A giant spider will be on the loose in Paisley town centre this Halloween, ready to pounce on anyone who dares approach its lair…

But don’t worry, it’s just one of the many attractions being lined up for Paisley Halloween Festival, which takes place next week.

The Future Paisley programme is helping fund its community participation and volunteering work, with a wide range of local groups helping design parts of the festival programme, and taking part in the event itself.

The free-to-attend Halloween event is on over three evenings from Thursday 27 to Saturday 29 October (6pm to 9pm each night). It has grown to be one of the biggest and best of its kind in the UK and tens of thousands are expected to join us in Paisley town centre for the event.

We are proud the festival can act as a platform for Renfrewshire’s creative groups to showcase their talents, and work with and learn from some of the professional performers who will feature.

The photos in this article show the young people of Starlight Youth Music Theatre, based in Paisley’s west end, bringing to life one of the unique installations specially created for the festival – a giant spider puppet which will sit in its own lair in Abbey Close complete with luminous eggs.

The spider was inspired by the legendary story of Robert the Bruce and ‘try, try and try again’ – a nod to Paisley’s historic royal links, with his daughter Marjorie buried in the Abbey and his grandson – the future King James II of Scotland – having being born there.

Maria Wilson, of Starlight Youth Music Theatre, said: “The group for this are aged 14-20. They are all very excited about it. Working with a gigantic puppet has been a challenge because we’ve had to get all the puppeteers working together to make sure we move as realistically as possible and to be able to move together – so it’s been great for building teamwork.

“They’ve never worked with a puppet before – normally they do singing and dancing and everything is choreographed – but for this there’s not really a script so they’re going to have to improvise on the night, which will be fun.”

One of the other attractions will be a tarot-card-inspired installation, Superhero Spotlight: Everyday Heroes, created by local young people and celebrating the heroic acts of people in their everyday lives, as well as their own everyday heroic acts, supported by artist Ruby Pester.

Our photos also show some of the young people connected to Renfrewshire Carers’ Centre working with Ruby on their contribution to the artwork.

Other groups who have been involved include: ArtBoss, Kibble, 33rd Gleniffer Scouts, Disability Resource Centre, Gateway Service at Spinners Gate, Create Paisley, PACE Youth Theatre, Right2Dance, Jennifer Scott Dance, and Community Circus Paisley, as well as several local primary and secondary schools from throughout Renfrewshire.

In his final blog, local writer and Cam Procter leaves the bike at home and heads out on a walking microadventure exploring Johnstone’s Bluebell Woods and the Gleniffer Braes. 

If you’re in the mood to spend some time out in the woods, there are several distinct but connected woodlands in Johnstone that are great for exploring! Each of the separate woodlands has its own network of trails, but our route takes you up through each of these woods, and the trail is perfect for both walking and running.

The route starts at Johnstone train station, which is only a four-minute journey from Paisley Gilmour St. Exit the train station the back way (onto Springfield Park) and head south until you find yourself on Auchenlodment Road. About 400 yards down this road, you’ll notice a small, black sign on your right that reads ‘Bluebell Woods’. Cut in here to join the trail.

This section is easygoing and mostly wooded. As its bound on all sides by houses, it can be quite busy, but the route does get much quieter as you go. As you follow the trail along, you’ll start to head uphill; eventually, the trees give way to a field of ferns. A little trek through these ferns brings you to a road.

Directly across the road, the Windy Hill segment begins. Although wooded at the start, the ferns soon return as you climb higher. You’ll soon notice a small river valley to your left, and if you look behind you, you’ll be treated to a nice view down this valley and over Paisley. However, the best view is yet to come, so press on!

Along this track, you’ll come to a short descent that leads to a bridge, which then takes you to the other side of the river. Once across, there’s a steep climb back up into the trees. This climb is quite long and contains a few switchbacks. However, it soon flattens out—and stays flat. Up here, the tree cover is sparser, providing some fantastic views over to the north. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Trossachs!

Follow the trail along until you come to a gate. There’s a thick forest ahead, and our route takes you up into these trees. However, if you’re enjoying the views, you can follow the trail straight ahead to skirt around them instead.

