
'Unique' waterpark just 25 minutes from Glasgow crowned best in Scotland
An iconic family favourite just a short drive from Glasgow has been crowned the best waterpark in Scotland. The Time Capsule has been named among the top fun-filled pools in the UK by Time Out.
The Coatbridge venue has been a go-to destination for generations of families across Glasgow and the Central Belt. It earned its spot on the coveted Time Out list, alongside the likes of The Wave in Coventry and Alton Towers' Waterpark.
Only a 25-minute drive from Glasgow city centre, the large leisure complex is well known for its flumes, wave machine, and "unique" rides - and it is now being recognised nationally for its impact.
Speaking about the wonder of waterparks, the team at Time Out asked: "Looking to make a splash with your next family day out? How about some wobbly water obstacle courses, chaotically fun wave machines and slides so long you're not sure where they end?
"From epic outdoor inflatables to weather-proof indoor pools with flumes galore, you'll find excellent waterparks dotted all over the country."
In their guide to the UK's best sites, the publication highlighted everything from indoor flume-packed havens to open-air inflatable adventures, praising The Time Capsule for its stand-out attractions and nostalgic pull.
Speaking about their Scottish inclusion, Time Out said: 'Glasgow might not be the first location that springs to mind when you think of waterparks, but at the Time Capsule, they have some unique rides.
"The Tornado Tantrum flume is so large you could fit a Mini Cooper inside, so there's plenty of room for you and four mates to whizz down together.
'There's also the ten-metre-high Storm Chaser: twin flumes named Thunder and Lightning, where you can challenge a friend and see who comes out first…'
The recognition comes despite the ever-popular waterpark being temporarily closed for essential upgrade works. Repairs began in March and are expected to last between four and six months, meaning it is likely to be shut for most of summer.
The temporary closure affects only the waterpark, with the rest of the complex - including the 25-metre swimming pool, ice rink and gym - remaining open throughout the ongoing works.
Speaking about the closure, Councillor Geraldine Woods, North Lanarkshire Council Convener of Communities. 'We know our loyal customers will be disappointed to hear that the waterpark will close for a few months, but the upgrades will guarantee its long-term future.
'We carried out a detailed survey of the waterpark, which highlighted certain areas requiring improvement. In order to complete these, the waterpark will need to close for between four and six months.'
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The work includes essential upgrades to the water feature systems, new control panels, electrical repairs and pump replacements.
Meanwhile, further improvements are on the horizon, with the gym, the busiest in North Lanarkshire, also set for a revamp next year as part of a wider enhancement plan.
Despite the current closure, The Time Capsule remains one of Lanarkshire's most visited family attractions, drawing over 700,000 visitors annually, and after its refresh, it looks set to make an even bigger splash.
To see the full list, go to the Time Out website.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Why Scotland needs MSPs who think for themselves like departing Kate Forbes and the late Jamie McGrigor
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... We stood at the graveside with polished shoes on wet grass, squalls of rain driving into our faces, the words of committal from Canon MacLean being carried away by the gusting wind. We were laying to rest in Dalmally cemetery in Argyll my good friend and former MSP colleague Jamie McGrigor who passed away a fortnight ago. Sir James Angus Rhoderick Neil McGrigor, Baronet, to give him his full designation, had served as Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands from 1999 to 2016. On stepping down from Holyrood, he then did a term as a local councillor in Argyll and Bute. His long record of public service was recognised by the large attendance on Monday, those present braving Storm Floris to pay their respects. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jamie was someone perhaps best described as 'a real character', and some stories of his life were recounted at the funeral service. He was always a tremendous fun person to be with, ready with a joke or a tune and a self-penned bawdy song on his guitar. Jamie McGrigor, pictured addressing a crowd gathered outside the Scottish Parliament in 2006, was a real character (Picture: David Cheskin) | PA Whisky in wellies He famously once took a flock of sheep to sell at Dalmally market, but whilst there accepted the offer of too many drams and inadvertently brought back his own flock. He learned that the way to avoid a repetition was to discretely pour over-generous whisky measures into his wellies. Despite his Eton education and aristocratic background, Jamie had a real feel for the issues that mattered to his Highlands and Islands constituents, many of whom held him in great affection. