A hidden gem which your Julia Donaldson loving little ones will love to visit!…read moreWe call this Gruffalo Wood because of the Gruffalo-themed carvings dotted near the entrance of the Loch. The Loch itself is fairly small, taking only 15-20 mins to walk around. There is lots of nature and wildlife to explore here from toadstools to frogs to wild raspberries to dragonflies... We met a particularly large, and bold, swan today whilst feeding the ducks! On our last visit we stumbled across hundreds and hundreds of baby frogs migrating across the pathway to the Loch. This has become a regular location for us to visit with our little Julia Donaldson fan. There is a play park at the far end of the Loch from the little car park off Kilmardinny Avenue and if you need something to eat or liquid refreshments after your walk there is a recently opened Waitrose with a lovely cafe minutes away by car or foot!

We visited here after discovering Gruffalo Wood through Ali's review :)…read more My friend was visiting with her 6 and 3yr old girls and we took A in his pram. We really enjoyed walking round the loch in the sunshine, the path is pretty easy going for littles and the pram alike, and there are a few places to stop along the way and see the ducks or discover the awesome carvings. We couldn't find the play park, perhaps a little sign would help, but we asked someone and soon found the little path leading up to it. There were some different play areas to explore including an awesome rope swing that the adults enjoyed too! We had a great, free day out and it worked well to tire out the kids. Would highly recommend.

Very clean on the edge of The Meadows. There are swings, slide, and climbing structure. Lots of…read moreparents and young children. Did not see any snack counters.

Ok, so I'm obviously not a five-year old child anymore. (I can type and spell and use words like…read moreincongruous, though I haven't had the opportunity yet). But I like play parks. There comes a point when people stop making fun things for you. I mean, I'm in my early 20s, so people give me clothes and books instead of water-guns. Which is totally valid. But I think every now and then people should give their friends bouncy balls and hoola-hoops and frisbees. Seriously. So, this playpark is not half as cool as the one on the Meadows, but it's in a quieter less crowded part of the park. They have slides and monkey bars and all sort of fun things. I've many a time seen children having fun on them. (I've also seen older teenagers having fun on them. At night. With beer). If you feel like you're tired of being 20, maybe have a visit. If you're a parent, then take your children there, 'cause that's where it looks like the party is.

I love this place so much! Whenever the sun decides to make a rare appearance I'm in the car and on…read moremy way for a lazy walk around the loch. The loch itself is huge. It has a fab path all the way around for an easy walk in the sun or there are plenty of little paths into the woods surrounding if you're feeling a little more adventurous. With loads of green space on all sides, even on the busiest days this park, Drumpelier can accommodate every need. Whether that be a picnic, a five-a-side game or even fishing, you won't feel anything but relaxed here. If you haven't packed a lunch there's a little cafe in the main building which unfortunately I've never tried. I just love a picnic!!! It also has a great play park at the far end of the car park, suitable for all ages. This area can get a touch busy on the sunnier days but I've never been and felt like we've waited long for my little one to have a go on the swings or in the sandpit. It's really dog friendly here too. I've found myself losing an afternoon on a trip with my hair baby just chatting to other dog owners on the way round. If you're finding yourself looking for somewhere to while away a sunny day then get in the car and head here. Don't forget the picnic basket!

Gorgeous country park with several large lakes, lots of walking paths and two large playgrounds…read more Picnic tables and a cafe on site but lots of open space to throw down a blanket and enjoy your own food, too. There are paddle boats in the summer months and lots of swans, geese, ducks and other water foul.

Tollcross park is a fantastic urban park encompassing a huge area including a small plant house,…read morerose garden, wooded area, playing fields and open grassy areas. Bordered by housing, including some fairly bogging flats, it's not somewhere I'd be keen to go at night but I have had many enjoyable walks with the family and the dog ('poo bins' are available) of a weekend morning. It's always clean and tidy and is maintained to a good standard by the local land services who are based nearby. Also included in the grounds is an city farm type animal place for the kids which always looked interesting as we walked past from the convenient parking at the leisure centre that adjoins the park.

