Family cottages in Scotland

Family-friendly holidays in Scotland

Come to Scotland with all the family and stay at one of our self-catering holiday cottages. Enjoy some quality time at our family-friendly accommodation in Scotland. Plan an adventure every day, whether it’s a picnic in the Cairngorms or a boat trip spotting local seals and dolphins off the coast of one of Scotland’s many rugged islands. We have family cottages all across Scotland from Angus, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Loch Lomond, Moray, Perth and Kinross, and The Highlands

The key to a successful family holiday in Scotland is finding the right location. If you have young children or toddlers, do they like outdoor games and sports or would a city break packed with wonderful kid-friendly visitor attractions be more suitable? If you are meeting up with the family without kids, there is an endless choice of beauty spots, beaches, coastline nature reserves, national parks, islands, mountains, glens, and lochs to discover all around Scotland. Read our blog about the best days out for kids in Scotland to get even more inspiration.

Family-friendly cities in Scotland

Scotland’s two largest cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh are less than an hour’s drive from one another, but they are quite the contrast. Interesting in equal measure, Edinburgh is the place to go to for history and intrigue. Visit Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile, The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Scottish National Gallery, and Leith and Shore. Coincide your visit with some fantastic events like the Edinburgh Tattoo, or the annual Fringe Festival. Glasgow is a city of culture and industry with vast open spaces like Kelvingrove Park, George Square, and Glasgow Botanic Gardens, historic edifices such as Glasgow Cathedral, Kelvingrove Art Museum, and the Merchant District, Riverside Museum and Tall Ship on the Clyde, Glasgow Science Centre, and the National Piping Centre and Bagpipe Museum. Both cities are home to hundreds of shops, restaurants, and pubs, as well as cool theatres, music venues, and cinemas.

Visit the Highlands with your family

The Scottish Highlands is definitely a destination for those that love the wilderness. Traditional family attractions are few and far between, but if you love nature and outdoor sports and wildlife spotting, then the Highlands are for you and yours. Visit the limits of the mainland with a trip to Cape Wrath, one of the remotest parts of the British mainland, Durness with its tales of pirates and cutpurses, John o’Groats, the endpoint for many end-to-end endurance challenges, and also the terminus for boats to and from the Orkneys and the Shetlands, Dunrobin Castle, Ullapool, and the Applecross Peninsula. Climb Munros near Fort William like Ben Nevis or walk the shore of Loch Ness after uncovering the joys of Inverness, the UK’s most northerly city. You could also drive the challenging Scottish 500, a road trip that winds in a loop from the city that takes in all the coastal highlights of the Highlands.

Scotland’s family-friendly islands

Scotland has hundreds of islands, the majority of which are tiny and uninhabited. The largest and most popular Scottish island is the Isle of Skye, with natural attractions such as The Storr and the Fairy Pools, and the majesty of Dunvegan Castle and Gardens. Other islands include the outer lying Orkneys which are a popular spot for divers due to the intriguing WW1 and WW2 shipwrecks below the surface in Scapa Flow; the Shetlands, which are further north than Oslo in Norway, and home to ancient Scottish traditional and immense beauty. Scotland has many popular islands such as Jura, Rum, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, Lewis and Harris, Mull, Barra, Tiree and Bute. It would take two lifetimes to visit each and every Scottish Island, and each trip with the family is worth the journey.

Family friendly beaches in Scotland

A day out at the beach is a must on a trip to Scotland. Even if the temperatures may not always allow for a swim all year round, the beaches will still draw you and your family in with their magnificent beauty and views across the sea, firths, and lochs. Top beaches in Scotland are Langamull Beach on the Isle of Mull, Mellon Udrigle Beach in Wester Ross, Saltcoats Beach in Ayrshire, Luskentyre Sands on North Harris, Eyemouth Beach, Dornoch Beach, Balnakeil Beach, Big Sand Beach, and the world-class Sandwood Bay. Most of these beaches are far removed from traditional seaside resorts with piers and promenades. Scotland is full of family-friendly, beautiful places that offer memorable day trips far from crowds and the daily bustle of most holiday destinations.

More top family-friendly attractions in Scotland

Top family attractions in Scotland include Loch Ness, Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, Glasgow city centre, Arthur’s Seat, Ben Nevis, John O’Groats, the Scotland 500, Loch Lomond, Scone Palace, the William Wallace Monument, the Brig O’ Doon, Souter Johnnie’s Cottage, and the Chocolatarium in Edinburgh. There are lots of historical places to visit all across Scotland too where you can find ancient castle ruins, stone circles, and ancient ghost villages on some of the uninhabited islands.

Stay with us

Book a holiday at one of our family-friendly holiday properties in Scotland so that you can visit a whole host of these wonderful tourist attractions Choose from family-friendly cottages, child-friendly lodges, or luxury family holidays for the ultimate family break away to Scotland. Our family-friendly cottages combine safe locations, comfortable homely features and added facilities such as highchairs and cots for a wonderful family holiday.