At the end of this path, you’ll come to the A737, just across from the Car Park in the Sky. This is where our route starts to head back, but if you’re in for a longer adventure, you can cross the road to enter the Gleniffer Braes Country Park. Whenever you do decide to head back, take care on the descent, as it can be quite slippery when wet.

Route notes:

Distance (from Johnstone train station): 7.5 miles / 12 kilometres

Time: Allow 3.5-5 hours if walking, including snack breaks

Terrain: Trail (not including the short segment near the train station)

Special kit: Grippy walking or trail running shoes; parts of this trail are steep and can be slippery when wet

Highlights: Bluebell Woods, Windy Hill, Bardrain Wood, Gleniffer Braes

In the second of three blogs, local writer and keen cyclist Cam Procter heads out on a cycling microadventure to explore Lochwinnoch and Barcraigs Reservoir. 

The hills to the south of Paisley provide some great views over the town and feature a network of quiet country roads that are pleasant to cycle on. I’ve shared a route here that is just one example of the numerous options that are available once up in these hills. At roughly 25 miles, with the choice to shorten or extend as you see fit, this area can be a fantastic choice for a day-ride.

Our route starts in Paisley and follows National Cycle Route 7 to Lochwinnoch, turning off just after Castle Semple Loch. Take a left onto Newton of Barr and follow this road past the RSPB site and the Lochwinnoch train station.

At the end of Newton of Barr, you’ll come to a roundabout. This is connected to the A737, so the traffic can be quite heavy here, and we recommend using the off-road cycle crossing to get across.

Heading straight over the roundabout, you’ll see a narrow road that climbs straight up. This incline is about as steep as it looks, but it eases off a little bit when you come to the next junction, where you turn left. After this, take either the first or second right to head towards Barcraigs Reservoir; the second option is a little longer, but the views over the reservoir are much better!

From here, the road undulates a little as you follow a series of narrow, winding country lanes around the reservoir. These roads tend to be very quiet, but do keep an eye out for cars coming the other way! Once you’ve looped around the southern side of the reservoir, the route starts to head north again, back towards Paisley.

Having enjoyed these small, winding lanes, you’ll eventually come to Gleniffer Road, a flat, straight stretch that leads to the top of the Gleniffer Braes Country Park. The Car Park in the Sky can be a great place to take a rest (and take in the views!) before starting on the stunning descent back into town. Zipping past Stanley Reservoir and all the way into the centre of Paisley, this is a great road to end the ride on, and well worth the effort of getting into the hills in the first place!

Remember to follow the Outdoor Access Code and leave no trace!

Tip: This route can be done in either direction, but the climb up Gleniffer Road can be challenging, especially so early on in the ride. If you like to get the hard work out of the way early however, the opposite direction may be better for you!

Route notes:

Distance (from Gilmour St. Station): 25 miles / 40.25 kilometres

Time: Allow 3.5-5 hours in good weather, including pitstops and snack breaks

Terrain: Paved; traffic and traffic-free sections

Special kit: Don’t forget your raincoat!

Highlights: Lochwinnoch, Barcraigs Reservoir, Gleniffer Braes

In the first of three blogs, local writer Cam Procter heads out into Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park to see what cycling microadventures the wilderness has to offer. 

When it comes to active travel and getting around, National Cycle Routes 7 and 75 are indispensable paths that link Renfrewshire with other key locations around the Clyde. They also make for great days out on their own. However, these paths also are handy for getting to and from adventures that take you a little more off-the-beaten-track.

One such adventure, starting in Paisley, begins by following NCR 75 out towards Kilmacolm. About a mile after Bridge of Weir, a sign directs you away from the National Cycle Network and down towards Quarriers Village, which was originally built, in 1876, to serve as a large orphanage.

Once through the village, you’ll follow a series of small, unnamed country roads towards the eastern foothills of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. Although this section is on-road, these roads don’t see much motor traffic, so you can sit back and really appreciate the scenery around here!

Once you reach the boundary of the regional park, the asphalt gives way to a gravel track that leads up into the hills. There’s quite a big hill to climb here, and this section may be tricky, especially on tyres that don’t have much tread or grip. The path is well-defined in most places but can sometimes be difficult to follow in the open hill; these sections also tend to be quite boggy, which can make for challenging riding.

