Mother's day and a bit dreich. the Family had booked a 1pm "afternoon tea" at the Duthie Park…read moreCafe. An excellent spread with helpful staff. and in the overflow, so plenty of elbow room - though we did need to keep our coats on - no problem. We have had lunches there before, & been well served. The Winter Garden is a Jewel for the city with a lovely display all year round. At Hogmanay, we met a French journalist, doing tourist info, who specially liked it. The kids (2& 5) liked the whole experience and especially the talking cactus, and stamping the special medal for £1.01ea. The whole afternoon - good value. We left a generous donation as we had spent a lovely afternoon and have some cakes home with us for tomorrow. PS The cream for the excellent scones was proper whipped cream!

Ahh, sunny days in Aberdeen at Duthie Park. One of the best…read morethings about living in Scotland was how much people appreciated the sun. It's out less, so when it is people go crazy. Shirts off (even though it's still pretty chilly), picnics, dog walks, everyone shows up in Duthie Park for an ice cream. Glorious. Some seriously fond memories of Sunday afternoons spent with friends in Duthie Park. There's a huge amount of nicely trimmed grass for sitting or kicking a football around or throwing a frisbee. There's great paved paths for walking your dog or letting your kid ride their bike. There's also multiple play areas for children and some of them are really awesome. Notably the playground with a zip line (how fancy!--disclosure: I would wait around and try to get a go when kids weren't on it) and a roundabout (you never see those in playgrounds anymore!) and some pretty tall slides. There is a greenhouse garden full of exotic plants and loads of cacti that you can check out for free, which is a fun activity on a colder day. And there is an ice cream shop in that same area, which is of course great for those cherished warm, sunny summer days in Scotland. Overall Duthie Park is a very well-rounded area, with plenty of green space and a great place to spend some time with the whole family. I love going back when I'm back visiting Aberdeen.

What an awesome giant functioning fort!!! I really had low expectations thinking it was going to be…read moreboring but I truly enjoyed the audio guide and being able to see all the historic items throughout the fort. The place was giant and we spent a few hours here so plan accordingly. We didn't get lucky with the dolphins but it was a gorgeous Scottish day and I was thankful for that. Quick breezy at the top.

Google maps originally directed us to drive inside the fort but there was a dedicated visitor…read moreparking lot out in front. Inside the fort we decided to head to the back to start our visit. A small and beautiful chapel was located there and well worth a look inside. The demi-bastions were the highlight with panoramic views of the water, Moray of Firth, and Inverness in the distance. Not all of the buildings in the fort were accessible to visitors and were marked accordingly. Highlights for us included the following: Historic barrack rooms were setup to show conditions and how soldiers (and those lucky enough to have their families) lived. A museum delved into the history of the Seaforth Highlanders and even had a room where one could try on traditional Scottish wear such as kilts. The Lego mini figures with their unique Scottish clothing were a hit with the kids but they were all sold out in the gift shop. The Grand Magazine held a huge display of rifles, satchels and swords. Eventhough it was a little bit of a drive to get there, the fort was in very good condition and accessible to visit.

We only had about 90 minutes at Dunrobin, and cannot say enough good about it. The house was…read moredelightful, the staff friendly, and the history within *ALL* of these walls was staggering. Really wonderful. The grounds would have been worth the price of admission all on their own, and at the time of our trip (June) it was perfect to spend the last open hours at the house and then walk through the gardens for another 30 to 60 minutes. There was much more to explore, and we would have loved to spend more time!

I love this place!! It's an amazing adventure!…read more Dunrobin is an impressive castle, with a magnificent setting. I fell in love with this place!! Dunrobin Castle is North of Inverness, 1/2 mile from the town of Golspie. There is plenty of parking. Dunrobin Castle is the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Dunrobin Castle is also one of Britain's oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s! The Castle, which resembles a French château, was used as a naval hospital during the First World War and as a boys' boarding school.   Dunrobin Castle is open from 1st April to 31st October.   Perched on a high terrace above walled gardens, Dunrobin Castle, with fairytale spires and turrets, rises above the North Sea like an illustration from a storybook. This place is overwhelmingly spectacular. It's breathtaking!   There are few places in the world to match the mountains, moors and beaches of Sutherland. The combination of color and texture is quite magical.   The name Dun Robin means Robin's Hill or Fort in Gaelic.   It was encased by a series of additions from the 16th century onwards. In 1785 a large extension was constructed. Remarkably this early keep still survives, much altered, within the complex of these later extensions, making Dunrobin one of the oldest inhabited houses in Scotland. We were there at the perfect time and got to enjoy a falconry show. It was spectacular! Watching those birds of prey at work was amazing. Falconry was originally developed as a means of hunting fast or difficult prey as food for the table, and is still practiced for this purpose in many parts of the world today.   To train one of these fierce and fabulous birds is a long and difficult process and requires patience, expertise and dedication. Dunrobin Castle does a great job of showcasing this ancient art. I highly recommend this as one of your stops if you're ever in this area of Scotland! October 2023

