Things to do with 3 x 12 year old boys during rainy Scottish summer

[WeAllHaveWings]

Off for two weeks and have 3 x 11-12 year old active boys to entertain (only one of them is mine!)

Looking for things to do in or within an hours drive from East Ayrshire.

Some of the things we've done/will do/or they think they are too old for:

Ryze/Airspace
Power League football
Cinema
X-scape (or is it now Intu) at Braehead Skypark and SnowZone
Blair Drummond
M&Ds is out this year for obvious reasons
Time Capsule / Galleon FunSwim

I was considering the Escape Rooms but not sure if they are too young, or laser tag if anyone can recommend? They are not adverse to outdoor rainy activities if fun.

Exasperated Exploring Dean park is their almost daily haunt just now, its about a 2 1/2 mile walk from our house so they go in the morning with a couple of quid to spend for their lunch at the roll shop nearby and we don't see them until near dinner time. Its good as they can hid under the trees when the rain gets too heavy.

We were down there last night 9-10pm with the dog Pokémon hunting (servers weren't connecting during the day when ds was down there with friends), it was very busy for that time of night with load of teenagers doing the same. Midges by the river were a nightmare! Lots of Pokémon stops and a Gym in the front of the castle if anyone is interested!

Did look at Go Ape as the outdoor stuff looks great, they enjoyed the Skypark at Braehead and a similar thing at their P7 residential trip, but think I need to wait another year or two before they can do it alone (there is no way I'm going up there!).

We used to have an annual trip to Ayr Farm Park which was fantastic, but he thinks they are too old for it now......how can you be too old for big bouncy pillows!!

Never been to Calderglen sounds good if the rain ever goes off!

Sally moors has made me think of the windfarm, haven't been there yet. Might take the dog, anyone know if there are Pokémon up there?

Geocaching, and could you give them a challenge to eg cook a meal over fire or something?

its a pity that Loudon Castle is closed now, my kids loved it at that age and they took tesco clubcard vouchers!

The tesco vouchers are brilliant value and we have used for London castle, m&ds, science centre and once when Edinburgh zoo took them. Pity there are more places in Scotland that take them. London castle was a great day out.

They are away down dean park again today to find more Pokemon stops/Pokemon. think this will be a theme for the next few weeks! Local parks in Ayrshire for Pokemon.

I'm thinking after dean park, Ellington park, Kay park, Irvine beach park, Ayr shore front, calderglen as recommended above. Maybe it will get them into a musem or two, haven't been to kelvingrove for a few years.

All sound good, but still want a big ticket day out currently thinking of the outdoor later and go kart place at cambuslang

Ryze and Airpsace are good but the spectator areas are a bit poor. They have the feel of a not thoroughly cleaned soft play - but then I suppose they are the teenager equivalent.

Foxlake adventures in Dunbar is meant to be good - is that too far to travel?

Foxlake is great - I just presumed too far for OP. Go Country at Kinlochard is also good.

There's a wakepark in Glasgow too?

www.glasgowwakepark.com/activites/wakeboarding/

Foxlake does look good, albeit a bit far. I have seen the Wakepark at Pinkston in action (sometimes go for a walk past it at lunchtime as its near my work) and have been put off by the apparently stagnant water/smell.

Although a work colleague had 8 dc for her sons 14th (I think) birthday there doing canoeing/kayaking and they had a great time as a group.

they are fedup with dean park for today, mainly because pokemon go wont connect.

They've now got a ball and arranged for 8 boys to meet up at the power league astro turf pitches for the rest of the afternoon (Instagram is great for this). Its only recently we've found out children can go on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon (after 2pm) for only £2 a head and play on any unused 5 or 7 aside pitches for as long as they want.

Brilliant value, but don't think its well known as its always really quiet. Although, it is unsupervised (the powerleague building is sometimes closed/unmanned late in the afternoon) and once there was a bit of bother with some older boys throwing stones into the pitches and we had to nip down and sort it out.

Day trip to Cumbrae. Hire tandems/bikes etc and cycle round. Skim stones etc.

Day trip to Arran?

Rouken glen park in East Ren has football pitches next to it and a small cafe

and pokemon

There's that paint ball challenge thing across the road from Matalan in Kilmarnock. Be even better if you could round up some more friends and they could just have their own battles. Ds loved it!

Another vote for Treasure Trails - we have done loads and at £7 a trail it's a very cheap day out.

If they are at all interested in history I'd thoroughly recommend the tours and events at the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre (not far from Silverburn) which is a real behind the scenes peek and it's like something out of Indiana Jones. www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/GMRC/Pages/default.aspx

If they're into computers and coding, look into a great organisation I've found called Coder Dojo - weekly events to teach coding to 8-17 year olds and it's free.

Finlaystone is great too.

Just thought ten pin bowling good too. Or there is a high wires at Loch Lomond shores with a crazy golf and can go out in a pedalo or boat in the loch. Might be a bit far though and joy of scottish weather is it could have changed by time you got there!