There’s a year to go before more than a million visitors flood into Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games. But you don’t have to wait that long to try out the venues that will host top athletes.
Many of the official sporting facilities for the 2014 Games, starting on July 23, are open for the public to use.
So have you ever wondered what it feels like to hit top speeds of 75km per hour on a professional velodrome circuit? Take a spin on the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome (the Olympic champion rides on it above) – with drop-in sessions starting from £10 for adults.
If you’d rather feel the thrill of tearing up a professional mountain biking track, there’s a brand new £600,000, 5.5km circuit at Cathkin Braes which is free to use – bikes can be hired for £40 per day.
Perhaps you want to upgrade your table tennis game from the back garden… you can practise your top spin at Glasgow Club Donald Dewar, where Prince William and Kate Middleton showed off their skills on their recent royal visit to the city – with table hire for £3.80 an hour.
From swimming to lawn bowls and gymnastics to shooting, this is the ultimate chance to ‘warm up’ for the main events and experience the world class sporting facilities that will play host to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Full information is available in the ‘Go for Gold in Glasgow’ sporting guide being launched next Tuesday, July 23, at: peoplemakeglasgow.com/goforgoldguide
The Glasgow 2014 ticketing brochure and ticket registration also launches on Tuesday and tickets for the Games running until August 4 go on sale on August 19. Visit www.glasgow2014.com/tickets.
