ideas needed for places to go via public transport

[anakay]

Hi

I am wondering if anybody has any ideas where i can take the kids this summer?. I am running out of ideas. I have 3 girls aged 12,8 and 4 and a daft dog lol we live in the west end my girls are sick of going to the park and museums. So any suggestions welcome. Please ladies i am going mad here this is the first year we are not going away, I promised the girls we would do day trips but finances and lack of car is causing a problem

i'm in the same boat - apart from my kids being 4 and 6 so i don't really have any suggestions but just wanted to mention (incase you didn't know) that if you do go anywhere it would probably be cheaper to go by rail as your youngest would be free on the train and if you get a day return- you get up to 2 kids free per adult through the kids go free scheme which also gets one child free per adult into certain certain attractions

or if you want to buy a friends and family rail card which gets you great discounts of the fare then go to www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/dailymailcard before the end of the month and you will get it for half price if you use the code MAIL50 (i don't work for scotrail-honest)

have you been to summerlee heritage park? my kids love it there- you get the train to coatbridge sunnyside railway station and its not too big a walk from there

and for rainy days the odeon (well the one at the quay i know is definitely) showing their pockey money price films throughout the week aswell

other than that day trips to balloch etc? dunno how exciting that is for the kids though

would be great to get other ideas though- i've exhausted all mine already and still have a long time before they are back at school/nursery:D

Well, down the coast to Troon or Ayr is good for a sunny day, get the train for that. No need to spend much once there. Could always head for Largs/Millport too. the soft play in Prestwick is meant to be v good, and would be a whole day trip to go. Maybe yours too old though.

Are you NTS members? It is cheapo per month and I think there's stuff on at Pollok House this summer, plus the Burrell isn't as child-unfriendly as you'd think, and you can have a good walk round Pollok Park. Not sure how you'd get there from the West End!

How about train to (whisper it!) Edinburgh? If you can get the railcard mentioned above it would surely not be too bad? Don't even need to go in anywhere, I think the castle is dear. If you wait until festival time there's plenty to see on the streets.

We go to the Museum of Rural Life in EK sometimes, museum is a bit boring but you can get a tractor ride up to the farm. Free for NTS members. Totally no idea how to get there by public transport!!

Will post back if I think of more...

I'm in Helensburgh and it's nice for the day if the weather is good. Chips and Ice Cream on the front, a trip to the funfair, walk along the pier and get the ferry over to Gourock and train back to Glasgow that way.
There's a small soft play though that kinda defeats the purpose of being somewhere different but DD likes it.

We like going to Edinburgh too, though we've not been this year. It was only around £12 ish return (from Helensburgh, so cheaper from Glasgow) on the train last year as DD goes free.
She loved the Dungeons and we both love the Zoo. Next time we go I fancy Mary Kings Close or the Castle, though it's more likely to be October Half Term.

Sea life centre in Balloch. I've seen lots of kids go free and other discounts around, I think Persil are doing one and it's part of the kids go free scotrail deal.

Today and next Sunday (I think!) there's a free bus collecting folk from Lochwinnoch train station taking them up to the Castle Semple visitor centre and the Clyde Muirshiel regional park - not a great deal to do apart from walking/cycling but nice for a picnic and there's a bbq area. There's the rspb centre walking distance from the train station too.

Thanks everybody.

I have got the family rail ticket thanks for the code.

Some great ideas there and will hopefully get to some of them

Just to say to everybody the science center is doing 2 for 1 this sat,sun and monday.

Thanks for science centre info, have the kids on Sat so if rainy its a possibility.

Glasgow green? (62 bus goes I think)
Walk round hamleys
Often events on at library
Kelvingrove has lots of groups/activities on so something a bit different and free
What parks do you go to? If you list the ones you know/usually go then can have a think of ones you could go to by public transport. I worked in west end for years looking after children before I had a car so might know a few.

You could go to Milngavie from Partick train station - "sandy park" realy name lennox park is fab, - park with sand and lots of new play equipment, bring buckets and spades. Has toilets, tesco and shops nearby, lots of open grass for ball games, bridge you can play pooh sticks on and a flying fox on other side of bridge!

Thanks for that Sandy park looks nice i just googled it, it looks like a nice easy change. We usually go to kelvingrove, downahill and victoria park, and hayburn park for a wee visit. havnt been to tollcross yet and pollock park need to figure out how to get there. My daughter wants to go to murdoch park. any ideas if its possible to get there via public transport? The kids would also like to go to pick their own fruit but i cant find a place/farm that i can get to.