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At the service we heard how one Lewis crofter was so taken with him that he named his sheepdog puppy Jamie McGrigor in his honour. He was so far from the stereotypical image of a modern politician, but that did not seem to have any negative impact on his popularity. It was as I was driving to Dalmally on Monday that I heard the news through the car radio that Kate Forbes had announced she would be stepping down from Holyrood at next year's election. This represents a significant loss to the parliament as a whole, and indeed to the SNP and the Scottish Government in which she currently serves as Deputy First Minister. READ MORE: How SNP and Labour are putting future of Scottish tourism industry at risk Unfashionable views I shadowed Kate Forbes in her roles both as Finance Secretary and then leading for the Scottish Government on the economy, and I have a great deal of respect for her as an individual. She was popular with the business community, although it is fair to say that there are times when she struggled to reconcile her personal ambitions in the brief with her party's track record on issues such as taxation and destructive legislation. Her departure leaves a significant hole at the top of the SNP, particularly in relation to the pursuit of a pro-business agenda. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A little like Jamie McGrigor, Kate Forbes is someone who holds views which might be politely described as unfashionable. When she stood for the SNP leadership after Nicola Sturgeon stepped down in 2023, there was an enormous media focus on her socially conservative views. As a committed Christian, she opposes same-sex marriage, is pro-life, and is hostile to the SNP stance on gender reform. Her stated positions appalled many of her party colleagues who were trenchant in their opinions that this made her entirely unsuitable to hold office as leader of their party and indeed as Scotland's First Minister. A whisker of beating Yousaf Some of those who on Monday were expressing sorrow at her departure, such as First Minister John Swinney, were the first to condemn her opinions when she stood for the SNP leadership, proving they either have short memories or are the rankest of hypocrites. Whilst Kate Forbes' views on social issues might have appalled her parliamentary colleagues, they did not seem to go down so negatively elsewhere. She came within a whisker of defeating Humza Yousaf for the SNP leadership, despite the monstering she had received in the press. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And opinion polling at the time suggested that she was by some margin the public's choice to lead the Scottish Government, demonstrating much more openness amongst the voters for someone who might hold unfashionable views, but nevertheless was not afraid to express them unapologetically. Jamie McGrigor represented a very different party to Kate Forbes' SNP, and he may have had few opinions in common with her. But he perhaps had a similar character, in that, like her, he was an individual who would not simply toe a party line but was prepared to think for himself. I suspect that today neither of them would easily pass candidate vetting for their respective parties. And yet they both proved to be successes in the fields in which they operated. Diversity of opinions Holyrood has too few MSPs prepared to challenge the orthodoxy. We know, for example, that a large majority of the Scottish public were opposed to gender reform but, outwith the ranks of the Scottish Conservatives, it was only a handful of MSPs in other parties who were prepared to defy their leaderships to vote against the Gender Recognition Reform Bill. Next year's Holyrood election is likely to see one of the largest turnovers amongst MSPs that we have ever seen, not least because of the large number of SNP members who have indicated that they will be standing down, Kate Forbes being the latest. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We often hear about the need for parliament to be more 'diverse', which usually means that there should be more MSPs from varied ethnic and social backgrounds. Whilst that is a laudable aim, what we really need is more diversity in terms of opinions. Amongst the new cohort elected next year, we must see more people of independent mind, who will at times be prepared to defy the party whips and stand up for what they really believe in. After more than a quarter of a century of devolution, it is the least that the public should be demanding.


