Scotland holiday recommendations please

[angrysue42]

Thinking of going to a coastal part of Scotland this summer for a family holiday with primary age dc and a baby. Seems preferable to attempting a plane journey. I wondered if anyone has any recommendations for family areas, things to do etc. thank you

Oh what a shame. We stayed at Bridge of Awe so away from the Loch itself. We must have been lucky - every year we've been in August at the end of the English school hols. I did get bites in Loch Lomond in the late 80s 😕

Have definitely encountered rain on Barra!! I’d go back to the Uists in a heartbeat. We did one week North and one South. It was lovely to not have to rely on the tiniest of Co Ops too! Would also love to return to Barra, but only for a week. We stayed too long last time. Would love to fly in!

Great choice! But gets really booked up early nowadays. We were looking for next year - but no chance!!

If you're driving up from England then I'd say try North Berwick or Elie for beaches. Kircudbright area near Dumfries is lovely too but quieter.

If you're flying then Cromarty on the Black Isle or Nairn have good beaches and 30mins or so from Inverness. Also dolphins and lots of arty things to see

So so true re the ferries

This ^ Fabulous the Scottish version of Cornwall without the crowds. Lots to do, places to eat and interesting places to stay.

I live in Ayr and don’t find the midges to be bad at all - although I always get eaten alive north of Loch Lomond.

Ayrshire has lots for going for young families, however the town centre is a sorry sight (albeit a few great eateries!). Local cinema closing before the summer holidays.

Things our primary aged children enjoy -
Heads of Ayr farm park
Culzean castle and park
Turnberry lighthouse walk
Greenan shore (quiet beach)
Burns Cottage and museum (play park)
Ayr, Prestwick and Troon all have pools
Soft play at Ayr and Prestwick
Troon beach/harbour seals
Maratime museum Irvine
Vanilla Joes ice cream Irvine (slide in parlour)
Kelburn Country park
Largs - boat to Millport
Ardrossan - boat to Arran
Museum of rural life (East Kilbride)

Glasgow 50min from Ayr and train passes Prestwick, Troon, Irvine etc.
Museums, trampoline parks, inflatable parks, cinemas, top golf, parks etc.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186513-Activities-Dumfries_Dumfries_and_Galloway_Scotland.html
The link doesn’t mention beaches - Rockcliffe, Kippford (tarmacced walk, lots of shells, Sandyhills which is Sandy but the tides need to be checked as it goes way out but there usually pools for small DCs, Powillomount rocks and sand. Nicer beaches further west. Kirkcudbright nice town for visit with art gallery and harbour, small museum. . Drumlanrig castle north of Dumfries, outdoor play area , walks, bike hire. You’d need a car. And wet weather clothing just in case.
Id skip the Robert Burns centres with small DCs

I agree midges can be a problem for some people.

I'm not bothered by them, nor is my partner.

My ex-husband and my partner's ex-wife are, basically, walking midge-bait. They are utterly miserable on the West Coast. 😬

Nothing scientific in this at all, but I've noticed those with a sweet tooth appear to be much more attractive to midges than those who prefer savoury food. That belief is certainly a motivator to continue to decline pudding and have the cheeseboard instead!

I live in and love scotland, but my favourite family holidays are in Northumberland, so much to do. Beautiful beaches, boat trips, castles, food, it's endless. This cottage is perfect location just of the a1 to explore the whole area.
https://www.cottages.com/cottages/farne-view-cottages-cc313058

Blatant follow...I'm currently planning my Great Scottish Getaway for this summer 🤣

Some lovely ideas here, and good to know about the midges!

Shell bay holiday park in Elie is fab. Beautiful big beach on your doorstep, park and wee shop for the kids plus some entertainment usually during the holidays. And within easy reach of St Andrews and Crail etc for trips out and about.

I know the link doesn't mention anywhere I used the link because personally think that the Galloway part of Dumfries and Galloway is a million times better than Dumfries part. Its a big regions and I was trying to narrow down the OPs choices!
To add to the suggestions Brighouse Bay, fairly quiet tidal sandy beach, Cardoness lovely walk when the tide is going out, the Rhins; Logan Botanic Gardens in particular are great, Galloway Forrest Park ("Europes only dark sky park"), the Mull of Galloway. Lots of quiet villages many with stunning views and peaceful walks along the coast or go in land and enjoy equally stunning views and walks. I could go on. We are also an easyish drive to the above mentioned Ayrshire (gorgeous scenery on the A713), and you can go to Aran for the day and you could also go to Belfast for the day everyone says the Titanic museum is amazing and its easy as a foot passenger. Glasgow is not a million miles away although public transport is pretty poor unless you closish to Lockerbie where there station and parking is free and plentiful (check you're getting the get the fast train).

If you want loads amusement type parks this is not the place for you.

I’d skip the Robert Burns centres with small DCs
We live walking distance from the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and the parks ideal for preschoolers and younger primary aged children.

I agree on the Galloway part of D&G. Kirkcudbright is a good base, it has a Planetarium, swimming pool, pars, forest, loads of eateries, a museum, a castle and fishing harbour. All within the town, no travelling. In the summer the town has a range of family focussed activities all put on by the Kirkcudbright Summer Festivities, Scottish night in the harbour square every Thursday is a must.

Parks, not pars!

How about Orkney (though you might need to fly to Kirkwall and pick up a hire car, rather than driving/taking the ferry due to distances ... it took me 8+ hours from Edinburgh!). Some lovely sandy beaches and rocky coastline , and amazing prehistoric sites that the kids could enjoy exploring. Some are fenced off, but i do remember one prehistoric village that you could just wander around freely. There's a great little island (Broch of Birsay?) that you can walk to at low tide (again, once you get there, there are sime ruins you can explore). If your kids are adventurous/sporty, they might like to try scuba diving (Orkney has some ship wrecks). Thete is the world's shortest plane flight - about 2 minutes - between two of the Orkney islands. That is on my bucket list!! Beautiful scenery too - it's surprisingly green and fertile given how far north it is. And Kirkwall does have a leisure centre and cinema (not sure about the rest of the Orkney islands). It's much easier to drive in orkney compared to west coast of scotland, as it's flatter, and roads are wider and in much better condition than some of the remoter highland places. There isn't the same hair-pin bends and having to navigate passing-places and mountain bikers/camper vans without anywhere to safely pass them. This can make driving in the west highlands or western isles really challenging in places. Orcadians are also generally friendly and it's safe, clean and prosperous. Last but not least, there are supermarkets on orkney that can deliver your shopping to your accommodation. Gosh, I think I'll go back there myself!!

Aww we used to go here when the dc were young and its a lovely site.

I’d do a two center holiday - half Moray coast and half Aviemore. The coast has got absolutely gorgeous beaches like Rose Isle, Hopeman and Findhorn and dolphin watching. Aviemore has got beautiful walks and bike rides for all ages as well as Landmark and the wildlife park. Great places to eat in both.

St Andrews also a really good option but it gets so busy in the summer.