Anyone who’s done a long drive with kids knows the moment. Someone needs the loo, someone else is hungry, and the one who finally fell asleep will wake up the second you pull into a service station. Scotland is brilliant for a family road trip, but the distances between the good bits can test everyone’s patience.
For this trip, I reckon the vehicle matters more than the route you take. With luxury campervan hire scotland, the kitchen, the toilet and the beds come along with you, so a nap happens in a proper bed and lunch happens wherever you like the view. The stops below work well with kids on the way from Edinburgh up to the Cairngorms.
The Kelpies, Falkirk
The Kelpies are the first big “wow” of the trip and they come not long after you leave Edinburgh. Andy Scott’s two steel horse heads stand beside the Forth and Clyde Canal, and Scottish Canals describes them as the world’s largest equine sculptures, each weighing 300 tonnes. They were inspired by the Clydesdale horses that once did the heavy work of Scotland’s canals and industry, which gives you a ready answer when the kids ask why anyone built giant horses.
Walk round them first, then let the children run on the grass by the canal. The towpath is flat, so it’s an easy stroll with a buggy or a scooter too. If you have teenagers who fancy a challenge, the Kelpies Experience offers a guided climb, and it needs booking ahead.
The Falkirk Wheel
A short drive away, the Falkirk Wheel lifts canal boats between the Forth and Clyde Canal and the Union Canal by turning slowly on its axle. It’s the only rotating boat lift in the world, and kids tend to stand there gawping at it.
You can ride it too. Boat trips take you up onto the aqueduct at the top and back down again, and while the queue can be long in the school holidays, it’s a good spot for a picnic from the van while you wait for your slot. Smaller children often prefer watching from the grass anyway, where they can see the whole wheel turn and the water spill off the gondolas as they rise. Book ahead if you’re going on a summer weekend.
Highland Wildlife Park, Kincraig
Head north on the A9 and the scenery changes fast, from rolling farmland to heather and pine. The Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, sits inside the Cairngorms National Park and is home to Scotland’s only polar bears, along with snow leopards and Scottish wildcats.
I’d plan a whole day around this one. Most of the animals come from cold parts of the world, so the park feels right at home in the Highlands, and a wet or chilly day doesn’t spoil it.
Dress everyone in layers and bring wellies for the muddy bits.
When the rain comes in
It will rain at some point, and that’s when having your home on wheels really earns its keep. Instead of dashing between the car and a café with wet coats and a toddler who has lost a shoe, you can put the kettle on, dig out a board game and wait for it to pass. Keep a box of cards and colouring pencils in the van, and a dry towel by the door.
