Small and safe, there's nothing ferocious about Viking Amusements…read more It's very much a family orientated amusement arcade, with a very sparse number of adult machines in their own area at the back of the arcade. The rest of the space is filled up with a couple of racing games, grabbing machines and an army of 2p and 10p machines. Most of the one arm bandits are the 10 pence ones that don't promise big pay outs. It's a very quiet, laid back arcade full of kids with their money bags stuffed with coppers. The machines all look relatively new and there are tiny toys and keyrings scattered amongst the 2 and 10p machines. With the fluffy toys placed around and the lack of obnoxious teenagers (during the day, anyway) Viking Amusements is a great place to bring your children for a quiet fifteen minutes away from the bustle of the other surrounding entertainment centres. There's something inherently naive and serene about this non obtrusive arcade, and somewhere your gran might like if she fancies a wee spot of gambling before a nice sit down in Nardini's.

Whilst it lacks the Air Hockey required to make an amusement arcade a 5 star establishment, Viking…read morecomes ever so close simply as it has loads of those games where you drop the 10p / 2p coins down onto another pile of coins, hoping to knock some off the edge. They've probably got a name, but I don't know it, I just know it's the most addictive way to waste a tenner's worth of 2p pieces. The heroin addicts living underneath Central Station might disagree with me on that one though. They've got the horse racing games as well, which are also fantastic. Until you've cheered on a two inch plastic horse to potential winnings of 20p, sweat dripping down your brow as it hits the home straight, you haven't lived.

What is Vikingar? Ok bare with me here because it is a little bit odd…read more Vikingar consists of the "Viking Experience" which is a great performance put on in a theatre with lots of people dressed up, re-enacting battle scenes and telling stories from the Viking days of old. You then watch a film about Vikings and finally, if you're not all Vikinged out by then you can wander around a Viking museum type thing with lots of fancy multimedia bits and pieces which keep it interesting. I'm aware that I am not exactly selling it very well, but it really is a good family day out! As far as these kinds of things go, it is done really well. I haven't gotten to the strange bit yet though. At Vikingar there is also a gym, a swimming pool and a soft play area. How's that for random? I have only ever been to Vikingar for the "Viking Experience" so I can't comment on the other facilities except to say that I think it a very strange combination of historical learning and exercise. Go figure.

We headed to Vikigar thinking it was just an attraction to learn about the Vikings. When we got…read morethere we found it was also a swimming pool and leisure centre. The Viking experience includes actors dressed in viking costume telling the tales of viking life. And recalling the tales of the Battle of Larg. At the end of the tour there is a film which lasts about 15-20 minutes, which again gives the viewer more information about the vikings lives and their culture. Fairly good value for money, very informative, but not a full day out.

The Wheelchair Basketball camp I attended was hosted here ! Such an amazing facility to learn the…read morefundamentals of a new adaptive sport . I felt right at home . My room was spacious , clean and quiet . The staff here are really kind and.patient with guests . Great customer service ! Great location ! Great facilities and free easy parking Getting here felt like an adventure.. the property is over 83 acres complete with a golf course for short game, tennis courts, and a soccer field. Grounds were immaculate. It felt like entering an amusement park... especially at night. Things that would make this place an even more amazing place : Indoor Swimming pool Cold plunge and sauna area/ recovery room Higher quality meat and healthier options in dining hall for lunch and dinner ( the fruit and veggies were really decent though ) Really minor stuff that's really not an issue at all . Just items that would make this place from go from great / exceptional to perfect ! I would relish the opportunity to come back!

From the owner: sportscotland is the national agency for sport in Scotland. Working with our partners, our core…read moreresponsibility is to develop sport and physical recreation in Scotland. Inverclyde is an ideal retreat for squad training, with grass pitches, floodlit all-weather surfaces, fitness suite and fully kitted-out lecture and conference rooms. Also within the complex there is a six-area golf practice facility, The Bob Torrance School of Golf incorporating four playing holes. While these facilities have been developed for our top sports people, the benefits can also be reaped by many other groups - educational institutes, professional and voluntary organisations, district sports councils, clubs, businesses and the community in general. The Centre regularly hosts Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport for archery, football, rugby, hockey, racquet sports, martial arts, gymnastics and more. You can bring your group for a residential training camp and have your meals worked around your training times.

