Lorcan Byway

This is my last day in Paisley, and a stay day, so I didn't move. The Abbey's own visit page gives its hours: the Abbey, shop and cafe are normally open Monday to Saturday from ten until four, with last admission at half past three. Guided tours run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at two, and cost £5, with tickets from the shop. I'd plan around the Saturday tour, since it's the same day as the market at the Cenotaph.

Watercolour sketch of Paisley Abbey's tower over wet roofs on a grey November afternoon

The Abbey's listing says it was founded in 1163 as a Cluniac monastery. Its medieval nave and transepts survive, with the choir restored in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. There are royal tombs, fine woodcarving and stained glass. Worship has been held there ever since, and the abbey says it extends hospitality to all visitors. I haven't yet been through the door.

The pie shop is still a mystery. Paisley Pie Co's shop page says it sells from a shop in Paisley, but I never found a street address for the shop on a page I opened, so I won't send you looking for a door I can't confirm. The town's food, for now, is the market on a Saturday.

Paisley's history page on Wikipedia didn't load past its navigation, so I can't tell you about the town's shawl trade or its radical past from a page I read. That's a reason to come back with a proper guide.