Scottish Mums/Dads. Ideas for days out and things to do with DC please.

[MorocconOil]

We're sooooooo excited. We've just booked a motorhome for the middle two weeks of August to tour Scotland. We are planning a round trip but at the moment have no plans about where to go.

I thought we could plan it around any recommendations of great days out, campsites, beaches and things to see and do.

The DC are 8,6 and 3 and very active.

I would love any recommendations from MNetters.

Dont forget about blair drummond safari park. Loads to do there. Also if in west there is Heads of Ayr farm park, lovely for kids and again loads to do.

We're going to the Loch Lomond Aquarium in April. Will report back.

Kelburn country park near Largs is great

Glasgow science centre great too

Heads of Ayr park great too

Time Capsule in Coatbridge good for swimming and ice skating

All the above in the west of Scotland

Oooh expat, is there an aquarium at Loch Lomond?

I love a good aquarium, me.

Do report back.

look out for free childs tickets for aquariums, try www.daysout.com

also check out their website, maybe you could print one off!

They've got OTTERS!

am with kindereggsurprise too on glamis castle and broughty ferry Castle green near to dundee it if FAB we go all the time

dundee also has camperdown park which is good too

blair drummond has otters too

Anyone know where you can see seals? (in the wild preferably) DS1 keeps telling everyone we're going to Scotland and we'll see seals there

I think I saw them in the sea near Inverness once.

ive seen seals in the sea off Inverness too - ive also seen them on Bute and along the Fife coastline - the train goes right along the beach and cliffs and if you look down on low tide they are on the rocks
ive also seen them on the sand dunes along the river tay
the outer hebrides have lots too

Great. Do you reckon it's any time of year? I think it was september when I saw them. We go in August. It would completely bowl DS over if we were to see some.

plockton is a beautiful place to go, and they have seal spotting trips (or they used to, dont take my word for it!)

i think its pretty much any time of year

They'd love a boat trip. Plockton looks lovely.

Ive seen seals off the ayrshire coast too, there was one that swam around the harbour all the time, don't know if it is still there.

Plockton is lovely and they do still have seal trips there. If your children like animals, on Skye (Kylerhea, I think) there's an otter sanctuary too. And also on Skye, at Broadford, there's an interesting Serpentarium - they let you hold the snakes, and there are lizards and tortoises too.

Arran is also great for seals. They loll about on the rocks at Lochranza - hordes of them almost within reach. They also have red squirrels and deer that walk about on the golf course.

In fact, Arran is a lovely place all round IMO.

You can occasionally see seals in the Tay estuary near Dundee. We once saw porpoises there too. I was jumping up and down shouting that there were dolpins in the Tay. DH did not believe me until we saw some photos in the Courier the next day. I think it was an unusual occurance.

Thanks for all your ideas everybody

I went to the Loch Lomond aquarium today as my parents are visiting (only live 3 miles away) and didn't think it was good value for money compared to other ones I have been to. The otters were asleep, lol. They do a feeding show at 11ish for them.

Theres a themepark just outside Glasgow.

The Cairngorm mountain railway in Aviemore is good.

If you like dolphins, you can usually see them jumping off Cromarty point, just outside Inverness. There is also the WDCS centre at Spey Bay.

If your kids like Harry Potter, then stop off at the Glenfinnon Viaduct on your way to somewhere!

Oh thanks for that. They love Harry Potter.