Hello all

Got a week off with my little boy in August – the bank holiday week. We’re staying with my brother in Blantyre for a couple of nights, and have lined up taking him to Edinburgh Zoo to see the Pandas and Pengys. What else should I do with him on the other day? He’s 7 in December, likes outdoor stuff, animals, cars etc.

Obviously if any of you are in the same predicament but coming to Durham I can recommend Beamish, the coast at Seaburn, Alnwick Gardens, etc 🙂

Thanks in advance!

Glasgow Science Centre – indoors but loads of fun stuff. Summerlee industrial museum. Glasgow Transport Museum.

Theres the whitelees windfarm place near Eaglesham
Musuem of rural agriculture in EK, tractors and all that.
Chatelherault country park just outside Hamilton.

Trip out to inchcolm island if you’re over edinburgh way anyhow? Trip on a boat, island to explore with tunnels/WW2 gun emplacements/abbey tower to climb up etc.

Riverside museum in Glasgow should be a treat for him.

Walk up Conic Hill (majestic view for the relatively small amount of effort required) if the weather’s good.

Wander around Mugdock country park? There’s a few castle ruins, small lochs, old gun emplacements and you might spot some wildlife (although I’m usually there when it’s quiet). The cafe is pretty cheap and close to the adventure playgrounds too.

http://www.blairdrummond.com/

http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/

Some great ideas there thanks all!

Inchcolm Island – is that the one next to the Forth Bridge? Didn’t know you could get to it – I’ve looked at it from the bridge plenty of times….

Blairdrummond still exists? I remember going on a school summer trip to there.

+1 for Science centre

The sealife centre by Loch Lomond.

Boat up and down Loch Lomond from Balloch is good, plus there is the sea life centre there.

All through August, on fridays, this magnificent piece of machinery will be plying it’s trade “doon the watter” from central weegieville to Rothesay and back. One of my recommendations.
Paddle Steamer Waverley

waverly is not a bad idea. But watch out on the early friday evening sailings.. it can turn into a proper booze cruise.

+1 for the Riverside Museum which is the fantastic new building housing transport museum. It is free to get in, and they have the Tall Ship moored there too, which is also free to get on too. Danny MacCaskill, Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman’s Lotus bikes are amongst the exhibits.

You can easily spend the best part of a day there, and the restaurant is great too. If you enjoy it, do leave a good donation, to support the fantastic work the museum does.

You could combine this with a nice stroll through Kelvingrove Park up into the Botanic Gardens. Or take a bus tour and jump off at the Riverside museum.

nstrachan – Member

waverly is not a bad idea. But watch out on the early friday evening sailings.. it can turn into a proper booze cruise.
any evening cruise or the long day to Ireland probably best avoided with a kid – daytime on the Clyde is ok though. Plus a visit to the public lavvies in Rothesay is a must

Inchcolm is further out than the one by the bridge. Get there on the maid of the forth from south queensferry:

http://www.maidoftheforth.co.uk/inchcolm-island-landing-trip

Cycle round Millport. Take the train to Largs and ferry across then hire bikes.

Kelvingrove Museum (within spitting distance of the Science Centre and Transport Museum)Also the Imax cinema and Tall ship adjacent to both of these)Botanic Gardens near also…

The Waverley’s a far better shout than the Inchcolm gig tbh.

Blairdrummond / Go Ape @ Aberfoyle. And sticking with the boat theme you could add the Sir Walter Scott @ Loch Katrine.

New Lanark is surprisingly good too.
Maybe take him to the velodrome / commonwealth games areas which are nearing completion.

There is an awesome play park at Glasgow Green with some proper high slides on it. My kids love it.

oh and in edinburgh, you should check out the camera obscura at the top of the royal mile – the camera obscura itself is interesting but there’s 5 floors of optical awesomeness to play with before you get there.