You’ll follow this path south until you pass Windy Hill. The summit of this hill can be reached by making a short diversion, but this is a popular walking route, so remember to take care here!

Having passed Windy Hill, you’ll come to the Muirshiel Visitor Centre. Here, the asphalt returns, and this road makes for a very enjoyable descent into Lochwinnoch. The road takes you past the impressive Calder Mill Waterfall before joining on with NCR 7 to head back towards Paisley.

At just over 30 miles, this route can be done in a few hours, but it can also make for a great overnighter. Although Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park is often exposed to the elements and can be boggy in places, it can be an ideal place to pitch a tent in the summer months! Why not bring the tent along and head out for a midweek 5-9 adventure?

Remember to follow the Outdoor Access Code and leave no trace!

Tip: Those looking for a shorter adventure can finish at Lochwinnoch station, where a 13-minute train can deliver you back to Paisley Gilmour Street.

Route notes:

Distance (from Gilmour St. Station): 32 miles / 51.5 kilometres

Time: Allow 4-6 hours in good weather, including pitstops and snack breaks

Terrain: A mix of paved surfaces, gravel, and unpaved trails; traffic and traffic-free sections

Special kit: For unpaved/gravel sections, wider tyres with tread are recommended

Highlights: Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, Calder Mill Waterfall

We’ve been telling you all about the many ways you can have a great day out in Renfrewshire.

Now our friends Louis and Hannah would like to share some of the favourite places they enjoy exploring in their local area – and they think you would too.

They’ll tell you about where they like to visit in Bridge of Weir and some key sights to take in.

Read their stories below:   

Louis’ Great Day Out

“I think Bridge of Weir is a lovely place to go for a walk. Actually, there’s loads of different walks you can do and during lockdown, when we could only go out to exercise once a day, I was glad we could walk around such a nice place. Also, my stepdad Andy grew up in Bridge of Weir and when we are walking around, he tells us lots of funny stories from when he was a kid and we can see the places where they happened.  

“Walking through The Glen is nice. It’s got a cool waterfall and then you come out at the top where there is a park and lots of space to kick a ball about.  

Louis and Hannah at the waterfall

“I also like the wee ruins that used to be a castle – that must have been a long time ago, because there doesn’t seem to be much left! But it’s cool to stand inside and imagine what it used to be like.  

“There is also a big bridge that you can walk over the river. It’s on the cycle path and it’s a really nice view.”  

Louis and Hannah at the viaduct

Hannah’s Great Day Out

“I love going for peaceful walks where there are lots of trees and I can hear the sound of stones under my feet and the birds chirping. I love the wee glen in Bridge of Weir because there is even a waterfall. It’s such a nice place and it smells so fresh! 

“After the glen we go to the playpark that is beside it. My favourite thing is to go on the swings and jump off.

Hannah enjoys the swings at the play park

“Then I love going up to the secret castle. It’s hidden in the forest and it’s like a special wee place that only some people can find. It’s amazing!

“I also love the big bridge where we I can look over at the river. It’s a good place to stop for a rest if you are going on a big walk or out cycling.” 

Hannah at the ‘secret’ Ranfurly Castle

There’s nothing better than chips on the road home after a night out – and broadcaster Nicola Meighan rounds off her adventure in Paisley with a visit to legendary chip shop Castelvecchi, owned by the family of a certain Paolo Nutini.

Here, Nicola looks at the singer-songwriter’s rise to hero status in his hometown.

In 2006, a Paisley singer-songwriter released his debut single. The song was called ‘Last Request’, the artist was Paolo Nutini, and along with putting his name on the map, it drew attention to another beloved Paisley landmark: Castelvecchi, his family’s legendary chip shop, where the pop star worked shifts in his teens.

It’s a warm, nostalgic gem of a place – minutes on foot from Paisley Gilmour Street train station in the town centre – with a friendly welcome, superb fish and chips (extensive research was undertaken), and walls bedecked with café memorabilia, including an old-school pinball machine. And, often, Paolo’s charming dad behind the counter.

