Wellness is the hot trend on everyone’s lips and the classic interpretation found in the relaxing hot stone massages and warm saunas at Scotland’s spa hotels is an easy-sell for parents. But wellness is also about taking time out for authentic experiences, creating lifelong memories and developing new hobbies, and this is something the whole family can get on board with.
VisitScotland have come up with some sensationally exciting, invigorating and fun activities to fit any style of family wellness break.
As an added bonus, they’re all guaranteed to ease kids effortlessly off devices and into the great outdoors, since a digital detox is what everybody needs these days, whatever age they are.
Take some time to get back to nature and let your family rediscover their sense of wellbeing.
South of Scotland (Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway)
© VisitScotland – 7stanes Mountain Biking Trails
1/11 7stanes Mountain Biking Trails, south of Scotland
The south of Scotland is made for mountain biking. It has masses of rugged countryside, hills, huge forests, heaps of coast, and it also has the 7stanes Mountain Biking Trails, making it incredibly easy for families to choose the right adventure to match kids’ ages and stages.
You’ll find all sorts of gentle trails within easy reach of Edinburgh: downhill challenges close to Dumfries, woodland rides through Galloway Forest Park, technical trails at Newcastleton, and plenty others in between. All routes are well-marked and graded in order of difficulty, from easy-going green to tough black. And if you’re looking for advice and tips or somewhere to practice core skills, that’s what the 7stanes Mountain Biking Centres do best.
Lowdown on 7stanes Mountain Biking Centres
Where:
- Kirroughtree Visitor Centre, Galloway Forest Park, Newton Stewart
- Glentrool Visitor Centre, Newton Stewart
- Dalbeattie, Dumfries & Galloway
- Mabie Forest, Dumfries & Galloway
- Forest of Ae, Dumfries & Galloway
- Newcastleton Forest, Liddesdale, Scottish Borders
- Innerleithen, Tweeddale, Scottish Borders
- Glentress Forest, Peebles, Scottish Borders
Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland for 12 Amazing Glamping Experiences in the South of Scotland
Find out more about 7stanes Mountain Biking Centres for feel-good family fun
© VisitScotland – Auchencairn, Solway Firth
2/11 Laggan Outdoor, near Gatehouse-of-Fleet
With wild moors and the sparkling Solway Coast, Laggan Outdoor is blessed with soothing surroundings, but it also offers a mighty wild adventure. This outdoor activity centre in Dumfries & Galloway has a never-ending range of fun activities like zorbing, grass sledging, water-balling, archery and outsize ziplining on one of Europe’s longest and loftiest wires. Even the Segway tours are more of a thrilling expedition. You can expect some stunned silences at the spectacular views as well – what better way to catch your breath after adrenaline activities galore.
Lowdown on Laggan Outdoor
Where: Laggan Outdoor, near Gatehouse-of-Fleet
How to get there:
- Two hours’ drive south of Glasgow.
- Two hours, 35 minutes’ drive south west of Edinburgh.
- Kids can travel for as little as £1 with ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid tickets
Prices: Laggan Outdoor day-packages from £40 per person. Including combos of zorbing, water-balling, grass sledging, clay pigeon shooting, segway tours and archery.
Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland for family accommodation in Gatehouse of-Fleet
Find out more about Laggan Outdoor and feel-good family fun
© The Cocoabean Company outdoor play area
3/11 The Cocoabean Company, Twynholm, near Kirkcudbright
Taking chocolate’s famous feel-good factor to a whole new level is what it’s all about at The Cocoabean Company. Essentially, it’s a world of the sweet stuff, so pretty much heaven for most humans, and irresistible to kids.
Junior chocolatiers are born at the Children’s Chocolate Making Workshops that are held all year round. The cute Cocoabean Café lets you choose indulgent treats or just simple, healthy home-cooking. Have a coffee while the kids are off being creative and then top it all off with some fun at the outdoor play area, complete with its own mega dinosaur, castle maze and giant slides.
Lowdown on The Cocoabean Company
Where: Ashland, Twynholm, Kirkcudbright
How to get there:
- Two hours’ drive south of Glasgow.
- Two hours, 30 minutes’ drive south west of Edinburgh.
- Kids can travel for as little as £1 with ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid tickets
Prices: Chocolate Workshops (35-45 minutes): three to 18 year olds, £16.
Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland for family accommodation in Kirkcudbright.
Find out more about The Cocoabean Company for feel-good family fun
Perthshire
© VisitScotland – Nae Limits tubing
4/11 Nae Limits, Ballinluig, Perthshire
Beautiful Perthshire has romantic landscapes in abundance but can also be spectacularly rugged too. With rushing rivers, great glens and lots of rolling hills within easy reach of Scotland’s major cities, it’s the ideal spot to take your family for an escape to the outdoors. Nae Limits Activity Centre will deliver outdoors aplenty, and because they are brilliantly family-friendly and specialise in small-group sizes, it’s the perfect place to build kids’ confidence, even those as young as six. In terms of activities, they’re talking about experiences like river rafting, gorge walking, canyoning, whitewater tubing, quad biking and paintballing – there really is an adventure for everyone. All equipment and instruction is included in the cost of activities and the centre’s also fully AALA licensed.
