Please tell me your best places to visit within 2 ish hours of Stirling!

[Edenmum2]

Going to Scotland this week with my toddler (and DH and older sisters) and just wondered if there were any hidden gems we should be visiting I may not have heard about. We are based in Stirling and have planned a day in Edinburgh, and then 2 days to explore the landscapes. We love a road trip and nature, any waterfalls, just amazing scenery or anything in particular that kids love (easy to get to castles, or wildlife spots would be great)

Also we would loooove to see some snow. Really, really would. I know it will involve driving to higher ground (considering driving to the cairngorms and going up on the lift) but if anyone has any tips that would be amazing.

Tia

2 days to "explore the landscapes"? In December?! You are crazy. It will be freezing and dark by 4pm. Have a day in Glasgow as well as Edinburgh. Thank me later.

Stirling Castle is stunning, and has a fair bit for children. Quite a bit less busy than Edinburgh Castle. Dress warmly, though, possibly with a flask of hot chocolate!

Dumyat by the hill path is a very popular walk with families, and you get quite a lot of 'mountain' feel with the views for what is relatively little climbing. Or get the train from Stirling to Dunblane, walk along the river to the big play park, lunch in a café, do the animal hunt in the cathedral.

There's loads to do in Glasgow. Museums galleries and parks.
If you're all seasoned hikers, I might go to Ben Lomond. But come prepared. You need proper winter walking gear.
WalkHighlands has loads of walks listed but region.

Blair Drummond safari park if its open!!

I really liked Doune castle, good audio tour.

bracklinn falls just outside Callandar for a waterfall.
Red squirrels in the squirrel hide at Aberfoyle

It's closed Tuesday and Wednesday..
Open the rest of the week..

I drove up the A9 today and there’s no snow, it’s been too mild.

You could explore Perthshire - Pitlochry, Dunkeld and Birnam.

The lanterns at Edinburgh Zoo are also fun if you can spend more time in Edinburgh.

Hiking With a toddler in winter?

Op theres lots of hidden gems that you would love....in the summer. We've had nothing but rain for weeks so would be a pretty miserable experience for being outdoors
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The Kelpies and the Wheel are interesting if you are in that area.
I do think that you need somewhere indoors for your toddler to toddle for a few hours each day.

Falls of Dochart in Killin (waterfalls)

Stirling Castle - great views

Callendar House in Falkirk - good museum for kids, free entry, good play park and space to run around in the grounds. See the kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel too.

Bracklinn Falls? I haven’t been here but came across it googling, isn’t far from Stirling and looks beautiful - you could probably see that and the Falls of Dochart and somewhere else within a short winter day.

Stirling Jail is great for kids. The history centre at Bannockburn just along the road is a good afternoon spent learning about Robert the Bruce. Lovely walk outside afterwards and clear views of both Stirling castle and Wallace monument

Stirling is more interesting to visit than Edinburgh castle. Doune castle is brilliant.

Killin is a good shout from a previous poster and the crannog centre at Loch Tay is also really good.

In terms of stunning scenery and suitability for young children, hit up Loch Lomond, fish and chips in Balloch and walk the path down to the Loch, at the weekend there is a little market at Loch Lomond shores. This is a no hiking version of taking in amazing scenery. You may see snow on hills in the distance. The little boat trip around Loch Katrine is lovely.

As a previous poster has said it's pretty dark most of the day...I hope you get clear crisp weather during daylight hours as otherwise it's pretty gloomy...

Doune castle is great.

we stayed in Callander in the summer and it was lovely with some flat walks - one goes past a Roman camp (only really mounds left of it now). Might be family suitable? Can recommend the macarons at the coffee shop!

I would park in Callander, buy an ice cream (if its not too freezing cold) or fish and chips, and eat it by the lake, which is just behind the high street by the car park. Again, weather depending!

Then visit the little Hamilton Toy Museum on the high street, its only £2 entry for kids, £4 for adults.

Then a brisk walk through woods up to Bracklin Falls.

Callander is the gateway to the Trossachs, so if there are enough daylight hours left, a drive through there is lovely too.

The Kelpies and the country park around, Queen Elizabeth park above Aberfoyle for red squirrels, waterfall and walks, Loch Lomond

Callendar house in Falkirk is in an odd location but an old house with excellent value cafe and extensive parkland to stroll around.

The Wallace monument is fab although you need to be fit to get to the top.
Blair Drummond Safari park is absolutely brilliant.
Callander is a nice town for a wander, with great coffee shops and it has its own toy museum

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g551943-d13925530-Reviews-Loch_Lomond_Faerie_Trail-Luss_Loch_Lomond_and_The_Trossachs_National_Park_Scotla.html
The ferries are still doing trips from Luss pier albeit a limited service and, sounds weird with a 4 year old, but Luss Distillery has a gorgeous cafe and a free walk through exhibition with options to smell local plants etc.

Thanks, we managed Iceland in December so the weather doesn’t bother us. Obviously we won’t be covering it all, just asking for any hidden gems.

Lovely, thank you

Great tips, thank you!

Walk onto the university campus too, the walk around the loch is lovely plenty of swans, ducks and if you walk around the back of the Stirling uni hotel you get a great little wooded walk that ends with a stunning view of the Wallace monument.

I wouldn’t waste the driving time going to the cairngorms there’s not much snow at the moment, it’s a bit meh, as it’s quite mild

Its lovely here cowdengarden.com/