Game Fair's are one of those things most people will never go to, ever, in their lifetimes, and…read moreit's such a shame because it's such a great family day out! And with so much to see and do my review probably won't do it justice, but I'll give it a whirl... The Scottish Game Fair is undoubtedly Scotland's largest Game Fair and rocks up at Scone the first weekend in July each year. Set with the stunning Scone Palace on one side and the River Tay on the other, it's setting alone makes it worth a visit. On the day entry is £19 for an adult, children are £5 or having just checked, £40 for a family ticket, so not the cheapest but worth it in my view. Heads up, you can usually buy online in advance with a few ££ knocked off. Okay so first off, there's actually LOADS for kids - trampolines, inflatable castles, crocodiles and octopuses (I kid not, wish I'd taken a pic now!), archery, climbing, segways and mini-carts to name but a few. For grown-up kids, try your hand at clay-pigeon shooting, the air rifle range (glad to see my shooting had improved since last year's attempt!) or the off-road 4x4 course for a white-knuckle ride! Aside from the activities, there is easily over 400 traders selling everything from fishing and shooting supplies, clothing (expect to see a lot of tweed and barbour on show!), jewellery and crafts or even treat yourself to a new car if that's what you fancy. The Food Hall stocks a plethora of local produce, most with free samples, and this year also included cookery demo's from Flora Sheddon (of GBBO fame (and also a local lass)) and Three Sister's Bake **TIP ALERT** Make sure you're not on driving duty...gin samples are definitely a highlight in here! Outwith the food hall, there are plenty of food trucks for refuelling (Tomintoul Venison a must-try!) and a beer tent for a cold one or 5 ;-) As if all that wasn't enough...(gutted you missed it now huh!)...the main ring has demo's varying from birds of prey to duck herding (highly entertaining!) and features everything from pipe bands and tug o war to terrier racing! Other activities to watch or take part in include fly-casting, the dog scurry (dummy retrieval) and the gundog working competition so get training now for next year! Oh and one last thing, being a game fair a lot of people bring their dogs so if you're not doggy-minded, this maybe isn't the place for you. I however, was in doggy heaven!

We loved the Kingsbarns distillery. The staff was super friendly and the one hour tour and tasting…read morewas excellent. The tour itself is filled with information that left me thinking... I had no idea whiskey distilling is so complicated. After the tasting I asked if they could call us a cab back to Saint Andrew's hotel. The tour director, a pleasant German man I can't remember his name said, taxi? Hell no. I'm getting off in 15 minutes and I drive right past there on my way home. He directed us to wait in the cafe and brought us two drams of Kingsbarns flagship whiskey called Doocot to sip while he locked up. He chatted about his love for whiskey distilling all the way to our drop off. He loves his job no doubt. An amazing experience from start to finish and I highly recommend you visit here. Go early and take the walking path to the beach.

Such a fun distillery near St. Andrews! We wanted to explore a different part of the area and…read moreKingsbarns was the perfect rainy afternoon activity! It is a gorgeous facility where they distill scotch whiskey and gins. We took their gin tour and it was SO informative and fun. We absolutely loved it! We got to sample 4 of their different small-batch gins, learn about their flavor profiles, the history of gin, and what they pair best with. They even use ingredients from their garden on site in their gins! I would recommend this awesome spot to anyone looking to sample some "lowland" scotch whiskies and gin! YUM!

