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Kids > Family Rambles

Our country parks love families. Each park has several trails - and play areas with adventure playgrounds. There are leaflets with maps that show the pathways. The cafés are open in the summer season (and, in winter, some are open at weekends too). There are gardens for the grown-ups, and you can also visit the castles.

Lots of different walks. Woodland and open ground. Sandy and pebbly beaches. Port Carrick is wonderful for a family day on the beach. You can find agates on Dolphin House beach. The Swan Pond area is great for games.

Set on an island. Many different trails in the gardens and woodland. A good adventure playground. You need to take the ferry from Ardrossan – so a visit here is a great family adventure!

Several woodland walks of different lengths. Family trails. Play areas. A lovely park. The walks look different with each season. More Trust estates in the area that you can visit: Castle Fraser, Drum, Craigievar, Fyvie, Leith Hall.

Take a stroll through the fields, and explore the farm and steading. (There is a tractor ride for tired legs.) Meet the animals. There is also a big farming museum, and a café. Kittochside is cared for by National Museums and the Trust.

There are several way-marked walks in this wild garden, and a special children’s trail. Games are available (indoor and outdoor, depending on the weather). The garden was made to look like a small Himalayan glen. Cross the bridges over the rushing stream.

Glencoe is famous for its massacre (in 1692) and for its mountains. But it also has a low level walk that starts and finishes at the Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre has a film, children’s activities and a free Wee Guide. And there’s a café.

Brodie is an imposing castle set within its own estate, near the Moray Firth. There are several trails to choose from. You can also visit the castle, and tearoom. There is no entry charge to the parkland. Brodie is the most northern of our castles.

Instead of going up the mountain, head for Ardess Ranger Centre - and collect a Hidden History Trail leaflet. This is a wild walk that is safe (though some of the paths are quite steep) – and includes archaeological sites. Enjoy exploring!.

Stroll along the river path. Discover ruined garden buildings, such as the grotto. There is a choice of trails, and a café. You can also visit the house – and the servants’ tunnel.

Threave has a 64-acre garden - and an estate with way-marked trails, bird hides and a wild fowl sanctuary. And it is a Bat Reserve. You can walk in the gardens and woodland, or explore the wetlands (you don’t need to wade in water!).

You can also go to the farm and take the footpath to Threave Castle. (It is cared for by Historic Scotland – so your parents will need to check the entry charge.) Ring the bell for the ferryman to take you across the river.

Welcome to the National Trust for Scotland Online 19 May 2013

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