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We are thinking of the summer holidays and having done most of England, thoughts turned to Scotland for a change.
I'd like to see the Falkirk wheel, daughter wants to see those big horses and I'd like to visit Edinburgh.
Aside, from that, we haven't a clue so I'd be happy to receive some pointers, stuff worth visiting and locations to look at for accommodation.
Big Horses = Kelpies
You'd see those on the same day as the Falkirk Wheel I'd guess.
How active is this holiday likely to be?
Any walking, biking, what time if year will make a difference too.
Nowhere more central than dunblane/bridge of Allan. Good biking too.
Not too fussed about biking tbh, it'll be a "traditional" family holiday, sight seeing etc.
Falkirk would be a good place to base yourselves. Easy to get to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling and lots to do in the immediate area and you can take the A9 north for proper hills.
Summer holidays too....aware of the killer midges!
It's not exactly best placed to get about, but have a look at the East Neuk of Fife. Some lovely wee villages, St Andrews to hand, beaches, boat trip out to the Isle of May. Anstruther (fish n chips) Pitenween, (hmmm chocolate shop), Crail.
Edinburgh not far away, probably a bit far to head over the west though. There's a famous shed near Kirkcaldy as well, do t think that's on the tourist trail yet mind you.
I'd go with nobeer, base yourself in Stirling.
Everything is quite central.
Easy to get to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth using the Motorway.
Not far to Loch Lomondside and the Trossachs for some nice scenery.
Nowhere more central than [b]Stirling[/b] dunblane/bridge of Allan. Good biking too.
Loads to do locally, quick hop on train or car to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and city stuff.
Equally, you can be on the shore of a beatiful loch or in a quiet Glen in 30mins.
I'd recommend fife for a family holiday - somewhere around St.Andrews
Great beaches, nice and rural but you can get to edinburgh or the kelpies
Falkirk would be a good place to base yourselves
Especially if you like industrial estates.
If you're into big engineering, etc may North/South Queensferry. A nice big red bridge to look at, train to Edinburgh and Falkirk a short drive away. Also on the M90 for routes north.
You are going north aren't you?
Scotland starts getting good at Dunkeld.
When in Edinburgh the camera obscura was great
Falkirk would be a good place to base yourselves.
There are some comedians on here. It's his holiday for God's sake.
Not too fussed about biking tbh, it'll be a "traditional" family holiday, sight seeing etc.
My holiday is traditional - walks, biking, hiking, beaches, villages, picnics. All this modern pay to entertain me holidaying does not compute. 😉
If you want to be close to the central belt but in stunning scenery at the edge of the highlands ypu could try Srathyre cabins at Loch Lubnaig. I have never stayed there and midges could be bad. Others can confirm.
Thanks for the advice so far, food for thought.
How about somewhere further north, Perthshire, see the wheel and kelpies as a break stop off on the journey. Nearish the trains would get you into the cities easily and allow so big country (as in visiting some pretty stunning northern stuff) days. Great glen, fort Augustus etc, some of the stuff most folk just miss.
Shameless plug for accommodation in the centre of Fife. It's my brother's gaffe, tell him I sent you and you should get a discount.
http://maspiehousegallery.com/stay/
Easy reach of the East Neuk, great riding and walks in the Lomonds from the door. Perth, Stirling, Edinburgh and Dundee each about 45 minutes away too.
Dunkeld would be a good base. Edinburgh and Glasgow easily doable by car or train. Just over an hour to Aviemore and loads of good stuff on the doorstep.
In the central belt, New Lanark is nice. It has a good youth hostel, and interesting historic mills etc.
Not too far from Glasgow, Edinburgh or Falkirk. Also some nice walks nearby, eg Pentlands, or Tinto, or Whitelee wind farm, or Falls of Clyde.
I wouldn't wish Lanarkshire on ISIS. And whitelee wind farm, on holiday? It's the grimmest place in Scotland!.
Nobeer. I take it you've never been to frazerburgh?
Tough crowd tonight.
Be honest though stevenmenmuir - half of the central belt is crappy [b]compared[/b] to the rest of Scotlandshire....
Peebles worked for us. Not too bad getting to Edinburgh or Glasgow from there. Lovely place. And it turned out there was mountain biking nearby!
