Scotland in February with young kids - 4 and 7

JB1979

Hi Everyone,

Looking at visiting family this February - wondering if anyone has brought their kiddos at this time of year - without them being bored out of the their minds.

We would be open to touring around quite a bit - we would be renting a car.

Thanks for any input!

VisitScotlandLindsay

What parts of Scotland will you be travelling to? Many of our attractions do close over the winter period but there are still plenty that are open and ones that are very family friendly etc. If you let us know which places you will be visiting we can see what is open at that time of year that may be of interest to you and your family.

JB1979

We would be flying into Glasgow, then heading over to Fife to see family.  My older son has mentioned Loch Ness. Other than that we would be open to going anywhere.  We are coming from Canada, so driving in the winter would not bother us is were were to head up North.  The boys would love to explore castles, and have also mentioned staying at places with pools.

VisitScotlandLindsay

If you are going to be in Fife, Dundee is not too far away and has quite a few attractions that are great for all the family and are open all year. We have the Dundee Science Centre, which is lots of hands on fun and there really is something for all ages. 
The Royal Research Ship Discovery, a ship built in Dundee taking Captain Scott to the Antarctic in 1901 is open all year and is a very interactive museum with games and videos along the way. The ship itself is great for old and young. Their joint museum is the Verdant Works which tells you about the Jute making industry in Dundee and this has loads along the way to keep children entertained.
Dundee does also have the Olympia swimming pool with different pools for different kinds of fun as well as some water slides as well.

If your boys would love to visit a castle one that is well worth a visit is Dunnottar Castle near to Stonehaven, which is not far from Aberdeen. This is a beautiful ruined castle on the cliff edges and has featured in some films. Check out their website here Just a note to bare in mind with this castle, is that during bad weather they close the castle off because of it being on the cliffs, but even if it is you can still stop and view it without going into it.

There are many castles in Scotland but a lot of them do close over the winter months and don't open again until the end of March.

Loch Ness is a great place to have a drive down with nice little towns to stop off along the way. There is Drumnadrochit which has a museum all about Loch Ness and the Loch Ness Monster. More information is available here

There is also Landmark Forest Adventure, which is open all year and is south of Inverness. This is a great place for all the family. Some of their rides are not open in the winter but you can check out all their goings on here

Hope that is enough to get you started? If you need more information regarding any part of your trip please get back in touch with us 

FullStopNextChapter

Hi @JB1979

Fife is a fabulous place to visit all year round. Plenty of picturesque harbour towns to visit with lots of coffee shops for hot chocolates to thaw out after. The East Neuk of Fife is littered with pretty places to visit - Crail, Elie, St Monans, Pittenweem - all have their own charm. 

At St Andrews there is the National Golf museum and also the aquarium for indoor activities and both are open all year round. Both beaches at St Andrews are beautiful. If you happen to be interested in golf then the Old Course is closed every Sunday and open to members of the public to walk and explore freely. 

The Scottish Deer Centre near Cupar is also open all year round  - they have many species of deer (as their name suggests) as well as otters, wolves, brown bears and Scottish wildcats. They also do various feeding times and talks throughout the day.

I know of one boat trip company up at loch Ness that runs all year round (there may be others) and I know Urquhart Castle is also open at this time of year too if you decide to venture up north. A drive out from Inverness for the day would be perfect. 

I hope this helps? 

JB1979

Wow - thanks for your responses.  Very helpful, and the kids will love the suggestions!