A new bike tour of Glasgow is celebrating the city's rich past while supporting a sustainable future.
Martin Heaney set up Gallus Pedals earlier this year alongside his day job as a management consultant.
He says he wants to offer tours with a difference: making locals feel like a tourist and tourists feel like a local.
This involves taking guests to some of the under-explored places in Glasgow and sharing the city’s under-celebrated stories.
And in the process of getting about, Martin is hoping he can help people learn to better navigate the city by bike.
'Diverse'
Having lived in London and Barcelona and Melbourne, Martin moved back to Glasgow in 2019 and is passionate about showing what his hometown has to offer.
He said: “People visit Glasgow from all over the world, but having visited the city regularly as a ‘tourist’ I was always struck by how we rarely appreciate how historically diverse, interesting – and cycle-friendly - our city is.
“While I haven’t given up the day job just yet, I am really passionate about making Gallus Pedals a success.”
A big part of his interest his helping the city towards a more sustainable future.
He said: “Supporting the planet is not about making people think they should feel guilty or miss out, but about making small changes to our daily lives that also make us feel better.
People visit Glasgow from all over the world, but having visited the city regularly as a ‘tourist’ I was always struck by how we rarely appreciate how historically diverse, interesting – and cycle-friendly - our city is.
Martin Heaney
“No-one ever regrets doing a bit of exercise.”
Early feedback from his tours suggest his approach is working.
Locals on the first tours this year have said it’s made a significant difference to how they see the city.
Michael, who recently moved to Glasgow from London and works in the city centre, said: “What Martin showed me was that Glasgow is such a bike-friendly city.
“The amount of cycle lanes available that I didn’t know about was surprising. It’s definitely a selling point to the city I hadn’t expected.”
