I usually get good pointers on my UK hols from forum members, so asking again. This time, near linlithgow. Edinburgh for a day, maybe the royal yacht tour. Falkirk wheel and kelpies. Any where else we should be heading to, where would be the nearest “spectacular” part of Scotland to visit, or are we too far south?

Thanks in advance….

Stirling and surrounds. The area is dripping in stuff to do.

https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/edinburgh-lothians/

https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/stirling/see-do/hidden-gems/

Your just south of the Trossachs so there.

Who are you with? Kids? Wife? Wife’s boyfriend?

Take a gun?

Family, older kids so no hands on novelty museums type thing..

Trossachs. some easily accessible tops and plenty of scenery in a tartan and shortbread sort of way

I’m off to Edinburgh in late June for a few days with the wife, what’s good to do in the City? Castle and Zoo are a given, assuming they’re open.

Museum and Botanic Gardens. Loads of art galleries if that’s your bag.

The ghost tours up the royal mile I always felt were quite good. A wee bit of history and local stories.

A trip to north Queensferry to get right under the forth bridge to really see it’s scale.

We liked the visitor centre at Bannockburn a few years ago when the kids were a bit younger. Probably still be alright with older kids.

I know a guy who rides a cube stereo ebike and sells specialist pharmas.

Just sayin

Stirling castle is well worth a visit if it’s open

Been a few years but I liked dynamic earth opposite the parliament at the bottom of the royal mile and the Mary Kings close tour at night time was interesting. Never done it but the royal yacht gets good reviews. My kids enjoyed camera obscura at top of royal mile but they were 12/13 at the time. I think Stirling castle is better than Edinburgh castle and you also have the bannockburn heritage center and Wallace monument nearby if you do go to Stirling for a day. If you do a day in Falkirk then the Kelpies are nice for a walk but not a lot to do (there is a good park for younger kids)  and the Falkirk wheel is worth a visit.

If your in Linlithgow don’t ignore the palace – birthplace of Mary, our one true queen….

Surgeons’ Hall Museum is quite good if you’ve a stomach for it.

For day trips I’d second the Queensferry suggestion.

North Berwick and nearby Seacliff looked quite interesting too potentially but I never visited those.

Lol!

OP – What to do in Edinburgh?
STW – Go to Stirling

😁

I guess from Linlithgow it’s probably equidistant.

For natural spectacle I’d actually recommend Dollar Glen, a wee bit more of a drive but genuinely impressive, with a bonus castle at the top! (top tip, check castle is open before promising your 4 year old a visit…)

Back in Edinburgh I’d second the coastal walking from South Queensferry, some stunning wee beaches further along the coast if you fancied a walk or ride.

Calton Hill and Arthur’s Seat both good viewpoints, Arthur’s Seat a decent short walk with sctambly bits at top.

Nearer Linlithgow Beecraigs is a great wee compact trail centre if you’re allowed out on bike, and nearby Cairnpapple an interesting wee historical diversion…

For natural spectacle I’d actually recommend Dollar Glen, a wee bit more of a drive but genuinely impressive, with a bonus castle at the top! (top tip, check castle is open before promising your 4 year old a visit…)

This is a good shout. If you’re coming from Linlithgow could also be combined with a stop to look at the Forth Bridges in South or North Queensferry.

A boat trip on the Forth either under the bridges from South Queensferry or around the Bass rock from North Berwick, chuck in Tantallon castle and the beach at Seacliff to see the smallest harbour hidden away
Wallace monument and give Stirling castle a miss or back in the city a walk down by Dean village and Stockbridge , if your still feeling fit or it’s raining the National Portrait Gallery , then the museum. That’s enough my legs are tired now

Chamber street museum. I love that place.

Walk along the water of Leith from Dean Village or Stockbridge is quite nice.

For day trips I’d second the Queensferry suggestion

This is bang on. A trip out of South Queensferry on the boar, under the bridges and then a stop on Inchcolm Island. Impressive history there with a tiny abbey and WW2 remains. Cracking views of the bridges.

National Museum on Chamber street is superb

Mary Kings Close gives you an interesting insight in to proper old Edinburgh

Nice villages on the Fife side to visit (I’m maybe biased as that is where I grew up). North Queensferry, Limekilns and Culross could fill a day if you like that sort of thing.

The Underground City tour in Edinburgh is excellent.

https://www.visitscotland.com/info/tours/underground-city-of-the-dead-8b8d6efc

Palace of Linlithgow. Nelson’s monument over Scott (cheaper, higher I think), walk along water of Leith, modern art galleries, Castle is overpriced and overrated IMO. Hire just eat bikes?

I think Stirling castle is better than Edinburgh castle

Everyone I speak to who has done both agrees Stirling Castle is better and I think cheaper! I could quite happily fill a fortnight in Scotland without setting foot in a castle. Similarly I’m not really a zoo person but you might find the Safari Park better than the Zoo – although not sure how either are handling Covid.

If you do a day in Falkirk then the Kelpies are nice for a walk but not a lot to do (there is a good park for younger kids) and the Falkirk wheel is worth a visit.

On any nice day the kelpies are heaving. I don’t really get it – those people aren’t all marvelling at Andy Scott’s sculptural skills nor the engineering challenge of how they are made. If big sculptural landscaping is your thing then worth considering Jupiter Artland – but its not free. If you just want to see/do them then popping on way to/from Stirling (or even Glasgow) direction is perfectly sensible.

If your kids are teenagers and you need something active to entertain them then the chainwalk at Elie is good – check the tides! Go Ape at Aberfoyle and Ratho Climbing Centre are alternative ways of entertaining them – but will cost real money!

From Linlithgow you are about 2.5 hrs to Glencoe, 3 hrs to the cairngorms, people do drive that as a day trip just to see the view but that’s a lot of sitting in a car. If you actually are capable of walking in the mountains there’s good stuff in half the travel time which can provide a full day out. If you feel like sitting in the car to be very touristy then I guess you should probably “do” Loch Lomond. Its just over an hour to Balloch. Frankly it is over-rated. Something like Ben An on a nice day gives a better view with none of the busy over priced tourist tat!

Nearer Linlithgow Beecraigs is a great wee compact trail centre if you’re allowed out on bike, and nearby Cairnpapple an interesting wee historical diversion…

and there’s another one along a Falkirk – Callendar Trails, perhaps not quite as wide a range of abilities/technical stuff but there is bike hire there which there isn’t at Beecraigs if you aren’t bringing a bike but get the urge!

Are there things that the missus, kids particularly like doing?

Hire just eat bikes?

in the forth valley you can get e-bikes if you want to try them for novelty factor.