Spend quality time with your kids
Let’s face it, by the time we get on our holidays we’re all ready for a break. You’ve been busy at work and the kids have been longing for the school term to end.
It can be really tempting to just let everyone sit and watch TV or play on the iPad, but we reckon you’d be missing out. There’s so much to do here it gives you the perfect opportunity to have some fun as a family and find out more about each other. You’d be amazed at the number of kids we’ve seen out of their minds with excitement because they’ve just found out that Dad isn’t always behind a newspaper and Mum loves a dance!
The best thing about getting out and about during the day is that it wears the kids out. There’s something in the air up here that leaves young children begging to go to bed early. That means that you can have the rest of the evening to yourself! So, read on to find out about our favourite ways to spend some quality time with the children.
On your bike
One of the simplest things you can do is to get out and about in the fresh air for a bike ride. There are lots of safe routes around the local area and you can take paths that aren’t accessible in the car. You might even discover something new and unexpected. To search for family friendly routes visit http://www.cycle-route.com/routes/North_Ayrshire-Routes-20.html
Go to the park
You don’t have to go far to find an ordinary play park around here. But if you want something special we recommend you head out to Eglinton Country Park near Irvine. There are three separate play areas for the kids to burn off some energy and woodland to run around in. If you really want to make some memories you can try horse riding or take the kids on their first fishing trip.
Meet some Vikings
We’ve talked about Vikingar! before but it really is one of our favourites. You can find out more about Largs’ Viking past and maybe even meet one of them in the flesh! There’s a swimming pool on the same site if you fancy making a splash and you can round off a great day out with an ice cream on the sea front.
Explore a Castle
If you think visiting a castle means a boring tour around an old-fashioned stately home, think again. Kelburn Castle Country Centre is just south of Largs and features the spectacular Secret Forest, a complex of woodland paths and raised walkways with a few surprises thrown in. The Adventure Course and Stockade are suitable for adults too (unless you’re scared of heights – don’t worry, we won’t tell!). There’s also a bike park and horse trekking.
If you fancy a trip further afield, Culzean Castle is more traditional but still has an adventure playground, woods, beaches and lots of hidden buildings to explore.
Family games
If you don’t want to travel far, you can keep it simple and still spend some time together. A bat and ball can keep everyone amused for hours, especially if the aim is to make Dad fall over! We reckon that family card games have become a bit of a lost art too. If the weather turns against you, get the cards out and resurrect some of those games you used to play as a kid. If the grandparents are around you can include them too.
We hope we’ve inspired you to have time with your family and make some new memories. What are your favourite ways to get time together? Share in the comments below!