Lowdown on Nae Limits
Where: Ballinluig, Pitlochry, Perthshire
How to get there:
- 35 minutes’ drive north of Perth.
- One hour, 35 minutes’ drive north of Edinburgh.
- Kids can travel for as little as £1 with ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid tickets
Prices: Family Adventure Pass: 2 x adults and 2 x children (under 14), from £120.
Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland for family accommodation in Perthshire.
Find out more about Nae Limits for feel-good family fun
© VisitScotland – Kenmore, Perthshire
5/11 Mains of Taymouth Pony Trekking, Perthshire
Nothing reboots your sense of wellbeing better than getting back to nature, and that’s exactly what you can expect on a family pony trek round the Mains of Taymouth Country Estate in Kenmore. A traditional horseback ride is the best way to explore 120 acres of perfectly peaceful countryside and the calming presence of these well-behaved ponies means that kids as young as four can try trekking, no prior riding experience required. If you do have a bit of equestrian know-how, however, the two hour experienced rides are also available for riders aged 12 and over.
Lowdown on Mains of Taymouth
Where: Mains of Taymouth Country Estate & Golf Course, nr Aberfeldy, Perthshire
How to get there:
- One hour, 40 minutes’ drive north of Glasgow.
- One hour, 50 minutes’ drive north west of Edinburgh.
- Kids can travel for as little as £1 with ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid tickets
Prices:
- Pony trekking, from £20 per person.
- Two hour Experienced Ride (over 12s), from £60 per person.
Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland for family accommodation in and around Aberfeldy.
Find out more about the Mains of Taymouth for feel-good family fun
Stirling
© Blair Drummond Safari Park
6/11 Blair Drummond Safari Park, near Stirling
Blair Drummond Safari Park is one of Scotland’s top family attractions, and has been for generations. The sight of lions, rhinos, zebras and monkeys roaming free in the heart of Scotland just never gets old!
The traditional drive-thru safari is still the biggest thrill, but a boat trip to Chimp Island comes a close second, and quite a few visitors now choose Lemur Land as their favourite: a walk through trees with some of earth’s cutest and nosiest creatures playing in the branches overhead is hard to beat. Don’t forget to leave time for the iconic sea lion shows and bird of prey demonstrations, they’re included in the family ticket price, along with everything else at Blair Drummond.
Once kids have admired the safari park’s exotic animals, head to nearby Briarlands Farm to meet some more domestic varieties: help feed the rabbits and guinea pigs, explore the intriguing Maize Maze, or just play for hours in the fabulous Fun Yard.
Lowdown on Blair Drummond Safari Park
Where: Blair Drummond, Stirling
How to get there:
- 10 minutes’ drive north east of Stirling.
- 37 minutes’ drive north of Glasgow.
- 55 minutes’ drive north west of Edinburgh.
- Kids can travel for as little as £1 with ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid tickets
Prices: Adult, from £16.50. Child (ages 3 – 15) from £13.50. Under threes, free.
Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland for family accommodation in and around Stirling.
Find out more about Blair Drummond Safari Park for feel-good family fun
East Lothian
© Foxlake Adventures
7/11 Foxlake Adventures, near Dunbar, East Lothian
Cable wakeboarding is described as a cross between surfing and snowboarding and your kids can give it a go for themselves at Foxlake Adventures, Scotland’s first cable wakeboard park. The Pay & Wake taster sessions are perfect for newbies, and the team here are so good at getting young boarders up on the water first time, they have a money-back-guarantee.
And the thrills don’t stop at wakeboarding. Foxfall is the park’s challenge-packed overwater rope-course – the only one of its kind in the UK; Ringo Rides tow up to 10 riders across the lake at speed, aboard giant inflatables; you can soar through the treetops for hours on the mammoth, high-flying ZipTrail; or there’s off-road guided Segway.
Lowdown on Foxlake Adventures
Where: Dunbar, East Lothian
How to get there:
- 38 minutes’ drive east of Edinburgh city centre.
- Kids can travel for as little as £1 with ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid tickets
Prices:
- Pay & Wake taster session: child, £18; adult, £25.
- Foxfall overwater rope-course (50 min): child, £16; adult, £19.
- ZipTrail (up to two hours): child, £22; adult, £26.
Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland for family accommodation in East Lothian
Find out more about Foxlake Adventures and feel-good family fun
© VisitScotland – Scottish Seabird Centre
8/11 Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick
If you think birdwatching might be hard to sell to kids, go see how they do things at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick. The newly refurbished Discovery Centre will re-open in April and is packed with interactive technology that little digital savvy fingers will love; like live webcams that let them zoom on local islands and check out hordes of colourful puffins on the Isle of May or observe the world’s largest colony of Northern Gannets on Bass Rock (best sightings April-August).