After partaking in one of my frequent dusk strolls I happened upon this vast lush green haven that…read moreis Camperdown Park (or as some cheeky so and so has altered the sign to say 'Cancer Do Prake', whatever that means). For the initial couple of hours which I had planned to spend perusing the premises I have not a bad utterance to offer of the place. However the day took a turn for the dark when I stumled into a satanic ceremony. Goths, flames, an effigy of who I could only fathom to be Holly Willoughby and a small pile of trenchcoats gathered by a sign offering woodland walks. I am not too macho macho man to admit that I was indeed terrafraid. The pale faced death-mongers spotted me and demanded that I join the 'Danse de Muerte', kitting me out in a t-shirt that read 'Hellsputum - The Gosford Dark Tour' and a leather dog collar with one previous owner (Hooch the Pooch). They forced me to wear nothing but these items and parade around the Willoughby scarecrow chanting things which I find too absurd to even repeat in e-writing. After a very long and stomach churning four hours, in which I saw things which mine eyes hath never glanced upon before (one such event involved a squirrel and a bottle of 'poppers') the goths eventualy tired and fell asleep in a fleshy, sweaty, make-up covered slump. At this point I took my escape. I have never been back, and doubt I ever will return. Although I did leave my favourite jumper sat near one of their cauldrons (it had a knitted image of Daniel Radcliffe on it). As it stands I am one jumper down and can never watch The Crow again. This was easily one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen and I urge anyone going to Camperdown Park to go heavily armed (holy water and the like). I leave you with a message that great man (can't remember) told me once and which I repeated to myself under my breath on that fateful day: 'When all those around you appear to be losing their marbles, Remember, hombre, we all walk with a slight limp, Even the most upright amongst us.' Alan T. Teasmaid

Located an the northwest fringe of Dundee, Camperdown Country Park was formed when Camperdown House…read moreand its surrounding estate of mature woodland was donated to the city. The Park which is the largest public park in Dundee, covers an area of over 400 acres, and is home to no fewer that 190 species of trees. Open all year, the Park offers a range of activities including woodland trails, an adventure playground and Camperdown Wildlife Centre which is home to over 50 species of animals, birds and reptiles. Highlights include European brown bear, wolves, lynx and ring-tailed lemurs. The Park also boasts an 18-hole championship golf course and, for those wanting a less challenging experience, a pitch and putt course. A new cafe opening end 2010. Camperdown Country Park is the largest public park in Dundee and serves as a backdrop for a variety of special events taking place throughout the year, including the Dundee Flower and Food Festival, Easter Family Fun Day, Meet Santa, Zoofest and conservation events.

Noah's arc is a soft play barn which accommodates children up to the age of 12. There are separate…read moreplay areas depending on the age of the children I'm not sure of the exact age categories as my wee on is only a year but it seems to be a fair split which each area having activities catering for the age bracket. You are charged for a two hour session starting around 4 pounds then increases as they children get older. I and under are free though so this is a bonus. There is a reasonable coffee shop which offers the usual types of refreshments and some hot food. So as long as your children are old enough to play by themselves you can have a cuppa, read the paper and relax while they play. It used to be my friends favourite Saturday or Sunday morning haunt when she had a hangover as she could recover while the kids had fun. It is very busy at the weekends as you might expect and the noise level can be quite high during these times. I believe they do special party packages for the kids. There is also a ceramic painting place and go-carting on site so maybe older children can be entertained too. Well worth a visit and very good value for the little tots as it's free!!!

I seem to be the naysayer amongst the reviews, but perhaps it was because I visited on a busy…read moreSaturday afternoon (we were the last to get straight in with no waiting). I found the place very claustrophobic with low ceilings and what might have been a bright decor originally but has descended into dinginess. The low ceilings probably contributed to the rather overwhelming noise levels - I've been in other, busier play barns before without so much noise, simply because high ceilings absorbed at least some of it. The food I found disappointed - my macaroni tasted odd and I couldn't finish it. The drinks were bargain branded but the prices were what you would pay for branded. 10 quid for a plate of macaroni, some extra chips, a nasty diluted drink and a non-branded cola is simply ridiculous. The play areas seemed more cramped than others I have been to and the older bit was quite dark. The 3-5 section was perhaps a bit tame for the almost 5s and whilst the gated entry is a good idea, the teenage staff member posted to it was often not there at all and seemed to have no ability to prevent bigger kids getting in, both of which rather defeated the point of the gate. Not impressed, there's plenty of other places around which are better value, newer, cleaner and better equiped.

The grounds are very nice and beautifully kept. The rooms are small, but clean. The shower is…read moreterrible, no water pressure at all. The beds are comfortable and the bedding nice quality. The staff is friendly. The service in the dining room is OK. The breakfast buffet is typical with all the essentials. The hotel is old which is part of the charm.

Beautiful grounds and exterior is quite photogenic. Inside…read morethe rooms are under maintained, dirty and just bad. From dirty linens, dust and stains everywhere to yellow/brown water from the faucets and holes in walls. Go ahead and skip this one. Breakfast buffet was pretty good, but we shortened our stay and had to go elsewhere after one night.