Family holiday near Fort William/ North of Glasgow area- recommendations please!

Set up is this; me, the current Mrs davosaurusrex, 3 small kids, bro-in-law and his missus and another 3 small kids, week in August, us men folk will have bikes. Any recommendations of where to stay, we’re after the usual family stuff, walks, places to visit, fun stuff for the kids, nice pubs plus a couple of 3 hour-ish mountain bike rides nearby is a must.

Any particular towns/villages? Specific accomodation recommendations would be good, budget is £1000 max for all of us. Must-do rides would be good too, cheers now!

Glencoe could be worth a shout as could Lochgoilhead. Plenty of riding near both I’d imagine not sure about accommodation or stuff for kids but I’m sure someone with more knowledge than me will be along shortly. Oh yeah, midgies will no doubt be brutal!

Midges eh? Hmmm, hadn’t thought of that…..are they bad everywhere that time of year or just out in the hills?

Is Plockton too far – Skye and Torridon not too far for biking, lovely village, local facilities (walks , boat hire etc), train station, Torridon/Applecross road to drive/view, otter spotting on Skye, oat trips.

I do Scotland in May or Sept to reduce risk, and I own a midge net hat and I have worn it whilst riding.

*Complete aside and wrong direction – but Glentrool/Galloway forest area is very overlooked. Lots of biking, beaches, night sky, sailing etc

My memories of Lochgoilhead on a calm summers evening are of black clouds of midges and tonnes of folk hovering round either my Uncle Jimmy’s cigar or practically hugging the barbecue.

East coast tends to have less of them. Fife is a great spot for holidays in Summer with plenty for kids to do and there is some good riding around the place too.

Crianlarich might be worth a punt a bit further south than Ft William but good for Calendar too.

Aviemore area, good riding and lots of kiddie friendly stuff (landmark center, highland wildlife, cairngorm mountain, coylumbridge soft play/pool, loch morlich etc). Highrange chalets at south end of town have been good the times we’ve been, Italian buffet restaurant at bottom of road. East side of country tends to have less midge.

Cheers for the suggestions. We’ll be driving up from Worthing on the South Coast so it’s a bloody long hike with three small kids without going any further unfortunately.
Any recommendations for places further East? Our youngest will only be 6 months old so the midge situation doesn’t sound ideal!

Try Great glen yurts, we stayed for last years round of the world cup , the kids loved it and really handy for the bike trails, very relaxed place .

How about Mansefield House at Arrochar, have a look here[/url]. Owned by some very good friends of ours, and some good biking from the door. Glencoe an hour away, Loch Lomond 5 mins away, Glasgow 40 mins away, feels like a world away! And if it looks familiar, you might have seen them on Relocation Relocation!!

Rob

The 2 main things to know about Fort William are that it’s butt ugly and there’s ****-all there.

Oban’s a much nicer place to be, doesn’t feel so much like it’s dying, has a small-busy-town feel to it instead. Ferry terminal and proper harbour- everyone loves boats, right? It’s a base of operations rather than a place to spend all your time but there’s enough there for a rainy day.

Torren Cottages in Glencoe. Selfcatering so affordable, toasty warm, clean as, walking distance to Clachaig Inn, close enough to Ft William to get/do stuff, close to water and hiking etc…

East coast wise you could look at places like Elie/Kilconquhar/St. Monans/Crail/Anstruther/Pittenweem/St. Andrews. Lots to do with kids as there water sports centre in Elie, good beaches, tennis courts, golf etc. Wet weather plans sea life centre in St. Andrews, swimming baths, strawberry picking (outdoor/indoor poly tunnel type). If you need more info let me know.

Another Vote for Oban here… although finding accommodation for 10 of you for £1000 might be pretty difficult, static caravan or something may be the best bet.

Fife, or Perth area. West is far too risky for midges, and as many people will testify, they can ruin a holiday.

*chokes on toast at suggestion of Crianlarich*

Fort William aint far behind unfortunately. Best thing they could do with that mess on the waterfront is reclaim some land and screen it with new development.

Arisaig is great for young kids – depends on your definition of “things to do for the kids” Couple of static caravans on the beach – sorted. Do some research – if you like the sound of it I can sort you with mtb routes.

