractions are a museum about the industrial history of Coatbridge and a country park.

Understand

Get in

Coatbridge has many road and rail connections that make it easy to get in from or out to other destinations in central Scotland.

By car

Coatbridge lies just north of the M8/A8, the main highway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The city is 9 miles (16 km) east of Glasgow and 38 miles (60 km) west of Edinburgh. The M73 is west of the city and provides connections to Stirling via the M80 (22 mi/35 km).

By train

There are two main railway stations within Coatbridge and another in Airdrie.

• 🌍 Coatbridge Sunnyside (CBS), Sunnyside Rd & Gartsherrie Rd, ticket office open M-Sa 5:46AM-7:34PM — Scotrail provides frequent connections to Glasgow and Edinburgh
• 🌍 Coatbridge Central (CBC), W Canal St near Heritage Way (note - no ticket office or ticket machine) — Scotrail provides service to Cumbernauld and Glasgow via Motherwell and Hamilton
• 🌍 Airdrie (ADR), Broomknoll St, south of Weavers Rd (A89), ticket office open M-Sa 5:30AM-midnight, Su 7:30AM-midnight — on the Edinburgh-Glasgow line that also services Coatbridge Sunnyside

Get around

See

Summerlee Heritage Park

• 🌍 Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life (Summerlee Heritage Park), Heritage Way, ML5 1QD, ☎ [phone]. Apr-Oct: 10AM-5PM daily; Nov-Mar: 10AM-4PM. An interesting museum with a number of displays and activities. The exhibition hall includes displays and interactive exhibits on the history of the mines and furnaces, the people and includes some working machinery. Outside is a replica of the world's first iron-hulled vessel and an engineering pavilion. A tram ride will take you to one of the old mines (tours available) and the "Miner's Row", which recreates the living conditions of the miners during different eras. There is also a traditional sweet shop, a kids play park, a gift shop and cafe. Free to enter. There is a small fee for the tram ride (tickets purchased at the gift shop). (updated Jan 2017)
• 🌍 Dumpellier Country Park, Townhead Rd, ML5 2HD, ☎ [phone]. June-Aug: 10:30AM-7:30PM; Apr-May & Sept: 10:30AM-5PM; Oct-Mar: 10:30AM-4PM. Large park built around two lochs with picnic grounds, ducks, a kids play area, a visitor center, woodlands and many walking trails. Boats can be rented for cruising on the water. Free. Bumper boats can be rented for £2-4 for 5 min, canoes are £2-4 per half hour. (updated Jan 2017)

Do

• St Patrick's Day Festival: Mid-March, annually. Coatbridge has a large number of residents of Irish descent, which comes out in the annual St. Patrick's Day Festival. It's ten days of art, theatre, sports, music, film, and highlighted by a day-long street festival with Irish music and dancing. The Family Day event takes place on Main St, the remaining events take place at various locations around the city. Admission to most events is ₤5 or less and some are free. (date needs fixing)
• 🌍 Time Capsule, 100 Buchanan St, ML5 1DL, ☎ [phone]. Waterpark hours M-F 1PM-8PM, Sa-Su 10AM-8PM; Ice rink 10AM-5:30PM. Activity complex with a waterpark, skating rink and gym. The waterpark is for all ages — ride the flumes and waterslides, catch a wave in the wave pool or work on your strokes in the 25 m pool. There's also a kid's play area and a sheltered section for very young children. £7 (adult), £5 (child). (updated Jan 2017)

Buy

Eat

• 🌍 Crown Jewel, 293 Bank St, ML5 1EG, ☎ [phone]. M-Th 5PM-11PM, F-Sa noon-11:30PM, Su 2PM-11PM. Large selection of Indian dishes. Also has online ordering and delivery. £10-15. (updated Jan 2017)
• 🌍 Shimla Cottage, 109 Sunnyside Rd, ML5 3HR, ☎ [phone]. M-Th 4PM-midnight, F-Sa noon-midnight, Su 2PM-midnight. Large selection of Indian dishes. £10-15. (updated Jan 2017)
• 🌍 The Mint, 16 Academy St, ML5 3AU, ☎ [phone]. M-Th 11:30AM-10PM, F-Sa 11:30AM-1AM, Su 12:30PM-midnight. Smaller menu with mix of burgers, some traditional favourites (steak pie, fish & chips) and Italian dishes. Two courses £10 for lunch and £12 for dinner. (updated Jan 2017)

Drink

• 🌍 Whifflet Arms, 68 Whifflet St, ML5 4EJ, ☎ [phone]. M-F 11AM-11PM, Sa-Su 10AM-midnight. Pub with live music and DJs on weekends, a beer garden and big-screen TVs for watching the game. Reviewers indicate the food and atmosphere are good and the prices reasonable. (updated Jan 2017)

Sleep

• 🌍 Mondo Hotel (formerly the Centre Lodge), 144 Main St, ML5 3RB, ☎ [phone]. Hotel with rooms that have either one king size bed or two double beds. Free Wifi. There's also a restaurant on site. £60 and up for standard room, £80 and up for Club room. (updated Jan 2017)
• 🌍 Tudor Hotel, 39-49 Alexander St, Airdrie ML6 0BA, ☎ [phone]. Family-run 20 room hotel with a mix of single and double rooms, with one family room (2 adults, 2 children). Price includes free breakfast and use of children's play area. There is also a restaurant/pub and beer garden on site. Reviewers indicate the rooms are nice and clean but a bit small. Single rooms £55-68, double rooms £100-120, family room £120. (updated Jan 2017)

Connect

Go next

Situated on one of the main roads (M8/A8) and rail lines between Glasgow and Edinburgh, it is easy to move on to either city. Other options include:

• Kilsyth and Cumbernauld — Two towns to the north of the city where you can visit the remains of the Antonine Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Stirling — Historic city with the well preserved Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument and the historic battlefields of Bannockburn and Stirling Old Bridge. It can be reached by taking the M73 north from the city to the M80.

Routes through Coatbridge

Glasgow ←

W  E

→ Livingston → Edinburgh