So Tollcross has a park and it's less than 15mins from us...who knew…read more I'm always looking for new places to walk the Dog as walking the same routes day in day out can be boring. So we decided to TC park a quick try. When we parked I was surprised how big it was, conscious it was about to get very dark very quick we choose a path that we knew we could loop back on but from the map it looked like you could take all sorts of natural walks. There is an animal farm for kids and some sheep! This not so little park is brilliant and ideal for dog walking. What I did like was that parts of it was lit! So rare to find lights in a park. Ideal for winter nights!

A former hunting lodge for the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton and one of the few surviving buildings…read morefrom the Hamilton estate. I say surviving but it underwent a pretty massive restoration process to get to the condition it is in today. Inside the building is a small museum, a shop and a cafe. There are formal gardens, trying to replicate the gardens of the lodge when it was used. What keeps me coming back to Chatelherault is the grounds. The walks through the woods are beautiful, there are several different routes of varying lengths but if you haven't already been you need to walk up to the Cadow Oaks. This trio of oak trees are at least 600 years old, 1000 by some accounts and it is a really special place. The walk up there is lovely at any time of year, over gorges, rivers, past ruins and through amazing woodland. I would suggest wellies or something waterproof for your feet as it can get squelchy underfoot but there are good well maintained footpaths all the way and I think it's pretty well signposted.

Beautiful park so much to see and so much to do and so well kept. Had a great morning with son and…read moredog and footballs. Had a good walk played with the ball and spoke to other dog walkers. We then decided to go to the cafe for a wee snack. Son decided on soup - 2 choices went with the lentil and bacon with an added extra bread roll (u get one with soup) these were little poppy seed rolls that would have seriously injured someone if thrown - they did exchange them though but didn't remove the other hard ones from the top!!! Coffee was served in what I would consider a basin - who needs a gallon of coffee. If the coffee was good we would not require as much. Ended up leaving the coffee and the soup and the lentils were still hard - have given four stars as the park is amazing and hopefully they were just having a bad day.

I've been coming here for years as it's literally a few minutes from my house. It's a wonderful…read morearea for dogs to run around in and normally very quiet unless it's a very sunny day or is the weekend. Nature lovers can come here and Bird Watch as it's a Nature Reserve. Cyclists, Runners and Walkers use the park as a trail as it goes all the way past Mar Hall. Just watch out for dog poop, it's not generally picked up.

Not that it feels it but this is a small woodland, in Erskine beside the Erskine Bride on the edge…read moreof the River Clyde. There's a number of woodland walks, a few trails take you down to Erskine beach, where the old Erskine Ferry used to cross. There's lots of picnic areas and seats to rest at. The walk has circular paths or you can walk around the edge. There's a network of about 2 miles (3km) trails, all ideal for easy walking and cycling. The paths are wide and smooth, so great for buggies too but be prepared for a few short moderate slopes.

This is another place that I came across while working as a child carer for a primary school's…read more'summer play scheme' one summer. A promisingly stressful day spend keeping beady eyes on a litter of running children was rather less stressful due to this little number. The children, still ran right enough, but at least the younger ones were suitably entertained and mesmerised by the castle like play structure, so ran around that for an hour or so. Meanwhile, the older children were entertained and mesmerised by watching oh-so-cool teenagers in the skate-park. Now for the history. This skateboard park seems to have been here forever. In a way, it has - well since 1951. Since then there has been a roller skating/skateboard arena here with renewed versions being unveiled in 1978 and finally 2004. There is also a substantial play area with slides, swings and a whole variety of hide-y wholes in a multicoloured wooden castle structure. There's a soft play artificial surface below for safety precautions too. All areas covered, so it's all good for the kids!