East Neuk is indeed “nice” but it cannot hold a candle to the above – IMHO of course. Depends on what you are looking for. If you are right on the coast the Midge element is usually mitigated by the wind – just go prepared.

I’d seriously consider the borders rather than highlands. We’re in Surrey and pre-kids, we used to regularly head up to the highlands for hols, although more May & Sept to avoid midges. Since having kids, we’ve taken the view it’s just too far to drive, and have spent a number of fantastic weeks in the borders, mostly Peebles area, but this New Year in Galloway.
I can highly recommend both – you’ll knock 3hrs off your drive time, have far less midges, it will be cheaper, less busy, and with the 7 Stanes on your doorstep, the riding will be awesome too!
The one exception to the above is we spent a week at Easter on the Ardnamurchan peninsular – cracking place but all the above re: travel time and midges will stand for August.

+1 for Aviemore area. Considerably fewer midges than west coast, the terrain’s more child friendly if you want to take them walking in a kiddy carrier or the older ones are able to ride bikes and plenty of other activities for the kids as well as the adults anyway. As well as the attractions for kids mentioned earlier, you’ve always got the option of the leisure centre/swimming pool/soft play at the MacDonald Resort.

We live in Elgin so only just over an hour away, but head down regularly for long weekends at a place in Feshiebridge. Our boy’s 5 and we take his Isla Bike and walking boots and head in to the Inshriach Forest around Loch Morlich and Loch an Eilein, if the weather’s rubbish then we take him to the MacDonald, on the Strathspey Railway, etc,etc.

IMHO the Aviemore area’s much more kid friendly than Ft Bill (and I’d say Aviemore’s a much nicer town to spend time in than Ft Bill as well…).

Loads of great suggestions so far. My tuppance:

Aviemore will give you more family and wet weather options, with biking in the Cairngorms and Laggan all close by. Family cycling options too (As davetrave points out above). Landmark Centre, Highland Wildlife Park, the scenery, Loch Morlich for beaches and watersports, beaches on the Moray coast nearby (dolphins) and Inverness and Loch Ness would be a good day trip and is only 40 mins away. Whisky country too, plenty of fine distilleries to visit nearby. And the midgies should not be less fierce than those on the west coast.

Oban is beautiful, far prettier than Fort Bill, but use it as a base for exploring the area and got to Mull so the kids can visit Balamory if they are young enough!

East Neuk of Fife would make a great family holiday, but not so sure about biking options?

Galloway will give you beaches, amazing biking, and family days out (Cream of Galloway is very good).

I’d maybe think about East Lothian, Dunbar or North Berwick areas? GT and Inners are probably about an hour away, you get beaches, surf, museum of flight, swimming pool when it is wet, East Links centre is great for all the family. Plus Edinburgh is only 40 mins away which will be super busy in August, but well worth a day trip. Plus a slightly shorter drive than going to Aviemore or the West Coast.

Aviemore or Dumfries & Galloway – some nice bits around Kirkcudbright.

+1 for Plockton or Wester Ross as a whole. Stunning area, tons of great riding nearby, nice places to eat and lots to do with kids.

We spent a week there last Easter and could easily have stayed much longer.

+1 for Plockton or Wester Ross as a whole. Stunning area, tons of great riding nearby, nice places to eat and lots to do with kids.

Really? If the weather is good, there are plenty walking and coastal options, but other than that, what IS there to do with the kids?

It is a beautiful part of the country, but not my idea of a family holiday destination.

beaches on the Moray coast nearby bdolphins)

Duh! Forgot about mentioning that – the Beaches along the coast are beautiful, as good as anything you’ll find around the Med. The beaches at Lossiemouth are 5 miles from us, clean white sand, stunning views across the Spey Bay and over the Moray Firth and we’ve seen not just dolphins but seals, basking sharks and all sorts of other stuff (there are boat trip safaris if you want to pay for that kind of thing, or just sit on the beach with a set of binos). Findhorn Bay is a few miles along the coast and is another amazing seaside location. For a bit of variety you’ve also got the less well known/used trails of the MOray Monsters to ride as well. There’s the Whisky Trail (get the wives to drive you and bro-in-law round that one!), canoeing on the Spey, loads and loads of family friendly stuff all within an hour or so of a base in Aviemore.