Nutini’s apprenticeship wasn’t just served in Castelvecchi: as a youngster, he attended Paisley’s PACE Youth Theatre, whose alumni also includes actors Richard Madden and James McAvoy and singer-songwriter David Sneddon, who has latterly written for Will Young, Olly Murs and Lana Del Rey.

Sneddon won reality TV competition Fame Academy in 2002, but he wasn’t the first performer from Paisley to top the UK charts on the back of a telly talent show: that accolade went to Kelly Marie, who appeared on Opportunity Knocks in the mid-70s, and subsequently had a disco smash with a track written by Ray Dorset from Mungo Jerry which was originally intended for Elvis Presley: the hurtling ‘Feels Like I’m In Love’.

In 2003, Paisley Town Hall hosted a homecoming gala for Sneddon, in the wake of his win and chart success. But legend has it that he was late, and the crowd were getting restless, so a hip young gunslinger jumped on the stage and grabbed the mic, and swaggered into the spotlight. It was Paolo Nutini. He worked wonders. The man who’d become his manager was in the crowd.

Three years later, Nutini’s soul-wracked, instant-classic debut album, These Streets, scaled the UK charts. Among its myriad charms, and hits like ‘New Shoes’ and ‘Jenny Don’t Be Hasty’, were various Paisley signposts and memories – from the title track’s nod to Glenfield Road to the record’s swansong, ‘Alloway Grove’.

Nutini’s follow-up LPs – 2009’s Sunny Side Up and 2014’s Caustic Love – were both UK Number One hits, giving rise to favourites like ‘Pencil Full of Lead’, ‘Coming Up Easy’ and ‘Let Me Down Easy’, and bagging him a prestigious Ivor Novello songwriting award along the way.

He’s played several thrilling hometown shows since, including an impromptu karaoke session in Paisley’s Harvies Bar in 2019, where he belted out Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ with a party crowd – the footage is online, and joyous – and a roof-raising concert at Paisley Abbey in 2017.

Nutini played lots of hits and favourites at that Paisley Abbey show, but he also performed an outstanding version of a song that’s become an unofficial anthem for the town, and he paid tribute to its writer, the local 18th Century weaver poet Robert Tannahill, whose Braes of Balquidder evolved into the much-loved (and much-performed) ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’.

All of the crowd sang along that night – a resounding, roof-raising celebration of Paisley’s architecture, history, poetry, music, awesome chips and brilliant songs. And we’ll all go together.

Nicola Meighan is a music and arts journalist and broadcaster (The Herald, STV, BBC Scotland). She presents the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Scotland, every Friday, 2-4pm.

Find out more about Paisley’s rich music story with our film below.

Broadcaster Nicola Meighan visits The Bungalow venue and traced its legacy back to Paisley’s punk explosion, and counter-cultural legacy – via Pam Hogg, Groucho Marxist records and more!

Punk might have been fired up by anarchy and sticking it to The Man, but we’ve got Glasgow’s last bastion of bureaucracy – the City Council – to thank for the DIY rock revolution that galvanised Paisley in the mid-late 1970s and beyond.

Panicked by a blaze of media hysteria – and some legendary rammies in local venues – Glasgow councillors effectively (if unofficially) prohibited punk gigs after a Stranglers concert at the City Halls in 1977, so bands – and fans – had to find an alternative stomping ground.

Taking punk’s touchstones of innovation, activism, and doing-it-yourself, promoters started booking Paisley gigs for bands who’d usually be Glasgow-bound, largely at the Silver Thread hotel (thanks to the righteously-named Disco Harry) and The Bungalow Bar, whose booker, Loudon Temple, has written a fab history of the local punk explosion.

Between them, they welcomed Elvis Costello, Buzzcocks, Paul Young’s Q-Tips, the Boomtown Rats, Echo and the Bunnymen, Orange Juice, Aztec Camera and countless others to the town, its bars, its stages and dance-floors – and offered a wealth of inspiration (and coveted support slots) for local music fans and bands.

It galvanised a grassroots scene that included Paisley upstarts Fire Exit, The Zips, XS Discharge, Liberty Bodice, The Sneex, The Fegs, Mentol Errors, Defiant Pose and more. Some of these acts released music on Paisley music co-operative / label Groucho Marxist records, which was helmed by Tommy Kayes via the local Socialist Workers’ Party and the TUC Club in Orr Square, which also gave rise to the town’s Rock Against Racism chapter, which held festivals in Ferguslie Park.

