Where can we go with the kids? Do you ask yourself that question when it comes to holiday-planning? Do you dread hanging around airports and queuing at security with the kids becoming fractious? If so, then Scotland could be the answer for you this year.

Scotland is family-friendly; you’ll find accommodation which welcome children (including hotels, guest houses, cottages and holiday home caravans) and attractions with hands-on exhibits to keep them amused. There is also the great outdoors, with lots of walking trails, and miles and miles of sandy beaches – space enough for the most energetic of children to expend their energy.

Hotels which welcome children provide special facilities and some also have activities for their young guests, as well as baby-sitting or crèches so that parents can have time off. Aviemore in the Highlands is a good place to go; there are plenty of walks to explore and wildlife to watch or you can take the fun way to the mountain tops with the CairnGorm funicular railway. In Aviemore there is a choice of three hotels, as well as the self-catering Cairngorm Holiday Bungalows and the Cairngorm Chalets. A few miles away is Boat of Garten with its world-famous ospreys, where you can have a bird’s-eye view of the chicks in the nest. Plying between Aviemore and Boat of Garten is a marvellous steam train, which is sure to thrill the whole family.

Crieff Hydro in the busy town of Crieff welcomes children with open arms, with its swimming pool, cinema, games room and acres of grounds and woods to be explored. Further north is Pitlochry and Scotland’s Hotel, which is also child-friendly, not only for younger children (there is a children’s theme park at the top of the road) but also for older ones, with a swimming pool and a computer (free access to the internet) in the lounge, so you can relax with a cup of coffee while the kids enjoy some surfing.

If you prefer the flexibility of self-catering, then think about Thistle Holiday Home Parks. Most of them have safe play areas and games rooms, while some also have a swimming pool and entertainment for children. Two excellent examples are Whitecairn Farm Holiday Park near Stranraer, and Lomond Woods at Loch Lomond. Whitecairn has a play area the size of a football pitch and climbing frames and slides, with a free indoor swimming pool just a mile away. Lomond Woods is great for younger children, with special facilities for the very young and loads of toys on loan, as well as free entry for youngsters to the Blair Drummond Safari Park. Among the parks which have a kids’ club and entertainment are Parkdean’s Nairn Lochloy, Sundrum Castle, Southerness and Grannie’s Heilan’ Hame.

Many visitor attractions pay particular attention to youngsters and ensure that they are entertained. Cream o’ Galloway in the South West has farm trails, meet-the-lambs’ sessions and tastings of their scrumptious ice-cream. In North Berwick the Seabird Centre, using live cameras, allows you to get close to the thousands of gannets on the Bass Rock, as well as seals and their young on the rocks. You can manipulate the cameras to give you different views of both birds and seals. The House at the Beach and The Neuk (both self-catering) are both in North Berwick and not far away is Tantallon Castle, a formidable castle where children’s imagination can run riot.

For hands-on interactive fun for all, Sensation in Dundee is the place to go and nearby is Scott of the Antarctic’s RRS Discovery, where you can visit the officers’ cabins and the crew’s quarters and have fun in the visitor centre where there are games, quiz boards and giant jigsaws for the children. The Apex Hotel nearby welcomes children as does Dundee’s leisure centre.

In Ayrshire, Culzean Castle has a walled garden, extensive wooded grounds, a beach, a deer park and a swan pond; picnickers are welcome! Ayrshire is also Burns’ Country, which will feature in Scotland’s Homecoming 2009, when a range of events are being staged to entertain the visitor. If you fancy Ayrshire for your holiday, then the Gailes Hotel near Irvine is the place to stay.

When looking for ideas on where to stay, it’s useful to know that VisitScotland has a Children Welcome award as part of their grading schemes which means that the accommodation has signed up to provide certain facilities for their younger guests. You can check these out by going to visitscotland.com or calling 0845 22 55 121 to ask for help in finding the right place for a family holiday in 2009. You can also get a free copy of the Thistle Holiday Home Parks’ brochure or check out www.thistleparks.co.uk

Judith Sleigh

Thistle Holiday Home Parks