Exploring Billy Connolly’s Glasgow: Walking & Bike Tours by Gallus Pedals
- mgfheaney
- Sep 9
- 3 min read
Walking Through Billy Connolly’s City Centre
Our Glasgow walking tours are all about connection, and for the Glasgow 850 celebrations we created something unforgettable: a walking journey dedicated to the Big Yin.
Guests followed us through the city centre, pausing at the iconic Billy Connolly murals that colour Glasgow’s streets. Each mural was a chance to reflect on Billy’s journey from shipyard worker to world-class entertainer, weaving in tales of his humour, music, and Glaswegian spirit.
One guest summed it up perfectly:
"The Billy Connolly Walking Tour was very informative, great tour and great guide."
Sometimes the simplest feedback says it best – the Big Yin’s story, told in the very heart of the city, resonated deeply.
Cycling the Big Yin’s Old Stomping Grounds
TThe Glasgow Bike Tours created for the weekend gave guests the chance to see the neighbourhoods and shipyards that shaped Billy’s formative years.
Starting in Anderston, where Billy grew up, we cycled west through Partick and on to the Govan shipyards. These weren’t just stops on a map – they were places where hard graft, camaraderie, and Friday-night rituals created the backdrop for a unique comic voice.
Guests heard stories of his first job as a welder, the camaraderie of the shipyards, and the moment Billy realised you didn’t need to tell jokes to be funny – you could just be yourself.
We're also delighted to say that our guests loved the tours!
“When I went to book, noticed Gallus was running a limited edition Billy Connolly tour, just on the weekend we arrived in Glasgow. As a fan, it was surely fate that should happen. So, we rocked up for the tour with guide Callum. A fun way to see different parts of Glasgow through the lens of the 'Big Yin'. Stops included places he lived, grew up, went to school and his early years as a musician and comedian. Ride was easy even for my wife with a bung knee, very few hills and bikes work well. If we get the chance later in our trip, we will be back to do the regular tour.”
“We did the Billy Connolly bike tour – Glasgow 850. A very informative yet relaxed tour. The guide had done his research and presented the Billy Connolly tour with photographs as well as audio and video clips.”
“Connor was an excellent guide. Really knowledgeable, very welcoming and good fun. Would 100% recommend.”
Why These Tours Mattered
At Gallus Pedals, our goal has always been to create Glasgow city tours that make tourists feel like locals, and locals feel like tourists. With Billy Connolly as our inspiration, these tours blended humour, resilience, and working-class pride with storytelling and community spirit.
For many of our guests, it wasn’t just a day out – it was a chance to step into the Big Yin’s Glasgow, whether that was standing beneath his towering murals or cycling through the shipyards that shaped him.
A Journey Only Glasgow Could Offer
Together, the walking and cycling experiences revealed a Glasgow that the Big Yin drew inspiration from – vibrant, humorous, and proudly working-class. From murals in the city centre to the shipyards on the Clyde, the tours offered a sense of place and personality that goes way beyond typical sightseeing. This is exactly what we envisaged whenever we were first announced as one of the parties involved in the weekend of celebration.
For us at Gallus Pedals, these Glasgow Scotland tours weren’t just about celebrating Billy Connolly; they were about showing how the city itself shaped a legend. And for our guests, it was a chance to experience Glasgow Bike Tours and walking tours that truly told a story worth remembering.
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