Serviced Apartments in North Lanarkshire

Discover the best activities and attractions North Lanarkshire has to offer, and find out what makes this city a vibrant and exciting place to live or visit.

Strathclyde Country Park
Strathclyde Country Park is a large green space centered on Strathclyde Loch offering watersports (rowing, sailing, paddleboarding), walking and cycling trails, play areas and regular outdoor events and festivals. Its appeal lies in accessible outdoor recreation close to urban centres, hosting regional sporting events that attract visitors from across Scotland. The park supports the local economy through tourism spending, event hosting fees, and by sustaining nearby businesses (cafés, accommodation, equipment hire). For the community it provides everyday leisure, health and wellbeing opportunities, volunteer and educational programmes, and a quality public space that raises the area’s profile.

Summerlee — Museum of Scottish Industrial Life
Summerlee is a living industrial museum in Coatbridge that preserves and interprets North Lanarkshire’s mining and heavy industry heritage with restored buildings, working exhibits (including a tramway), hands‑on displays and school programmes. It’s popular because it connects local history to tangible experiences—important for families, schools and heritage tourists. Economically and socially, Summerlee conserves cultural identity, generates visitor spending for nearby cafés and shops, provides museum and education jobs, and acts as a focal point for community events and volunteer involvement.

M&D’s Scotland’s Theme Park (Motherwell)
M&D’s is North Lanarkshire’s largest family amusement park, offering rollercoasters, family rides, an indoor funfair and on-site food and arcade options. It’s a major draw for families and thrill‑seekers in central Scotland, combining adrenaline attractions with family entertainment. The park creates seasonal and full‑time employment, brings substantial day‑trip and overnight visitor spend to the area, and helps sustain surrounding hospitality businesses. Its events and promotions also contribute to the area’s leisure economy and profile as a destination for family outings.

The Forge Shopping Centre (Cumbernauld)
The Forge is a principal retail and service hub for Cumbernauld and surrounding towns, housing national chains and local independents, cafés and community-facing services. As a convenient shopping centre it’s popular for everyday retail, leisure and social meetups, and community events hosted in shared spaces. The centre supports the local economy through retail jobs, rent‑based income for property owners, and footfall that benefits nearby small businesses. It also functions as a community focal point for local initiatives and seasonal markets.

Kilsyth Highland Games
The Kilsyth Highland Games is a long‑running civic and cultural event celebrating Scottish traditions—pipe bands, Highland dancing, heavy events, and local stalls—which draws competitors and spectators from across the country. Its popularity stems from authentic cultural programming, spectator spectacle and strong community participation. The games boost the local economy annually via visitor spending on accommodation, food and retail, provide income and exposure for local vendors and performers, and play a vital role in preserving and passing on regional cultural heritage and community pride.

Explore the diverse transport options available in North Lanarkshire, from efficient public transportation systems to convenient road networks. Whether you're commuting to work or exploring the city, this section will give you an overall look at the available transportation systems.

Public Transit System
- Rail (ScotRail and intercity services) - Regular ScotRail services connect North Lanarkshire towns (Motherwell, Wishaw, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Airdrie, Cumbernauld, Shotts and others) into Glasgow and to Edinburgh (via Shotts/Airdrie corridors); Motherwell lies on the West Coast rail corridor providing additional longer-distance rail connectivity and freight links.
- Bus (local and regional operators, SPT network) - A dense local and regional bus network serves towns and villages across the council area, operated by major Scottish operators and local firms and coordinated through the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and North Lanarkshire Council for ticketing/route planning and integrated travel options.
- Park-and-ride and local interchange hubs - Several park-and-ride and interchange locations close to motorway junctions and rail stations support multimodal commuting (targeting commuters into Glasgow, the central belt and local employment areas such as Eurocentral).
- Airport accessibility - North Lanarkshire has good road and public-transport access to Glasgow Airport (short drive/coach links via Glasgow) and reasonable rail/road access to Edinburgh Airport for regional and international travel.

Major Highways
- M8 - Principal east–west motorway linking Glasgow and Edinburgh, passing close to/serving western parts of North Lanarkshire and providing primary regional connectivity.
- M73 - North–south connector linking the M74 to the M8/M80 corridors; important for traffic routing around the eastern side of Glasgow and accessing North Lanarkshire industrial and business areas.
- M74 - Major trunk route running south from the Glasgow area toward Carlisle and England, accessed from southern parts of North Lanarkshire via connecting routes.
- M80 - Provides the main route north from the Glasgow area toward Cumbernauld and Stirling; accessed from northern parts of North Lanarkshire and important for commuting to the north of the central belt.
- A8 / A8(M) / A89 - Key A-roads providing direct links to Glasgow city centre, Glasgow Airport corridor and local towns; support local and regional traffic where motorway access is not used.
- A725 - Strategic dual carriageway linking East Kilbride/M74 and the M8 corridor, forming an important east–west connector for business parks and commuter flows in the southern part of the council area.
- A73 / A801 / other A-roads - Important arterial A-roads serving more rural and inter-town movements within the council area and linking to neighbouring local authority areas.

Cycling Infrastructure
- Cycle routes, towpaths and active travel links - A mix of on-road cycle lanes, off-road shared-use paths and traffic-free routes using canal towpaths (Monkland/Forth & Clyde sections), parkland and former railway corridors; local active-travel plans and signed cycle routes provide commuter and leisure connections across towns and into Glasgow’s wider cycle network.

Recent and Upcoming Improvements
- M8 / M73 / M74 corridor improvements - Major strategic improvements (planning and delivery over recent years) to junctions and carriageways around the M8/M73/M74 network have reduced bottlenecks, improved freight and commuter flows and enhanced resilience for cross-central-belt travel.
- Rail station refurbishments and service enhancements - Recent and ongoing investments include station upgrades, accessibility improvements, and timetable and rolling-stock enhancements on key corridors serving North Lanarkshire to increase capacity, reliability and passenger facilities.
- Active travel and cycle network expansion projects - North Lanarkshire Council and regional bodies have been delivering new pedestrian and cycle links, traffic-calming schemes, improved crossings and segregated cycle infrastructure to encourage walking and cycling for short journeys and commuting.
- EV charging and low-emission transport initiatives - Expansion of public EV charge points, fleet electrification pilots and support for cleaner buses are being rolled out locally as part of wider Scottish and council-level climate and transport strategies.
- Park-and-ride, junction and local road upgrades tied to business growth - Targeted local highway improvements, upgraded interchanges serving industrial hubs (eg. Eurocentral / Mossend access enhancements) and expanded park-and-ride capacity aim to improve commuter access and support economic development.