Some members are friendly, others cool. Large Bowling Green which plays quite well ( at least it…read moredid for me )

A lovely park with formal gardens, just on the outskirts of Largs. There are beautiful flower beds…read morein season, a pavilion, an outdoor bowling green, tennis courts, a nursery (for children) and a pleasant pathway through an avenue of mature trees. I enjoyed having a stroll around here today for the first time in a couple of years. At the very top part of the park you can turn right and walk along to the Neolithic Tomb (see my older review: 'Haylie Chambered Tomb'). From here you can also continue to the top of Castle Hill (550 ft above sea level) where there are marvellous views (but it is quite a strenuous climb!) There are a couple of entrances into the park through wrought iron gates beside the main road to Largs (the A78/Irvine Road)

The Kelburn Castle has been a home to the Boyle family since it's construction in the 13th Century…read more It is the oldest castle in Scotland that has been continuously inhabited. Allowing the castle to be painted came about when the Boyle family were told that they would have to remove the tower because of damage to the stonework. Since it was going to be removed the family decided to ask four Brazilian street artists to paint the castle. Their graffiti art created so much excitement that the family appealed to the Historic Scotland to allow it to stay. They are a government agency responsible for preserving the country's historic monuments. The agency granted temporary permission and attached an end date. The end date has passed and the family is working towards extending it again. While I visited the castle it was under major renovations so perhaps the construction will stabilize the castle and allow it to continue to be known to tourists as the Graffiti Castle. It cost £9.00 to spend the day hiking on the property. It was an absolutely amazing day and I highly recommend visiting this property. There is a visitor office with hiking maps, bathroom facilities and an area to purchase food. Included in our entrance fee was a tour of the spooky forest. They had a children's section by day and adult section at night. I passed on the Halloween fun because of time restraints.

Just a short car or train ride from Glasgow, this place is an absolute hoot and was by far my all…read moretime favourite place to go with my family in summer when I was little. The best thing here was the Secret Forest where you got to explore a giants castle, cross the crocodile swamp and hide from the witch in the gingerbread house, and at the end of the Secret Forest you got a lolly pop for your troubles. There are around 10 different stops on the Secret Forest trail and each place has it's own little story which always had my imagination running riot. There was also pony rides which my parents always made me go on but I hated, but most little girls seem to love horse riding so it's very popular. There's an adventure corner with a giant fort to play on for hours, a pets corners with owls, rabbits, guinea pigs and countless other critters. I also really enjoyed the indoor play barn where I could spend hours in the ball pool, writing about Kelburn makes me wish that I was little again. Kelburn Castle itself is stunning and it's a beautiful wedding venue, but I spent most of my time in the huge childrens area. I can't put into words how great this place is, you really have to visit it yourself, it's completely magical and an unforgettable family day out.

An attractive small reservoir right beside the road between Largs and Loch Thom. You can park on…read morethe roadside or in the adjacent car park (just north of the reservoir). There is also a picnic area, and some moorland trails you can follow on foot. I'm told it's a good spot for birdwatching too but I only stopped to photograph the reservoir itself. You can only get here by car unless you are a very good walker. (The reservoir isn't shown on the Google map, unfortunately, but the arrow is in the right place because I put it there!)

This is a small, fairly shallow bay around 300 metres in length and found at the south end of Largs…read morenot far from the Pencil Monument, hence the name. There's plenty of gorgeous soft sand and it's a lovely place to spend some time relaxing on a warm summer's afternoon (as I did today!) It has been considered a safe bathing area since 2006 and, in 2009, the beach won the Keep Scotland Beautiful Seaside Award. This means that there are excellent litter management policies in place, very good bathing water quality, and information boards beside the beach. There's no lifeguard and parking might be a bit tricky. The best thing is probably to walk from the town centre, which isn't far away. Otherwise the parking facilities at the Marina nearby might be the best bet (there's a cafe there too).

Next to the war memorial and with marvellous views across the Firth of Clyde to the island of…read moreCumbrae, this is a great place for all the family to have some fun on a sunny day! I putted here many years ago but these days I tend to walk around the perimeter of the green as part of a longer walk. It's always well looked after and is very attractive, especially with some beautiful beds of flowers around the edges, and beside the war memorial, during the summer. Open every day from April to September. I'm not sure how much it is for one person to use the green but for two adults and two children it's £10.