Thanks to a change in the school holidays, April has become a bit of a childcare headache. Most children will be off for a fortnight at the start of the month, and then again for a long weekend when Easter comes. If you are struggling to come up with ways to entertain them, check out our list of the best things to do during the holidays.
1. Unit 23 Skatepark, Dumbarton
The Old Bond, 45- 50 Castlegreen Street, Dumbarton
01389 768333
Open Monday-Friday, 12pm-10pm and Saturday-Sunday, 12pm-8pm
£9 for 2 hours, £1 for every hour thereafter
www.unit23skatepark.co.uk
Any mini skating enthusiasts are sure to love Unit 23, which is the largest indoor skatepark in the UK. The 56,000 square-foot facility offers ramps of varying sizes, spread over three different halls, which are designed to suit all ages and skill levels. They also run specialist coaching sessions at the weekends for those who might be a little less confident.
2. Midlothian Snowsports Centre, Edinburgh
Biggar Road, Hillend, Edinburgh
0131 445 4433
Skiing and snowboarding are £12.80 for adults and £8.40 for children, tubing is £10.40 for adults and £8.40 for children
Open Monday-Friday 9.30am -9pm, Saturday and Sunday 9.30am-7pm
Skiing and snowboarding don’t exactly scream ‘springtime’, but the artificial slopes of Midlothian Snowsports Centre offer something a little bit different, with three slopes and a chairlift to take you back up to the top. And if you don’t fancy serious snow sports then they also host tubing sessions: where you fly down the slope in a big inflatable donut. Minimal elegance, maximum thrills.
3. Wee Limits Adventure Academy, Perthshire
Nae Limits Adventure Centre, Ballinluig, near Pitlochry, Perthshire
01796 482600
A day of activities runs from 9.30am-3.30pm
£35 per child for one full day
www.naelimits.co.uk/wee-limits
If you want to drag the youngsters away from their iPads and get them out into the real outdoors, you couldn’t do much better than the Easter Holidays Wilderness Days at the Nae Limits Adventure Centre. Children will be kept busy for a full day of rafting, orienteering, hiking, shelter building, fire lighting, outdoor cooking, tree climbing and zip lining – as well as hot chocolate and marshmallows to finish. Should make for a complaint-free bedtime afterwards.
4. Blair Drummond Safari & Adventure Park
Blair Drummond, near Stirling
Adults, £17.75, children and seniors £14.65
01786 841456
Open every day, 10am-5.30pm
www.blairdrummond.com
One of Scotland’s best-loved family attractions, Blair Drummond is a dream day out for any mini explorers and wannabe David Attenboroughs. You can watch a sea lion show in the indoor pool, drive through the open-air park with lions and zebras (make sure to keep your windows closed) and take a lazy boat ride past the amazing chimp island.
5. Inflatable Fun City, Glasgow Green, Greendyke Street, Glasgow
0141 773 0723
£7.99 to play all day
Open every day until 14th April (and again over Easter weekend), 12pm-6pm
If you don’t like screaming kids en masse, then the Inflatable Fun City probably isn’t the place for you. But for anyone under the age of ten it is sheer bliss: dozens of different bouncy castles (including Minions, Paw Patrol and Frozen), a 30ft inflatable slide, water walkers, an inflatable run through challenge, and a hook a duck game.
6. Landmark Forest Adventure Park, Carrbridge
Landmark Forest Adventure Park, Carrbridge, Aviemore, Inverness-shire
0800 7313446
Adults £21.45, children £19.20, senior £19.20
Open every day, 10am-6pm
www.landmarkpark.co.uk
The ticket prices might look steep, but there are probably enough activities going on at Landmark to keep youngsters busy for the entire Easter break. There are towers to climb, mazes to get lost in and adventure playgrounds to explore, as well as optical illusion rooms, a high ropes course, climbing walls, and even a rollercoaster. But the best bit of all is the trio of huge water slides – the Falcon, the Wildcat and the Otter – which children will love to ride over and over (and over) again.
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7. Doonies Farm, Aberdeen
Coast Road, Nigg, Aberdeen
01224 875879
Open every day during the holidays, 10am-4pm
Adults £4, children £3
www.dooniesfarm.co.uk
Offering something different to most family farms, Doonies specialises in rare and endangered breeds of livestock. If you pay £1 for a bag of feed you can get up close to unusual animals like Eriskay ponies, Tamworth pigs and Golden Guernsey goats – with children allowed to both pet and feed the animals.
