TAKING a day trip can inspire children long after the journey back home, whether it’s searching for fairies in the back garden or creating stories set in a place you have visited together.
From picking your own to meeting the Gruffalo, here’s a few ideas to help buoy the long days of the summer holidays with a spot of fun and discovery.
Gruffalo Trail
Ardkinglas Estate, Argyll
Situated on hillside overlooking Loch Fyne, Ardkinglas Woodland Garden features a trail featuring extracts from the Scots version of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved book.
Here visitors may meet other residents of the garden, reputedly also home to fairies and an elf.
From the car park, the path leads along the hill 400m to the start of trail; be sure to pick up a map from the Mouse to help guide you along the route.
Open daily, £5 adult, £2 (4-16yrs), free for ages 3 and under. Tel: 01499 600261. www.ardkinglas.com
Crathes Castle
Banchory, Aberdeenshire
With its historic portraits, stunning painted ceilings and tales of ghostly residents, a visit to Crathes Castle is dependably memorable day out.
Over summer there’s a series of events in the grounds, including outdoor screenings of Jurassic Park (July 26) and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Aug 11). On August 13 rangers will show children how to make crafts from natural materials.
Open daily, £13 adult, £10 concs. Tel: 01330 844525. www.nts.org.uk
Kelburn Castle
Ayrshire
Home to the recent Kelburn Garden Party, the Kelburn estate is known best for the vibrant street art decorating its medieval castle.
Surrounding the castle is a Secret Forest perfect for adventures, colourful gardens and waterfalls, outdoor play areas and glen trails to impressive view points.
From August 9 to 18, you might spot a Gruffalo as Kelburn runs a series of themed trails, interactive storytelling and even the chance to meet the loved monster.
Open daily. Grufalo and Pals: August 9 to 18, Kelburn Country Centre, Fairlie, Ayrshire, £8.50 adult, £9.50 child. Tel: 01475 568 685. www.kelburnestate.com
Jacobite Steam Train
Fort William To Mallaig
Known to Harry Potter fans as the Hogwarts Express, the Jacobite Train’s 84-mile journey from the foot of Ben Nevis at Fort William to its terminus at Mallaig in Lochaber is famous for its spectacular scenery.
Landmarks to admire include the 21-arched Glenfinnan Viaduct, a feature of the boy wizard’s films, and the glorious beaches at Morar where scenes from Highlander and Local Hero were shot.
Use the break at Mallaig to enjoy the busy port, which offers views over to Skye.
Morning service: until Oct 25 Mon to Fri, until Sep 29 Sat and Sun. Afternoon service: until Sep 13 Mon to Fri, until Sep 1 Sat and Sun. Adult return £33, children £19. Tel: 0844 850 3131. www.westcoastrailways.co.uk/jacobite
Charleton Fruit Farm
Montrose, Angus
You can choose the pick of the bunch at Charleton Fruit Farm, just one mile north of Montrose on the A92.
Bring your own containers and just pay for the weight of the berries you pick or buy containers from the shop.
Picnicking isn’t allowed, but given the praise afforded to the coffee shop’s strawberry tarts and other fresh delights, that’s no hardship.
The former stable also exhibits work by local artists and welcomes dogs, though not in the children’s play area.
Open daily. www.charleton-farm.co.uk
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here