Stop of en route to Aberdeen with wee ones?

[mamahibou]

Hiya. We are traveling from Ayrshire to Aberdeen soon with a just turned 3 year old and an 8 month old. Does anyone have any ideas of good places to stop off en route? It's a 3 hour trip so I'm hoping to start morning nap for wee-est and then stop for a good 3-4 hours and then get back in car after lunch for last hour and a half-2 hours. So ideally somewhere that we can spend a good amount of time in but doesn't add in a lot of additional travel time. Thanks

Stop off! Not of.

Discovery Point or the Science centre in Dundee both worth considering. Brechin Castle would probably be a bit too far up the road for you (about 50 min out of Aberdeen) but also good for a toilet stop and a snack if need be.

Safari Park?

Soft play?

If it's a nice day, MacRosty Park in Crieff is fab (and then you have to visit Gordon & Durward's sweetie shop - it's the law, according to my Granny anyway ).

My lot are a little older but they loved Doune Castle. It's

If you're willing to do a longer spell first, Camperdown Park is in Dundee. My lot loved it.

It's?! I need to proofread properly!

www.auchingarrich.co.uk/

or

www.activekidsadventurepark.co.uk/

or

briarlandsfarm.co.uk/

or Perth or Dundee swimming pools if the weather is poor.

or pull into Stirling and do Kings Park and a lunch and a stroll about the town or visit to the castle.

This place is fantastic and on your way, although perhaps not far enough up the road? http://briarlandsfarm.co.uk.

However I am slightly incredulous at your need to break up a 3 hour drive with a 3-4 hour stop 😂 For us it would just be a quick change and feed at the services and crack on?

i probably wouldn't stop either....tbh if you want to stop 90mins south of Aberdeen then that's Perth and there's bugger all to do that won't take you ages to find so you may as well just get to your end goal!

Having said that Cairnie Farm at Cupar is nice, but not really on the way unless you cross to Edinburgh and up through Fife

oooh or...getting into this now...the Kelpies, I believe there's a great kids park affair there...Helix Centre I think it is called, but again, that's cutting across, rather than the more direct route

I regularly do Stirling to Aberdeen and back in one day with 2 pre-school DC's, I've never stopped during the journey as I'd rather just get to where I'm going.

We used to do a stop off in Perth between Stirling and Aviemore :) Usually can't get into accommodation until mid afternoon but we liked to head off after breakfast.

Thank you for all the ideas so far. I am excited to check them all out. We are stopping off firstly to make a day of it and secondly because my sister doesn't finish work 'til 5 (who we are staying with for the first time since she moved) and she wants to show us the kid friendly stuff when we get there.

Camperdown park at Dundee. Good playpark and wee zoo (which you have to pay for) which is great for wee ones. Also has a café. Right off the A90 so not much of a diversion.
Alternatively, you could stay on the A90 towards Aberdeen and divert to Forfar to visit murton farm. They have animals, a café and a playpark for the kids. There's an entrance fee (but I reckon Camperdown would be just as good)

Lunan Bay- take a sledge and go dune surfing

Camperdown is horrific - the animals all look so miserable; it's a really depressing place.

I'd just head to Broughty Ferry if it's a nice day, do the beach, have lunch. There's not much to do at Dundee Science Centre, and the interactive stuff is generally broken, so I wouldn't waste my money there (although you can get it on Tesco Clubcard vouchers).

If you do go into Dundee though, you could have lunch, go to the Museum/Art Gallery, then to the city centre Waterstones which is very child-friendly. Get your eldest a book for the rest of the journey. There's a good swimming pool too with easy parking before you go into the city centre proper, so you could spend time there perhaps and wear them out?