>Really? If the weather is good, there are plenty walking and coastal options, but other than that, what IS there to do with the kids?<

Oh I don’t know about that – 6 kids, a beautiful beach, a little imagination. I’ve taken my kids all over Europe at one time or another, lashed out £thousands on them @ places like Disney et al but the one place (as kids and now as young adults) they always talk about going back to is Tiree. Which has effectively nothing but stunning beaches and beautiful places to explore. I guess you either get that type of holiday or you don’t…

Really? If the weather is good, there are plenty walking and coastal options, but other than that, what IS there to do with the kids?

True entertainment multiplexes and soft play areas are a bit thin on the ground but it’s a little known fact that kids don’t actually melt in the rain. Our little lad loves getting his waterproofs on and having a splash about… although we live on Dartmoor so he’s probably hardened to it.

Half the week we had was very wet but we still got out and did stuff every day. Some of our best days were the ones where the weather was bad

We did several boat trips to see wildlife – did a couple of days exploring Skye. Drove up to Applecross via the Bealach na ba, which he loved. Did some short walks and scrambles – it was all good. He’s asked to go back this year.

I guess you either get that type of holiday or you don’t…

True entertainment multiplexes and soft play areas are a bit thin on the ground but it’s a little known fact that kids don’t actually melt in the rain.

I get all of this, and having had the past few years main summer holidays in west Wales, I know where you are coming from.

It depends what you do really want from a holiday, but put midges + traditional highland welcome + traditional highland weather together, and it can be quite challenging to keep the little darlings occupied.

The difference between Aviemore and / or D&G is that you can choose to take the hair shirt off if you so wish! 😉

Edit: Or perhaps its because I’m lucky enough to live in a different, but also beautiful part of Scotland that I like a bit more from my leisure time with the family. Tiree does sound nice though.

Aviemore, without a doubt. Start booking accommodation now but you’ll find lots of stuff to do and it’s worth the wee bit of extra drive past Glasgow to save you doing so much travelling while you are there.

Little darlings are easy. Surly Teenagers on the other hand….

Tiree is jaw droppingly beautiful. When I got taken there as a tiny kid there really was nothing. Went back 20 years later, got into Windsurfing in a big way, that led to mtb. Funny how something like that can open a whole world of adventure. Quite a bit more there now but it’s still very unspoilt. Last time we went we biked all the beaches (without phatbikes) and did some land yachting – brilliant fun and so easy to pick up. If you are into water sports in any way it has a lot to offer.

traditional highland weather

Whilst the south of the UK was slipping and sliding around in inches of mud last Summer, northern Scotland enjoyed some sustained periods of very fine weather – late May on the beach in swimming shorts and factor 20, swimming in the Spey Bay, temperatures in the high 20s; Jubilee weekend, 25 degrees, blue skies and dry, dusty trails (and you don’t get them in the woods with just a few days of nice weather…); look at Skye and other places as well to see what they were like compared to the rest of the wet and windy UK.

The east neuk’s lovely, we spent most of our holidays as kids in/around largo. Would depend on your family though, we loved the slower pace of life, just spending days dicking around on the beach (yes, even in the rain, you can build better sandcastles in the rain), etc.

As for riding in the East Neuk I’m sure McMoonter could point you in the right direction…I’ve done rides around Pitmedden Forest, Cardenden plus there is the Fife Coastal Path. If sailing is your thing then the club at Lower Largo is meant to be top notch.

I’m in D&G and its certainly worth a thought – loads of trails with 7 stanes and Drumlanrig, beaches, forests, lots of kids activities, loads of accommodation choices from camping barns to wigwams/pods, very few midges and closer to you saving on petrol too!!

Cheers all, some really good info.

Aviemore sounds great but a bit too far this time especially as I’ve never been to Scotland so there seems to be plenty of stuff to do without driving quite do far. Will save the more remote stuff until the kids are a bit older.
I’m leaning towards Dumfries&Galloway TBH, particularly as I fancy a visit to a few of the 7 Stanes. Doubt we’ll get more than 2 or 3 max, which ones are the must dos? Prefer flowing trails, will be on my Turner Sultan 29er (frame was delivered today, huzzah!) Any specific accomodation recommendations would be smashing too. The area really seems to tick alot of boxes for a family holiday
The other option is going to be Oban area as bro-in-law is keen on the Highlands but I really don’t fancy the midges, or more specifically I don’t fancy six kids whingeing about midges all week….

