Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Days out: Scots wahey! The best activities to have fun at home this Autumn

© Graeme HartVisitScotland hired four pupils from Lornshill Academy, Clackmannanshire as quality tourism advisors for the day to assess Highland Safaris in Perthshire.
Pictured feeding the deer from left, Damien McAleese (13), Imogen MacLeod (13), Lucy Hensman (13) and Eryn Marshall (13).
VisitScotland hired four pupils from Lornshill Academy, Clackmannanshire as quality tourism advisors for the day to assess Highland Safaris in Perthshire. Pictured feeding the deer from left, Damien McAleese (13), Imogen MacLeod (13), Lucy Hensman (13) and Eryn Marshall (13).

The October school holidays are coming, but with Covid restrictions, planning a break away is proving problematic..

But fear not, there’s still plenty to do.

Scotland is filled with exciting places you can visit in a day. From culture-themed city visits, to an escape to the mountains, a splash at the seaside, or a calming walk in the countryside, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing an adventure for the kids and grandkids.

Visit Scotland gives us their top pick of places ready to welcome visitors…

Five Sisters Zoo, West Calder

From lions and leopards to monkeys and meerkats, this zoo boasts more than 180 different species of mammals, birds and reptiles from across the globe.

Get up close and personal with rescued circus bears, as well as wolves, otters and owls.

And Five Sisters boasts a huge play park to keep the wee ones busy all day long. With pre-booked sessions to ensure social distancing, hand sanitizing stations and one way systems around busier areas of the park, it’s perfectly equipped to deal with the current climate.

fivesisterszoo.co.uk


Almond Valley Heritage Park, Livingston

A family-friendly museum on a peaceful riverside site, with woods and fields extending for almost a mile. The traditional farm buildings and working watermill are home to many friendly farm animals, including highland cattle, rare breed sheep, and Clydesdale horses. There’s a daily programme of activities, including milking demonstrations and handling sessions.

The museum houses displays and interactive exhibits that illustrate local history and tell the story of Scotland’s shale oil industry.

almondvalley.co.uk


Fort Douglas Adventure Park, Dalkeith

Unleash your inner prince, princess or knight in the magical park, which has the treehouses, zip wires, suspension bridges, slides, climbing walls and secret tunnels. There are areas for toddlers and older kids – and there’s no upper age limit so adults can join in the fun too!

There’s also the wider park to discover with architecture to admire and waymarked walking and cycling trails.

Explore the Old Oak Wood with trees more than 900 years old, meander along the river, enjoy a picnic and enjoy a little nature spotting on a walk – roe deer, otters, badgers and buzzards all call the park home.

dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk


Jacksons at Jedburgh

Discover life on a family working farm with an open invitation to visitors to come for a tour.

Meet the cows and sheep who graze there all year long, chat to the farmers and enjoy a nice warm cup of tea at the end.

jacksonsatjedburgh.co.uk


RRS Discovery, Dundee

Follow in the footsteps of Captain Robert Falcon Scott who set sail in the tall ship Discovery in 1901 and spent two winters frozen into the crushing Antarctic ice. Discovery returned home in 1904 to a hero’s welcome and a place in maritime history. The exhibitions are a mix of state-of-the-art audio visual and computer based multimedia, and displays of actual artefacts that belonged to Scott and his brave crew.

rrsdiscovery.co.uk


Landmark Forest Adventure Park, Aviemore

Twist and turn through the trees on a family friendly rollercoaster, take the plunge down three water coasters and walk through a tropical hot-house with hundreds of beautiful butterflies and exotic flowers. And be intrigued by the world’s first Bamboozeleum; a magical gallery of illusions and puzzles. See infinity rooms, morphing machines, thermal imagery and more that will fascinate all, from the youngest to the wisest of minds.

landmarkpark.co.uk


Heads of Ayr Farm, Ayrshire

Learn about farm animals big and small, from rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and birds to Ralph the Camel, Troy the Tapir, llamas, ponies, donkeys and goats. The Park is also home to monkeys, lemurs and meerkats!

Kids can captain their own boat in the play area, as well as try out the giant sand pit, trampolines and jumping pillows.

headsofayrfarmpark.co.uk


Cream O’ Galloway, Dumfries & Galloway

Indulge in ice cream and tuck into tasty farmhouse cheese at Cream O’Galloway’s visitor centre. Kids will learn how these dairy treats are made as the adventure playground and miles of beautiful walks and nature trails nestled within Galloway’s scenic countryside.

creamogalloway.co.uk


Dumfries House, Cumnock

It’s one of Britain’s most beautiful stately homes. Saved by the intervention the Prince of Wales in 2007, Dumfries House combines the architecture of Robert Adam with the furniture of Thomas Chippendale and leading 18th-Century Scottish cabinet makers.

The house and original contents, which include nearly 10% of Chippendale’s surviving work, represent one of the most important documents of the Scottish Enlightenment. Recently having been fastidiously restored to its original splendour, the house is open to the public.

dumfries-house.org.uk


Luss Scary Faerie Trail, Loch Lomond

Since the beginning of time, faeries have lived by the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond.

On the western shore sits Luss, where you can follow the mystery trail through the enchanted woods, which have exciting light and sound features. Carry on the fun with a stop off at the Woodland Café.Tickets are £7.50 per person and the trail runs until November 1.

lochlomondfaerietrail.com/


For more information on days out, or breaks in Scotland, go to visitscotland.com

There are many ideas for road trips, details of Scotland’s hidden gems,unique experiences and much, much more.