We went to scotland street school the other day and the kids loved it. All it cost was the subway fare and the kids got to dress up and roleplay in the classrooms i was of course the moany headmistress. We were there all afternoon it was great fun.

We are wanting to go to the cinema to see shrek and i looked to see how much it would be for 5 of us to go to cineworld and it came up £36 but the grosvenor in ashton lane does it £4 a ticket on a monday so that will save on pennies or more pennies to spend on popcorn.

Now all we need is more sunshine please.

also i called the science center and as well as the 2 1 4 on the tickets its 4 .50 add on for the cinema i booked 5 adults and 5 kids for the day at the science center and the imax to see toy story for £96 2 adults and 3 kids went free.

There loads of stuff on at the libraries, I discovered this at 4am when I couldnt sleep and was looking it all up! inf here and other city ouncil stuff on there too, some costs. Been to library summer stuff in previous years and usually good. Even if its above age range then younger ones can usually listen to the story/join in on some level, have never known them to turn anyone away. (Know east dunbartonshire does bookings and limited spaces)

We went to library today (milngavie) and got our reading challange things, they gave me one for 2 year old too even though she obiously cant read, which was nice. Perhaps Glasgow CC have similar.

Ok parks, theres Naesby park, its Broomhill area, a 15min walk from Jordanhill station and about 20 from Partick or 16 bus stops near it. Not huge but variety of play things and have heard some new stuffs in since I was last there. Its an oval shape with a path all round it and its very popular for riding bikes/scooters round and round and no dogs allowed in. On way to Naesby park from Partick direction is Cross Park, passed it loads of times, seems ok, its a bit hilly and dogs are allowed to purely becaus eof the ages of kids I have had in that area have never been.

Also in Milngavie (so could make it a day trip if Sandypark) theres lillie art galleries (sign posted from train station) and they have pics to look at (not many) and a childrens craft table, usually on wall theres a suggestion of what to do eg "in this painting the author has painted themselves see if you can do a self portrait" and they put kids work on the kids gallery wall. My friend works there and at the moment that bits closed but shoupld eb open agaiun in a couple of days - I can let ypou know? Basically lots of paper,pens,glue,sticky bits and they can do what they want. Hardly anyone knows about it, small table but as I said as no one knows we have never been there at same time as any other children. (thats free btw)

Just looked out window - OMG at rain! Where did you get the 2 for 1 SC thing? Was thinking of going next week.

Victoria park has some big inflatables city thing on just now. They usually have that bouncy slide but now theres loads, running for a few more weeks, not sure of cost. I just keep passing it on way to work

Sorry for HUGE post!!

Do you mean mugdock park? Afraid not on public transport front. Heard there used to be a bus but as far as am aware not anymore. Our toddler group picnic was there a few weeks ago and it was first time I had been since I got a car, previously was when I was a child myself! Its away up windy country roads. Is very muddy! Wellies are a must. Hard to get to even by car, if you were desperate only way would be taxi from Milngavie station I think, taxi rank there but you could call and ask how much it owuld be for a taxi and see if it would be worth it. Can reccomend Milngavie area taxi firms if you were interested (I grew up in that area) It is a good place - play areas (under 10s one and over 10s one, its all the same as when i WAS THERE its been well looked after, mainly all wooden, I guess middle of no where so no vandalism! Got a visitor centre I think still and a wee cafe, also picnic areas, nature trails, pond (huge) But honetly if you go and it has been recently raining - even if everywhere else looks dry I can guaruntee Mugdock will be wet underfoot lol.

Barshaw park is fab - animals, play stuff, pond etc could spend best part of a day there. I know its far away but it is a really good park. Am sure local bus stops etc, but I cant advise on that so google may help.

Thanks for this! I live in Ayr and had no idea that kids went free on trains during the week until I looked there. We were planning a train trip to the science centre in a couple of weeks on Saturday but we will save around £36 if we go this Monday!

There is a great pick your own place literally next to Glasgow airport. It is just the other side of the fence bordering the runway. I'm sure you could get there from an airport bus - you would have to walk round the airport perimeter but it can't be that far. It is called East Yonderton Farm. Haven't been this year but last year they had strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries, broccoli and peas. Just don't pick so much you can't cart it home!