As you head out of Dunoon, through Sandbank and along the A815, it's almost impossible to miss the…read moreBenmore Botanic Garden on the left hand side. It's a popular attraction for both tourists and locals. However, about a mile before you get there, on the opposite side of the road, you'll spot a little car park marked "Puck's Glen", and it is every bit as charming as the name suggests. In my free time I like to write, and as I'm frequently on the road I do much of my writing on my netbook, in my car, often in quiet little car parks, and for over a year I've been stopping every so often in the Puck's Glen car park. I'd seen the trail leading up into the wooded hill, but didn't take the time to venture out of my car and explore it until one day, in Autumn of last year, when, in the late afternoon as I sat writing, a deer wandered out of the trees and so close to my car if I'd opened my window I could have reached out and touched it. When it left I got out of the car and made my way along the trail, but as I was pressed for time I wasn't able to explore too far. It wasn't until last week that I was able to walk the length of the trail in full, and my God I don't regret it. The first thing I will say is that it isn't a walk for those looking for a gentle stroll. Nor is it a walk for those with bad knees or hips. The first part of the walk is a steep climb, though you're rewarded with a nice little bench in a shaded area when you do make it up the first leg. Then you have another steep climb that seems to go on forever and by the time you reach the top you're too exhausted to appreciate the outstanding views, particularly if the sun is out in full force. However, the climb is essential if you want to enjoy what has to be one of the most spectacular sights I've ever seen. If you follow the path markers around you come to a crossroads. The main path goes straight ahead, but there is a narrower, shaded path that goes left to right across it. The path to the right goes uphill, and after all the climbing I'd done already that day I couldn't stomach another ascent, but the path to the right goes down. It's a combination of a dirt track, gravel track and wooden steps that lead down several hundred feet to a concrete track that leads back to the car park, but it is the most wonderful experience imaginable for alongside the path runs a little stream that breaks into a series of dozens of mini-waterfalls and pools. The path is shaded and cool, with wooden railings to help you keep your balance on the tricky spots. There are a few bits where you need to walk across large stones which can be slippery when wet, but believe me, it's worth the effort. The waterfalls are simply magical and though the path, complete with wooden bridges that crisscross the stream at several points, has clearly been constructed by the forestry commission, it's easy to believe that you're the first person to ever see these magical sights. My favourite spot was about halfway down where the moss-covered rock-face to the right was literally dripping with water, an endless cascading shower of droplets. Wildlife fans won't be disappointed either. I counted eight deer on my ascent - I believe five were red deer (one a stag) and three were roe deer, but don't quote me on that. I encountered a couple of birds I don't think I'd ever seen before, including one that was black and white with a beautiful red chin, and at least half a dozen red squirrels. As I say, it's not a gentle stroll, and while you'll certainly sleep afterwards I don't think I'd call it relaxing, but it is spectacular and an experience not to be missed.

Deep into the South Side, Linn Park is absolutely enormous and due to it being used mainly by…read morelocals in what is one of the city's leafier suburbs, a somewhat tranquil location to spend time. Facilities wise, there's a couple of adventure playgrounds, a large equestrian centre, and a golf course, which in all honesty isn't very much for a park of this size, but it's main attraction is the woodland walks. There are large chunks of forest in the park, waterfalls and a good few picturesque little bridges over the river, so it's a very relaxing and peaceful place for a stroll. We got caught in a thunderstorm on our last visit here which is probably a negative but it did provide a bit of excitement. There's also an old mansion in the park which was derelict and thus wonderfully spooky until recently, but it's since been done up and turned into admittedly impressive houses. The Snuff Mill Bridge walkway just at the edge of the park is in my opinion one of the nicest spots in Glasgow. Hardly anyone has heard of it yet I was quite taken aback when I first stumbled upon it. On a nice day it can genuinely feel like you're in a quaint little English village, there's even old Victorian-style street lighting.

Agan, Gavin is spot on: this park is an undiscovered treasure, and has a beautiful bridge, plenty…read moreof walks through the forest (best when I am acting out some late romantic torment) and one of the most pastoral atmospheres in Glasgow. I tend to make the pilgrimage during the summer- when I can find someone with a car to carry the picnic stuff- and sit out in the open field for a lovely, restful afternoon. The lack of facilities is what has made it so peaceful- the golf course, I am glad to say, is under-nourished.