Pollok House
Pollok Country Park, Glasgow (pictured)
It’s that time of year when the Easter bunny begins leaving chocolate eggs around in parks and gardens for hungry hunters to discover.
Though there’s no beating your own back garden for convenience, the hunt has even more thrill when the terrain is less familiar and much bigger.
There’s also the competition from other hunters, out to get their mitts on the delicious treasure before you.
Pollok House has a scheduled hunt at 10am each day from April 19 to 22 for an additional £2 per child, on top of admission charges to the historic stately home, which is host to an impressive collection of Spanish art works.
It was here, in the House’s cedar-panelled smoking room where discussions for the founding of the National Trust for Scotland took place, back in 1931.
House of Dun
Montrose, Angus
In House of Dun, architect William Adam, considered one of the foremost Scottish architects of the 18th century, created a building which looks straight from a Jane Austen novel.
Contrasting the Georgian elegance of its exterior with baroque extravagance inside, the house has a rich history, much of which you can read about in the guidebook, which also includes a pull-out map of the grounds.
As well as a picnic area, play park and fairy hunt in the grounds, the gardens will host scheduled egg hunts at 11am each day from April 19 to 22.
Entry prices apply to visit the house, but there’s plenty more to be seen outdoors. Situated nearby is Montrose Basin Nature Reserve, noted for birds such as pink-footed geese, mute swans and redshanks.
Explorers Garden
Pitlochry, Perthshire
Though no official egg hunt is scheduled at present, the recently reopened Explorers Garden situated next to Pitlochry’s Festival Theatre, offers a wealth of family-friendly fun.
Laid out over six acres, the woodland garden celebrates the stories and findings of some of the world’s most successful plant hunters such as David Douglas and Archibald Menzies, the Perthshire surgeon and botanist who introduced the monkey puzzle tree to the UK.
Visitors can also enjoy the views across the Tummel valley and spotting unexpected art and installations, numerous varieties of birds and the garden’s resident red squirrels.
Glencoe National Nature Reserve
Highlands
Despite having views, nature and history so stunning that you’ll soon forget chocolate (for a while, at least), Glencoe Nature Reserve are hosting hunts at 10am each day from April 19 to 22 at £3 per child.
The sight of children in bunny ears collecting eggs in perhaps the most famous – and emotive - landscape in Scotland will surely be a little surreal. Wrap up warm if you’re hunting, and explore the visitor centre to learn about the glen, its wildlife and the families who once lived there.
Harmony Garden
Melrose, Scottish Borders
If you are looking for some holiday respite and a hunt that’s perhaps a little less rabid, the scented borders and manicured lawns of the Harmony Garden in Melrose are designed to leave you feeling relaxed and balanced.
Breaking the peace each day from April 19 to 22 at 10am will be a scheduled egg hunt (£2 per child). If that’s not your scene, enjoy the views the garden affords of the nearby Eildon Hills and Melrose Abbey.
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