Plenty of places I wouldn't go to in Glasgow or Edinburgh. I'm in no rush to go to Fort William or Aviemore either. I was in Perth last week and that was pretty depressing although the swimming pool was great. I once spent £4 on the worst cheese toastie known to man in Dunkeld, when I questioned the need to take out a loan for it the woman responded by saying it normally came with salad but as it was for our toddler she hadn't put any on. Scotland is great but we don't half try to put people off. Anyway I wasn't suggesting staying at an industrial estate just that the Falkirk area would make a good base given the info we were given. I have some friends in Falkirk, on the south side near the Callander estate and it's not too shabby. I'm guessing staying near Falkirk might be cheaper than Stirling, Edinburgh etc which might be a consideration.
If you are wanting to travel around, Stirling is a good bet.
From there you can get to:
Edinburgh - 45mins by train / 1hr drive
Glasgow - 45mins by train / 35mins drive
loch Lomond - 45mins drive
Falkirk (for Wheel and Kelpies) - 15mins drive
Perth - 45mins
St Andrews 1hr
You get the idea, it's pretty central.
In terms of must do's:
The drive from Stirling to Fort William (through Glen Coe) is a must. the scenery is just ridiculous up there, although you might want to drive through Fort William and continue up the Great Glen to Inverness - Fort William is a dive. You could then spend a night up in the highlands, and come back down the A9 to Stirling - its a bit of a notorious road, but again its stunning on a nice day.
Edinburgh has loads to offer. The castle, Camera Obscura, the National Museum, Dynamic Earth, the Edinburgh Dungeons, ghost tours, Parliament, Holyrood Palace, Arthurs Seat, the Zoo; the list just goes on. You could also easily spend a day just wandering about as it has so much history, and is genuinely a very nice city all round.
Glasgow has the Riverside Museum, and the Science centre - both very kid friendly, but I cant think of a lot else on that side to see (east coast bias maybe?). The Science Centre will easily eat a day, and turn your kid into an over tired monster (but you will all, ages aside, LOVE it).
If going from Stirling you could also include some day trips to the East Nook of fife, St Andrews, North Berwick, Loch Lomond, Loch Katrine etc. They are all easily accessible.
If you base yourself centrally you will have a major chunk of the five star tourist attractions on your 'doorstep'. However, the trade off is that you will miss out on what the highlands has to offer, but that in itself is another holiday - enjoy!
I was in Perth last week and that was pretty depressing although the swimming pool was great.
How odd, the swimming [sic] pool is one of the most depressing places in Perth due to being poorly designed and long overdue a refurb.
I once spent £4 on the worst cheese toastie known to man in Dunkeld, when I questioned the need to take out a loan for it the woman responded by saying it normally came with salad but as it was for our toddler she hadn't put any on.
😆 There are a few places like that in Dunkeld, but a couple of decent options too - it's just the location that is worth it.
The National Museum was a huge hit with our kids, one of the best we've been to.
It is a bit tired but the kids loved it. It was fun swimming outside whilst the lifegaurd looked like he was just back from a polar expedition. When we were looking for a nice cafe we walked past lots of uninspiring shops etc just like so many other town centres.
How about hiring a big camper and touring?
We spent a week up near Stirling in August. I was really impressed with the amount of places that were a short drive away. We even got the train into Edinburgh (45 mins) for a day trip during the festival. Loads to do for free. Just walking around watching the street performers kept the kids (9 & 5) amused for hours. It was the first time taking family bikes away with us. There are some lovely trail centres on your doorstep, with all levels of riding.
We stayed in a couple of lovely gypsy caravans that had a fireplace for toasting marshmallows in the evening. I highly recommend the place, the included breakfast was incredible! Did us for lunch as well.
[url= http://www.bramblebield.com/ ]Bramble Bield[/url]
Central Scotland suggestions should include Callendar btw. The first proper highland town you can reach without travelling too far, very tourist orientated but there are good restaurants and a couple of decent pubs.
20mins from Stirling the A9 and mainline stations to Glasgow and Edinburgh. 10 mins walk and you are out of town and in the shadow of some proper big hills.
http://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/living/callander/menu-id-202.html
^ He is right you know.