8. Rothiemurchus Segway Trekking, Cairngorms
Rothiemurchus Centre, Rothiemurchus, near Aviemore
01479 812345
£35 per person for one hour (age and height restrictions apply)
Open Wednesday-Sunday, various times
www.rothiemurchus.net
If you’ve been to any European capital city over the last few years, you will have probably seen groups of tourists whizzing around on segways. In a busy city centre the machines are a bit of a nuisance, but in an open space like Rothiemurchus you can really enjoy them to their full potential, flying across moorland and through forests with total freedom.
9. Oceans of Fun at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh
Holyrood Road, Edinburgh
0131 550 7800
Adults £14, children £8.80
Open every day, 10am-5.30pm (Oceans of Fun runs until 21 April)
www.dynamicearth.co.uk
Thankfully, we are all now much more aware about the damage we are doing to our precious oceans. From 6 to 22 April, a ticket to Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth will also include access to a raft of activities that are specifically aimed at showing kids how important our oceans really are. A particular standout is Revealing Scotland’s Coral Reefs (17 and 19 April), where children can get hands-on with real reef samples and make their own coral creation to take home.
10. Spring Has Sprung Treasure Hunt, RSPB Loch Lomond
RSPB Loch Lomond, High Wards Farm, Gartocharn, West Dunbartonshire
01389830670
Open 10am-4pm, every day until 14th April
£2 per child, £1.50 for RSPB members
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/loch-lomond
A mix of woodlands and wetlands, this RSPB reserve on the banks of Loch Lomond offers great views and walking trails – regardless of whether or not you see any birds. But, if you’re taking part in the carefully planned Spring Has Sprung treasure hunt, then you should get to see a great variety of wildlife, with ospreys even known to be spotted there. Simply grab a map from the nature hub and get going.
11. Rothesay Castle, Bute
Castlehill Street, Rothesay, Bute
01700 502 691
Adult £5, children £3
Open every day, 9.30am- 5.30pm
Children will love this traditional storybook castle, with a huge water-filled moat that comes complete with resident ducks. Explore the grand old halls, the restored dungeons and the perfectly-manicured grounds, as well as taking in great views of the harbour from the battlements.
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12. Glentrool Mountain Biking Trail, Galloway
Glentrool, Newton Stewart, Galloway Forest Park
Grab your bikes and prepare to get muddy at the Glentrool mountain biking trail, where you can explore forests, glens and enjoy views over the stunning Loch Trool. The trails offer fun routes for families and those easing themselves into mountain biking, with the option of more challenging paths for those that feel up to it.
13. Rollerstop Roller Rink, Glasgow
139 Middlesex Street, Kinning Park, Glasgow
0141 429 7298
£9.50 with skate hire, £7 without
Session times vary
www.rollerstop.co.uk
With a disco ball and colourful lights making it look straight out of a 1980s rom com, Rollerstop will be as much of a treat for nostalgic parents as it will for kids. Beginners are welcomed just as warmly as pro skaters, with plenty of help on offer if you fall and a surprisingly impressive café to treat yourself in after you finish.
14. Avertical world, Dundee
7 Blinshall Street, Dundee
01382 201901
Adults £10-£8, juniors £6
Open Monday-Friday, 11am-10pm and Saturday-Sunday, 10am-7pm
www.averticalworld.co.uk
This indoor climbing centre offers the chance to do three types of rope climbing as well as ‘bouldering’: where you climb low level walls, without a wire, above crash mats. It is much about problem solving as physical strength, and will tire out even the most energetic children for at least a few hours afterwards.
15. Blackstone Clydesdales, Ayrshire
Blackstone Farm, Rigg Road, Cumnock, Ayrshire
01290 421 639
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-6pm
£10 per person for a one-hour walking tour
www.blackstoneclydesdales.co.uk
The sturdy, white-footed Clydesdale horses are famous the world over. Any equestrian kids will love meeting the Clydesdales who live at the Blackstone farm –along with Highland cows and other animals – with the opportunity to try riding them for an additional cost.
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