With Smidge, the midge is no longer a problem.

3 small kids, bro-in-law and his missus and another 3 small kids, week in August, us men folk will have bikes. Any recommendations of where to stay, we’re after the usual family stuff, walks, places to visit, fun stuff for the kids, nice pubs plus a couple of 3 hour-ish mountain bike rides nearby is a must.

Kind of depends how you define the bits in bold. My kids can be happy with space to run around, very quiet roads to play with their bikes on etc, exploring in the rain and if the weather is atrocious (you need to plan for the possibility) can be quite happy with some board games, a jigsaw or just made up nonsense etc, especially if there is a big enough gaggle of others to mess about with. From what I have seen some other people’s children require constant entertainment, good TV, etc.

We rarely need pubs if we have a group of adults and kids all together is it is easier to send kids to bed and drink in the house.

Almost anywhere in Scotland would give you 3hr mountainbike rides nearby. The truely memorable routes are probably double that though. I wouldn’t drag everyone all the way to sky or torridon to only half do it! To be honest thats a long time to spend in a car with young kids (and possibly a disinterested wife) for a days riding… …it will depend on everyone’s expectations from the holiday but I can imagine a domestic dispute coming from that trip either because you don’t get to do the amazing riding on the doorstep or because you are never with the family! I’m guessing you have a good few hours to get even to glasgow? there is plenty of good riding without the journey. Bear in mind that Skye and Torridon etc are also about as far from “Disney Land” or even “Centre Parks” as you can get (thankfully) so if thats the type of holiday the rest would gravitate towards then stay closer to the populated areas where at least you will find a swimming pool, cinema, museum if the weather or midges are too bad.

MAD.. ft bill is a long way from Rochdale (325 if i remember it right) the motorays arent bad but the last 100 miles is a road and in july it was closed so we had an 6 hour delay above bridge of Orchy.

i go up twice a year once in may with 10 yr old daughter we drive at night and she sleeps all way get there for 8 am. at that time of year its red hot pouring down icy hail in the morning and repeats after lunch.. no midges

in july if the sun shines its the biggest playground in the uk kids will play all day in a stream.. if its not shining its not fun no attractions other than count the rain drops.. uk’s alcholic capital for a reason?

adult holidays deffo very young kids no.. 1000 budget .. not enough.. how much will fuel alone be from that south coast.. its got to be 600 miles each way..

D&G – couple of chalets at Brighouse Bay.
Cream of Galloway, The Cocoa Bean, fishing, mini golf and great play park on site. Decent beach in 5 min walk. Galloway Forest Park. Zoo at Kirkcudbright. Best stane just up the road – K’tree!

Go to Lakes / Snowdonia and do highlands in years to come.

As a now ex-resident of Cumbria (Ambleside), given what you’ve said further (especially about driving from Worthing), I’d agree with DJG – head for the Lakes, the rides are a lot more scaleable to keep the spouses happy (easier to head out just for a couple of hours), there’s plenty for the kids and the adults and the terrain’s equally as child-friendly as it is around Aviemore. Although I live in Elgin, I work in Nottingham – 490 miles takes me about 9 hours +/- and that’s without the burden of young kids (if I stopped at Aviemore it’d still be about 450 miles). Add in your extra from the south coast and it’s going to be a damn painful journey…

Depending on what you want, there’s a wide variety of options from holiday chalets/cabins, resort type places (Langdale springs to mind as a good one for evrything you might want), there’s Center Parcs at Penrith (although that might be a bit expensive), plenty of houses/cottages for holiday lets (a lot of the ones on the lane were my folks live are lets and they’re 30 sec from Ambleside centre and the nearest pub…).

And there’ll be no midges!

If you want to make it into Scotland, and don’t mind camping or staying in a static caravan, then this place is quite nice.

http://www.gillespie-leisure.co.uk/content/view/77/136/

We had a long weekend there last August and it was excellent. Easy for Dalbeattie, Kirroughtree etc., nice beaches and Kircudbright is a nice arty wee town. Lovely.