Record shops like Stereo One, The Record Market and Listen were also instrumental to supporting its music scene – as was one of Bruce Findlay’s legendary music joints: fans were ferried to Paisley from the city on buses that left from outside one of Bruce’s Records in Glasgow.

Punk, of course, extended way beyond music, and another Paisley counter-cultural legend would upturn the fashion landscape with her iconoclastic vision. Pam Hogg’s sonic adventures included late-‘70s band Rubbish (who often played with The Pogues), ‘80s Acid House outfit Garden of Eden, and ‘90s alternative rock act Doll (who supported Blondie among others), but she’s best known as one of the world’s most celebrated designers. Her punk-inspired outfits have been worn by Debbie Harry, Siouxsie Sioux, Kylie Minogue, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Bjork and many more since the 1980s.

Paisley’s underground revolution thrived throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s too, thanks to pioneering artists like Drew McDowall (who played with Psychic TV and Coil, and formed the Poems with a pre-Strawberry Swtichblade Rose McDowall), indie-pop favourites the Close Lobsters, and cult-pop renaissance man Momus – not to mention a burgeoning rave scene thanks to Club 69, and record shops like The Record Factory and Apollo Music (which became Feel The Groove…)

These days, the Silver Thread’s a fond memory, and The Bungalow’s moved house – from its original Renfrew Road location to the town’s more central Shuttle Street. It may have changed addresses, but its spirit of nurturing upcoming voices, fresh sounds and rising stars prevails, with recent events including the Scottish Alternative Music Awards’ Paisley Takeover.

The town’s new sounds are as vibrant, eclectic and inventive as ever, thanks to students at the University of the West of Scotland, and acts like art-pop harmonists The Vegan Leather, rapper Washington, and jazz livewire Kitti. The beat goes on.

Nicola Meighan is a music and arts journalist and broadcaster (The Herald, STV, BBC Scotland). She presents the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Scotland, every Friday, 2-4pm.

Journalist and broadcaster Nicola Meighan visits Brown’s Lane and the Gerry Rafferty mural to reflect on the singer’s Paisley roots and his timeless resonance in the town.

Way down the street, there’s a light in his place. Gerry Rafferty was born round here, in Underwood Lane – an address that’s set to become the title of a John Byrne play written in memory of the man and his work.

In the meantime, you can stumble upon him a few roads yonder – illuminated and larger-than-life – on the gable-end of a tenement in Brown’s Lane, thanks to Danny McDermott’s mural tribute to one of Paisley’s most distinctive, best-loved and sorely-missed voices.

The son of Mary Skeffington (immortalised in his song of the same name), Gerry Rafferty wove a folk, pop and rock ‘n’ roll tapestry that charted – among other things – a collaboration with Billy Connolly in ‘60s banjo cads the Humblebums; a ‘70s union with with fellow Paisley buddy Joe Egan in folk-rock harmonists Stealers Wheel (whose songs included the timeless Hollywood favourite, ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’); and a hugely successful solo career that included hits like ‘Baker Street’, ‘Get It Right Next Time’, ‘Night Owl’, ‘City to City’ and ‘Right Down The Line’.

He also contributed vocals to Mark Knopfler’s hugely successful Local Hero soundtrack (‘The Way It Always Starts’), and produced The Proclaimers’ breakthrough hit, ‘Letter From America’.

Six decades since leaving St Mirin’s Academy – since his early days writing songs, playing music and busking – Rafferty remains a beacon in Paisley’s vibrant folk and songwriting tradition that also counts legends like folk champion Danny Kyle, Scots tearaways the Tannahill Weavers, and country / blues / pop treasure Carol Laula among its number.

We lost Gerry Rafferty in 2011, but his voice and songs continue to ring out across the town, and over the world. Paisley has hosted various tributes to him over the years, including the Bring It All Back Home series of concerts in 2014 – which starred Rafferty’s daughter, Martha, and long-term friends and collaborators Barbara Dickson and Rab Noakes, among others – and 2017’s mass saxophone rendition of Baker Street, as part of Paisley’s 2021 City of Culture bid, to mark what would have been his 70th birthday.