And if that isn’t in-real-life enough for kids, try an island catamaran cruise or hop aboard a RIB for a Seabird Safari. Birdwatching boat trips run every day from May to September – weather permitting. And speaking of weather, the Scottish Seabird Centre has the only seaside sundeck in East Lothian and the views over the Firth of Forth on a clear day are incredible.
Lowdown on the Scottish Seabird Centre
Where: The Harbour, North Berwick, East Lothian.
How to get there:
- 45 minutes’ drive east of Edinburgh.
- One hour, 20 minutes’ drive east of Glasgow.
- Kids can travel for as little as £1 with ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid tickets
Prices:
- Discovery Centre Family Ticket (2 x adults, 2 x children), from £22.50.
- Seabird Safari, catamaran cruise, landing cruise: adult, from £24; child, from £13.
Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland for family accommodation in and around North Berwick.
Find out more about the Scottish Seabird Centre for feel-good family fun
Aberdeenshire
© Go Ape
9/11 Go Ape in Perthshire, Aberdeenshire or The Scottish Borders
Scotland’s mighty forests are a natural habitat for Go Ape: the high-ropes’ legends responsible for turning treetops into extreme adventure playgrounds, introducing kids and grown-ups to some of the longest and fastest zipwires in the UK, and basically allowing anyone over the age of 10 to believe they really can fly.
Go Ape, Aberfoyle is in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park at the heart of the historic Trossachs, just over an hour from Glasgow. If you want stately heritage with your Tarzan Swings, Go Ape at Crathes Castle is 40 minutes west of Aberdeen. Or head to the Scottish Borders for ultimate zip lining at Go Ape in Glentress Forest, an hour south of Edinburgh.
Lowdown on Go Ape
Where:
- Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, near Aberfoyle, Perthshire
- Crathes Castle, near Banchory, Aberdeenshire
- Glentress Forest, near Peebles, The Scottish Borders
How to get there:
- Go Ape Aberfoyle is an hour’s drive north of Glasgow.
- Go Ape Crathes Castle is 40 minutes’ drive east of Aberdeen.
- Go Ape Glentress Forest is an hour’s drive south of Edinburgh.
- Kids can travel for as little as £1 with ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid tickets
Prices: Tree Top Adventure, 2-3 hour rope course challenge, from £25 per child.
Where to stay: Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland for family accommodation in Aberfoyle, Aberdeenshire and Peebles
Find out more about Go Ape for feel-good family fun
Highlands
© VisitScotland – Landmark Forest Adventure Park, Carrbridge
10/11 Landmark Forest Adventure Park, Cairngorms National Park
As you might expect, the Landmark Forest Adventure Park has all the ingredients for the perfect family adventure. It’s the only place in the world where kids can test their wits in the puzzle-packed Bamboozeleum, explore Wonderwood’s physics-defying Spinning Vortex, or try the Topsy-Turvy and Growing-Shrinking Rooms. Kids can find out if they really are 98% ape on the phenomenal RopeworX high-rope course or take to the skies in skydiving simulators. And if that isn’t enough, they can take a ride on real-life water coasters and woodland rollercoasters before chilling out with a stroll through a butterfly and tropical plant filled hothouse.
That’s just a hint of the amazement stored up in this one-of-a-kind attraction, which also happens to be near the Cairngorms National Park – the biggest and wildest national park in the whole of the UK.
Lowdown on Landmark Forest Adventure Park
Where: Carrbridge, Cairngorms National Park, Inverness-shire
How to get there:
- 35 minutes’ drive south east of Inverness.
- Kids can travel for as little as £1 with ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid tickets
Prices: Family tickets: adult, £6.90; child (4-14 years), £5.80; under fours, free.
Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland for family accommodation near Cairngorms National Park.
Find out more about Landmark Forest Adventure Park for feel-good family fun
Events
© VisitScotland – The Solheim Cup at Gleneagles
11/11 Solheim Cup 2019, Gleneagles, Perthshire
With such busy family lives, it’s easy to miss out on amazing experiences when they’re right on your doorstep. Don’t let this amazing 2019 opportunity slip away and take your family to experience the Solheim Cup while it’s in Scotland this September.
Scotland is the home of golf and 2019 is going to be an extra-special year as Gleneagles hosts the biggest international competition in women’s golf. It’s shaping up to be one of most family-friendly sporting events, including special family package tickets with on-site parking at the venue.
It’s not just about watching the golf and sparking your kids’ excitement for a new hobby, there’s going to be a ton of extra activities for all the family in a dedicated area, like child friendly catering, soft play, cinema and face painting.
Lowdown on the Solheim Cup 2019
Where: The PGA Centenary Course, Gleneagles, Perthshire
Tickets: Children under-16 are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a paying adult (prior registration is required) or family tickets are available from £50 per day.
How to get there:
- 48 minutes’ drive north east of Glasgow.
- One hour’s drive north west of Edinburgh.
- Kids can travel for as little as £1 with ScotRail’s Kids for a Quid tickets
Where to stay: Take a look at VisitScotland’s guide to the Solheim Cup