STV News
2 hours ago
- STV News
First look at Andrew Lincoln and Ewen Bremner in upcoming STV thriller Coldwater
New images have been released of Andrew Lincoln and Ewen Bremner, who are set to star in a new six-part Scottish thriller airing on STV and STV Player this autumn. Set in the fictional Scottish village of Coldwater, The Walking Dead actor Lincoln plays stay-at-home dad John, who relocates his family to Scotland amid an identity crisis. John is quickly befriended by next-door neighbour Tommy, played by Trainspotting actor Ewen Bremner, a charming, confident man and devoted husband to the local vicar Rebecca, played by Eve Myles. He is a man of faith, a pillar of the community and self-appointed leader of the village's all-male book group. Sister Pictures for ITV John (played by Andrew Lincoln) and Fiona (played by Indira Varma) relocate to Scotland with their family. Sister Pictures for ITV Sister Pictures for ITV While John is both impressed and slightly fascinated by Tommy, his wife Fiona, played by Game of Thrones star Indira Varma, despises him. When her husband's relationship with their enigmatic new neighbour becomes increasingly intense, Fiona's suspicions are aroused, unconvinced Tommy is all he seems to be. Sister Pictures for ITV Sister Pictures for ITV Sister Pictures for ITV When John's long-repressed rage comes to a head with disastrous results, he soon finds himself unexpectedly indebted to his new friend, unaware that Tommy himself is harbouring horrifying secrets. It's only after a series of unsettling incidents start to occur that John begins to wonder who the real Tommy actually is. Sister Pictures for ITV Sister Pictures for ITV The series is written, created and executive produced by David Ireland (The Lovers, Ulster American, Cyprus Avenue). Lee Haven Jones (A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, Passenger, Doctor Who) directs the first three episodes while Andrew Cumming (Shetland, Payback, Cold Feet) directs the second half of the series. Coldwater will air on STV and STV player this autumn. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country


Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Walking Dead star makes UK TV return after a decade and fans are beside themselves
Andrew Lincoln best known for his role as Rick Grimes in the hit show The Walking Dead is returning to UK TV for the first time in over a decade as she stars in ITV's latest series Coldwater ITV has revealed the first glimpse of its upcoming thriller, Coldwater, which is set to premiere this autumn. The six-part series, which is set in Scotland, will see The Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln star in his first UK TV show in over a decade. The series, written and produced by David Ireland, was filmed in Glasgow and is set in the fictional Scottish village of Coldwater. Filming for the show took place in July 2024 around Glasgow in the areas of Dennison and the city centre, as well as in Strathaven and Dunlop. While Doctor Who director Lee Haven Jones directs the first three episodes, Andrew Cumming, best known for directing Shetland, directs the second half of the series. And it's predicted to be one not to miss. The series follows Lincoln's character John, a repressed man who grows frustrated with his mundane existence as a stay at home dad. After witnessing a violent confrontation in a local playground, which he fails to intervene, John relocates his whole family from London as far as possible, up to the rural idyll of Coldwater. Amidst his mid-life crisis, John quickly befriends his mysterious next door neighbour Tommy, played by Ewen Bremner. A friendly, charming man who is well loved in Coldwater, he is a pillar of the community and self appointed leader of the village's all-male book group. Tommy is also married to the local vicar Rebecca, played by Eve Myles. Whilst John is totally fascinated by Tommy, his wife Fiona (Indira Varma) is completely unsettled by him. As Fiona strives to reignite the spark back into their fading marriage, she is wary of John and Tommy's bond, as it is increasingly becoming intense. Fiona's suspicions are correct, when John's long-repressed rage comes to head with disastrous results and he soon finds himself unexpectedly indebted to his new friend, unaware that Tommy himself is harbouring horrifying secrets. As Tommy's mask starts to slip, his shock secrets come to the surface and John begins to wonder who the real Tommy actually is. The official synopsis reads: "This is the story of a normal man, in a normal marriage, who finds himself in a far from normal situation. A man who discovers a newfound sense of his own power, right at the moment he falls under the influence of someone incredibly dangerous." The series is already gathering hype online with fans taking to various social media platforms to discuss the show, in particular Lincoln's role. Taking to Facebook, one excited viewer commented: "Andy Lincoln, thriller series and Scotland…all my dreams have come true." As another plead: "Coming this Autumn?? Can we not have it earlier please!!!" A third fan couldn't hide their joy of seeing Lincoln back on screen, saying: "Fabulous news, he's a great actor, miss not seeing him on anything. I'm so excited." Other fans were eager to see Scotland on their TV screens, as one expressed: "Looking forward to seeing this, some of the Church scenes were filmed in Dunlop Church." Coldwater will air on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV player this autumn.