Throughout his musical life, another Paisley comrade – the artist, playwright and renaissance man John Byrne (Cuttin’ A Rug, Tutti Frutti, The Slab Boys, the forthcoming Underwood Lane) – visually brought Rafferty’s music to life, thanks to a series of striking record covers, ranging from from early Humblebums releases to Rafferty’s 2021 posthumous album, Rest In Blue.

Among that latter record’s gorgeous songs is a version of ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’, which crackles with Rafferty’s heartening, heartbreaking voice, and traces its roots back to Paisley’s original weaver poet, Robert Tannahill, whose 18th Century work, ‘The Braes of Balquhither’, evolved into ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’.

You can visit Robert Tannahill’s statue outside Paisley Town Hall; you can wander up to the Rafferty mural, round the corner from the Bungalow Bar; you can even make your way to Gerry Rafferty Drive. Their words, their songs, their ideas and images light up these streets. Will ye go, lassie, go?

Nicola Meighan is a music and arts journalist and broadcaster (The Herald, STV, BBC Scotland). She presents the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Scotland, every Friday, 2-4pm. 

In the first of her series of fantastic blogs for Paisley.is, Nicola Meighan takes a look at the music history and heritage of the iconic Paisley Abbey.

In 2019, Paisley musician Michael Cassidy’s career went down the drain. Ordinarily, such a statement – and direction – would be a cause for concern, but in Cassidy’s case, he was celebrating a rich tradition of underground and enduring sounds that have shaken up the town’s identity and culture for centuries – from archaic subterranean tunes to folk rebellions, punk uprisings, and pop surprises.

An acclaimed singer-songwriter, whose star is soundly on the rise, Cassidy was involved in a project to breathe new life into one of Paisley’s most fascinating landmarks. It involved the town’s striking 12th Century Abbey, a subsequently-built medieval drain, and an archaeological dig that uncovered its ancient treasures.

The underground passageway held myriad hidden secrets, including a slate inscribed with a love poem – which is fitting for such a lyrical town – and another etched with a fragment of music, dated to the mid-15th Century.

It’s considered to be the oldest surviving example of polyphonic music in Scotland, and hundreds of years later, in 2019, Michael Cassidy was tasked with reinterpreting the fragment, which inspired a new song, ‘Colour the Darkness’. He was quoted at the time as saying that the lyrics reflected on the mystery of the drain, how it had gone unnoticed for years in the darkness, and that finding out more about what’s underground has added colour to our knowledge of Paisley.

Cassidy connects his home town’s historic legacy with its industrious and innovative spirit. He received the inaugural Gerry Rafferty Prize for songwriting in 2012, and his father, John, was a founder member of Paisley ‘70s trad-folk trailblazers the Tannahill Weavers. They named themselves in tribute to the town’s original 18th Century weaver poet, Robert Tannahill, whose statue stands proud outside Paisley Town Hall.

He also carries this heritage forward, and in addition to the Paisley drain project, Michael Cassidy has worked with local communities and young songwriters, using the town’s fertile past as a jumping-off point for new voices and songs.

The Abbey, too, rings out with new and original music in the 21st Century. Alongside a programme of classical and choral events, it’s been the backdrop (and centrepiece) for incredible performances from artists like Paolo Nutini, Frightened Rabbit, The Twilight Sad, Idlewild, Roddy Hart, Del Amitri’s Justin Currie and King Creosote, often joining forces with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as part of the Spree festival.

It’s become a landmark venue on the Scottish music map, alongside Paisley’s nearby Town Hall, which hosted three years of the Scottish Album of the Year Award, and the new incarnation of the Bungalow Bar, a few streets away, which offers upcoming talent a stage, and local music fans a world of world of adventure that can be traced back in time – through pop, punk, folk and poetry, to a hidden drain, to Paisley Abbey, to its space, and light, and dark, and voices: to the sound of the past, the future, the underground.

Nicola Meighan is a music and arts journalist and broadcaster (The Herald, STV, BBC Scotland). She presents the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Scotland, every Friday, 2-4pm.