Go pond-dipping, Dumfries & Galloway
Join rangers for a free two-hour pond-dipping session (August 11) at Caerlaverock Wetland Centre, 1,400 acres of wildflower meadows and dragonfly ponds on the north Solway coast. Don’t miss the sculpture trail of steel animals, here until August 28. Adults £8.27, children £4.72 (wwt.org.uk).
Get medieval, Borders
Celebrate Sir Walter Scott’s 250th birthday at Abbotsford, the author’s mansion on the banks of the Tweed. Themed around his famous work Ivanhoe, the inaugural ScottFest will have jesters, jousters, stunt riders, falconry displays, archers and battle re-enacters. August 14-15; adults £13.50, children £7.20 (scottsabbotsford.com).
See a Lego Concorde, East Lothian
The star turns at the National Museum of Flight near East Linton are normally Scotland’s only Concorde, a Red Arrows Hawk and Messerschmitt Komet — but kids will make a beeline for the 20ft Lego Concorde. Made from 60,000 bricks, it’s on display till August 31. Adults £12.50, children £7.50 (nms.ac.uk).
See a motor show, Edinburgh
Take your mini Clarksons to the Royal Highland Centre for the Scottish Festival of Motoring. As well as supercars and motorbikes, there will be stunt shows, drifting demos and rides in Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches. August 15; adults £20, ages 11-16 £10, under-10s free (festivalofmotoring.co.uk).
Visit the book festival, Edinburgh
Join Julia Donaldson, the author of The Gruffalo, for a free hour of songs, stories and drawing demos on the big screen at Edinburgh College of Art, aka Book Festival HQ (August 14). Families will also love the one-hour weekend tours of the Meadows with storytellers, Macastory. £5 (edbookfest.co.uk).
Advertisement
Hit the funfair, Fife
Churning stomachs since Victorian times, Burntisland Funfair is back at the Links with a mix of rides for tots and teens. All too much? Retreat to the Blue Flag beach just below the funfair. Until August 15; entry free, ride prices vary (facebook.com/burntisland.fairground).
Do art at a castle, Perth
Children can make gliders today and clay monuments next Sunday at the Black Watch museum in Balhousie castle, which also has an exhibition from the Highlands’ oldest regiment. Adults £9, children £3.70 + £5 for workshops (theblackwatch.co.uk).
Play old-fashioned games, Argyll & Bute
Head to Ardkinglas estate near Cairndow for a day of garden games, including sack races, tug-of-war and a conkers tournament (£5). Families can also follow a trail through the Victorian pinetum searching for The Gruffalo sculptures. August 15; garden entry £5 adults, £2 children (ardkinglas.com).
Go canyoning, Highland
Based in Kinlochleven behind Europe’s biggest indoor ice wall (ice-factor.co.uk), Vertical Descents offers coasteering and kayaking, rafting and canyoning for adrenaline junkies aged 8+. Their gnarliest trip ascends the Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall on a via ferrata, then abseils down beside the falls. £140pp, ages 14+ (verticaldescents.com).
Ride the Jacobite, Highland
Starting in Fort William, ending in Mallaig, the Jacobite railway is 84 miles of steam train heaven, crossing the Glenfinnan viaduct (scene of Harry Potter’s aerial car chase with the Hogwarts Express) for views of the Small Isles. Adults £49 return, children £28 return (westcoastrailways.co.uk).
Get swinging, Highland
Advertisement
Watch aerial acrobats on 18ft-high stunt swings, then let your kids have a go under supervision from instructors. The Swings can be seen at the Nevis Centre in Fort William today. They then tour Oban, Dunoon, Greenock, Cairndow and Stirling, and finish at Lochwinnoch Arts Festival in Renfrewshire on August 17-18. Free (aerialdance.co.uk).
Pet a cow, Aberdeenshire
All aboard a tractor trailer for a tour of Stonebriggs, a 200-acre farm near Rosehearty (with glamping pods for four from £70). Budding Steve Backshalls can pet Charolais, learn about sheep and ride along cliffs. The tour ends with sweet treats in a 150-year-old bothy. Family tickets from £35 (downonthefarm.net).
Go fishing, Moray
Fish for mackerel with a friendly skipper, Barry Paskins, on two-and-a-half-hour boat trips from Burghead. Prices include all equipment; seals and dolphins are regularly seen along the way, minke whales sometimes dip right under the boat. £140 for a family of four (morayfirthfishingcharters.co.uk).
Learn to surf, Caithness
Sandy of bottom and lapped by reliable North Sea swells, Dunnet beach near Thurso is one of the best learn-to-surf beaches in Scotland, with a surf school headed by Iona McLachlan, the Scottish champion. Two-hour beginners’ lessons £40, including equipment (northcoastwatersports.com). Or try c2csurfschool.com in Dunbar.
