Overworked and all too often under-appreciated, mums fully deserve to be treated when Mother’s Day rolls around. But rather than just getting her a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates, why not treat her to something a bit different this year? We’ve found 15 thoughtful things you can do to show you care.
1. Take her for afternoon tea
Boclair House Hotel, 100 Milngavie Road, Bearsden, Glasgow
0141 942 4278
Afternoon tea is £19.50 per person
www.boclairhousehotel.co.uk
Once thought of as a bit of an old-fashioned activity, afternoon tea is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Bearsden’s Boclair House offers a stylish version of a traditional high tea, with delicate sandwiches and delightful cakes served alongside Twining’s finest brews. A glass of bubbly can also be added on.
2. Book her a massage
Pure Spa: locations in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh
Prices vary depending on treatment, but a Mother’s Day Spa Package is £79
0843 507 1888
www.purespauk.com
Your mother will have spent countless hours looking after you, so now it’s time to look after her. Booking a massage will ensure she feels thoroughly pampered and de-stressed, with Pure Spa offering treatments of varying lengths and costs. They are also running a Mother’s Day package that includes a spa facial, massage, skincare gift set and complimentary refreshments.
3. Go for a country walk
Dunblane, Stirling
Spending money is all well and good, but spending time with your mother is more important. Try heading out for a scenic walk together, with the riverside route from Dunblane to Ashfield offering a particularly pretty backdrop. This straightforward, flat walk leads from Dunblane Cathedral to the nearby village of Ashfield, where you can either walk back again or get the bus back to where you started.
4. Go shopping
West On The Green, Templeton Building, Glasgow Green, Glasgow
0141 550 0135
Free entry (but a donation to Glasgow North-East Foodbank is advised)
www.westonthegreen.com
If your mum enjoys retail therapy, she is sure to enjoy a wander round the Mother’s Day Market at West on the Green. The indoor market will host stalls from a variety of independent traders, including flowers, fashion, crafts and beauty treatments. As an added bonus, dogs are welcome along too.
5. Get her hair blow dried
Blow, 1060 Argyle Street and 243 Kilmarnock Road, Glasgow
0141 222 2062
Blow dry costs £29.50
Open Monday-Friday, 10am-8pm and Saturday, 9am-7pm
www.ohblow.com
It might not seem like much, but getting her hair blow dried is likely to make your mother feel instantly glamorous. If you want to make sure she feels truly pampered, then there are few places better than Glasgow’s trendy Blow salons, where complimentary cocktails and popcorn are offered to every customer.
6. Make (and eat) some chocolate
Cocoa Black Chocolate School, 1-3 Cuddybridge, Peebles,
01721 723 764
The half-day classes are £50 for two hours and £75 for three hours
www.cocoablack.com/chocolate-pastry-school
Why just buy chocolates when you can make your own? The Cocoa Black Chocolate School lets you and your mum do just that, with classes teaching you how to make chocolate truffles, praline and chocolate caramels, among others. It is open to all, even beginners with no chocolate-making experience.
7. Go see a film
New Picture House, 117 North Street, St Andrews, Fife
01334 474902
www.nphcinema.co.uk
Taking your mum to the cinema doesn’t sound particularly special, but the New Picture House in St Andrews is a far cry from the soulless multiplexes that populate most cities. First opened in 1930, the cinema has three screens –complete with period features – that show all of the most recent films. If you want to make your mum feel extra special, they also have VIP seats with leather reclining chairs and a free drink of your choice.
8. Take her to a pottery painting studio
The Craft Pottery, 48-54 Washington Street, Ground Floor, Suite 16, Glasgow
0141 221 1067
£3 flat charge for painting and then prices depend on objects chosen
www.thecraftpottery.co.uk
No longer just for kids, pottery painting is now popular with people of all ages who want to show off their creative side. You can choose an object to paint – using a stencil if you prefer – and then leave it to be finished and glazed. It can prove surprisingly relaxing to let yourself be artistic, particularly when the Craft Pottery has a BYOB policy and no corkage charge.
Outdoors: Five walks to blow away winter cobwebs
9. Sample some gin on a distillery tour
Lilliard Ginnery, Born in the Borders, Lanton Mill, Jedburgh
Open Saturday-Sunday, 11am-3pm
www.lilliardgin.co.uk
With 70 percent of UK-produced gin made north of the border, there are plenty of distilleries to choose from if you want to take your mum for a tour. But Lilliard Gin, near Jedburgh in the Borders, offers tours of its distillery as well as specialist distilling classes, where you can find out how to create your very own unique gin.
10. Get her a face mask from Lush
Lush, 78 Buchanan Street, Glasgow
Face masks available Sunday 31, March, 12pm-4pm
Free
If you want to spoil your mother without breaking the bank, then Lush might have just the thing for you. The firm’s Buchanan Street branch is offering mums (and a guest) the chance to come in and make their own fresh facemask- which will then be expertly applied by the staff in store. And the best part? It’s completely free.
11. Take her for lunch
Twenty Princes Street at 20 Princes Street, Edinburgh
0131 652 7370
Open 12pm-10pm
www.twentyprincesstreet.co.uk
A roast dinner is the Sunday speciality at Twenty Princes Street- making it a great choice for a fuss-free Mother’s Day lunch. Their gourmet cuts of beef, lamb and chicken are served alongside honey-glazed carrots, buttered greens and perfectly crisp Yorkshire puddings, as well as a complimentary glass of prosecco for those attending on Mother’s Day.
12. Go see some live music
Clarks, 80 North Lindsay Street, Dundee
01382 224 925
Open Thursday, 7.30pm-11.30pm, Friday-Saturday, 4.30pm-2:30am and Sunday 5pm-11.30pm
www.clarksonlindsaystreet.com
Your mum might not be the first person you would think to take to see live music. But, at Clarks on Lindsay Street, all are welcome along to their informal weekend music sessions. Sunday evenings are usually reserved for jazz musicians, so if you want to treat your mum on Mother’s Day itself then you could do worse than seeing live jazz.
13. Visit a botanical garden
Inverness Botanical Gardens, Bught Lane, Inverness
01463 713553
Open every day, 10am-4pm
Free entry (donations welcome)
Sitting on a bench and admiring the beauty of a botanic garden is a great way to spend a low-key day. There are plenty to choose from across Scotland, but Inverness’ garden has a particularly lovely collection of ponds, wild flowers and hot houses.
14. Treat her to a cocktail-making class
Jam Jar Aberdeen, The Galleria, Langstane Place, Aberdeen
01224 574237
£19.95 per person for three cocktails
www.jamjaraberdeen.com
The best part of going to a cocktail-making class? Getting to drink them when you are finished. The team at Jam Jar Aberdeen will teach you to make either three or five delicious cocktails, with a complimentary buffet and glass of bubbly for whoever makes the best drink. Bookings can only be made in a group, so you might even have to go along and join in.
Garden of the week: Culzean Castle & Country Park, Ayrshire
15. Go for a Mother’s Day brunch
Hutchesons, 158 Ingram Street, Glasgow
0141 552 4050
Brunch served from 10am-3pm
www.hutchesonsglasgow.com
Brunch is a real meal of the moment, with more and more restaurants offering their own versions of brunch menus. This Mother’s Day, Glasgow’s Hutchesons restaurant will be offering a stylish ‘Bubbles and Brunch’ for £50 for two people: including freshly baked butter croissants, your choice of one of their brunch dishes, a carafe of fresh orange juice and a bottle of fizz to share.
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