Please help me plan a week in Scotland ... from this Saturday!!!

[Honeymoonmummy]

Last minute dot com as usual - we only decided yesterday that we're going to go camping in Scotland this Saturday for a week. Neither of us know Scotland v well, I have relatives in Ayr so Sat/ Sun we'll stay in a hotel in/ on way to Ayr and see relatives then move onto camping, but don't know where to camp or where we should visit (other than Tobermory!!).

Please can someone help me to plan our trip, what are must-see places to go? We have two DC, 5 and 7, so where we go will be largely dictated by places which appeal to them.

Thanks in advance!

East coast in general tends to be more breezy and less midgy and drier though cooler than west.

Hi all, I've not had 3G all day so unable to update. Slight problem - tore a massive hole in the roof of our agent tent this morning so have just picked up a new one, luckily found a bargain near Edinburgh. Now on way to campsite near North Berwick. Will hopefully have a day in Edinburgh and stirling so keep the tips coming - esp if there's a good "what's on" website for holiday activities. 30 mins away from site, not had tea and need to put new tent up yet ... Oh and it's currently raining ... Think someone telling us to go home...!

Tent not "agent tent" ...!

Oh dear :( sorry you are having such bad luck with the weather - it's been very miserable all summer.

What things do you enjoy doing? (apart from getting wet that is...)

You can get ferry from North Berwick to Anstruther - best fish and chip shop is there!

You have the National Museum of Flight down where you are heading - never been but it's apparently recently been all redone and it gets a good write up. Think some coastal castles too.

Lovely beach at Gullane and Haddington is a nice wee village - can't remember too much about it though.

Other things for Edinburgh - Indoors - Dynamic Earth, outdoors - squirrel feeding in the Botanic Gardens or might still be some in Princes street gardens, I think they've also just finished the flower clock in the gardens at the bottom of the Mound, If they are okay with heights then the Scott Monument will give good views. The National Museum is really good and you can go see greyfriars bobby statue and tell them the story.

Stirling Castle is better than Edinburgh castle - not just my view. So if you are doing Stirling then don't be tempted to do Edinburgh Castle.

Thanks all. We've had the most amazing weather the past two days, it's rescued the holiday no end! North Berwick is just gorgeous and the campsite is perfect (Tantallon Caravan and Camping park), we'll definitely stay here again despite a 4 hour drive!

We've decided to leave Edinburgh for another time because we can quite easily get there by train and do that as a separate weekend. We're going to go to Stirling castle tomorrow - thanks for the recommendation - and then going home Saturday

Thanks all for your help and sympathy!!

Oh and DH and DS did the museum of flight today and really enjoyed it

Ah that's good to hear :)

I hope you enjoy the castle after the recommendation. Not sure if you are looking for anything else to do or places to eat?

I think the weather is to be nice so you could park down by Kings Park and there is a walk that takes you up to the Castle (the back walk). The graveyard up at the church of the Holy rude is quite interesting and you get lovely views from the castle over to the Wallace Monument. you'd need to take the car or a bus up to the Monument. There is a new cafe that's opened up just near the castle that seems to get a good write up. We like Hermanns which is also up that way if you want something a little more formal. Papa Joe's is a favourite with my kids. There's Corrieri's up near the monument or take a drive just along towards the hillfoots and go to the Coffee Bothy.

Kings park itself has a big playpark or there is one next to Corrieri's in Causewayhead and walk up through the woods to the monument. you can walk up to it and get the views without paying to climb it.

Anything else you want to know, give me a shout.

Witches Craig in sterling. Book by phone 3days before. . Blair Drummond safari Park. Strawberry farm with activities along the same road!! William Wallace museum also a must!!

You're a star Wankers!! So we look for the park car park then? We're on our way now. I've made a packed lunch.

Whereabouts is the strawberry farm? We might do that afterwards.

If you don't want to do the normal play park then you'd probably be as well to take the car right up to the Castle and park there.

The strawberry place is Briarlands farm. You head back towards the motorway (M9 junction 10) and then it might say M9 North (Perth) or something that will take you to Craigforth Roundabout. Take the road towards Callendar and then take the same turn off as you would for the Safari Park but take the right fork. I think it shuts at half 5 so you may struggle to fit everything in,

briarlandsfarm.co.uk/

Do not take the turn off on the Motorway to Perth though, sorry if that was confusing. If you do do that then don't panic, it will take you up towards Dunblane (about 4 miles up the road but the motorway ends there with a roundabout that you an turn around and come back down again). I've done that twice before I moved here :)

There is also:

www.wellsfield.co.uk/farmpark.aspx

Which is on the road to Denny so more heading South than Briarlands though no strawberrys I don't think. Postcode is FK6 6QZ, it also closes at 5.30 and you'd then either head back the way you came for the motorway or down through Denny and onto the M876 and then back onto M9

We've just finished at the castle, going to head back to north Berwick and eat in an hour, any suggestions where to eat?

I hope you enjoyed it. Eat in North Berwick? I'm afraid I don't know the area well. If you are heading round the by pass and are looking to stop en-route there are the usual Frankie and Bennys, Nandos and McDonalds as well as A Sainsbury's, Ikea and Costco at Straiton junction. Theres's The Steading just off to the left on the junction prior to that (hillend junction I think) but I haven't been there in donkeys. I am sure there was a new restaurant just off to the right of the same junction but can't remember what type. The bypass will get pretty busy at that time of day so it may make sense to come off anyway.

The Bridge Inn at Ratho always get a good review but you'd need to come off the M9 at newbridge before joining the M8 and I think it's the only place to eat there so if they didn't have a table or you didn't fancy it then you'd have detoured for nothing.

Hi all, I just came back to thank you all for your help. I won't say it was the best holiday ever mainly due to the weather, but we will definitely to back to North Berwick and explore that side of the country again, it was beautiful. Oh and the boat in Troon was awesome!

Do come back 😊