A deserted beach, fresh air and no screens! One balmy evening, last September, we stood atop a sand dune on the ‘Forth Riviera’ looking down at a white sandy mile-long beach and saw not one single person. It was hard to believe we were just a thirty minute drive east of Edinburgh. As we admired the stunning views of the Forth estuary and the Bass Rock, the kids bombed down the sand dune on the sledges they’d just borrowed from the ‘glamp site’.
Read MoreAuthor: JW Patrick
Forest Holidays, Argyll
A luxury lochside retreat on Loch Long Sitting in a hot tub on the shore of Long Long with a glass of wine while admiring the stunning views of the forest flowing down the mountainside almost into the loch, it was hard to believe we were little more than an hour’s drive from Glasgow. The former campsite on the Ardgartan promontory is now owned by Forest Holidays and in this fantastic location they have built 40 luxurious self-catering log cabins as well as a café and shop. Forest Holidays work in…
Read MoreCornish Pasties vs. Bridies
When my Scottish grandparents spent a weekend in Cornwall they naturally had to sample the local specialty. But when the waitress turned up with the Cornish Pasties my grandfather said, “Ooh, they look like Bridies.” “They are not!” snapped the angry waitress, “they were made fresh today!” [Bridies are a Scottish Meat-filled pastry!] and they look a bit like Pasties.
Read MoreA Weekend Break in Belfast
A favourite family weekend in Belfast Belfast may not be the first destination on your list of potential family breaks but it’s well worth consideration. Despite a cold wet January weekend, our family had a fantastic time and one of our favourite ever family weekends away.
Read MoreUninvited Lunch Guest
“There’s a snake up there Daddy!” No one even bothered looking up. Sam, 8, had been attention-seeking all day…
Read MoreA Canadian Guilt Trip
Travelling to Canada? Don’t forget to pack your hair shirt and handy travel whip. Because no matter how low-impact you intend your visit to be you’ll still be made to feel guilty. “Take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints” isn’t enough for Canadians who would prefer their signs to read: “Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints and flail yourself in penance for the damage wrought by the footpath you are standing on and the road that brought you here.”
Read MoreThinking of driving in Italy?
Here are a few helpful pointers to improve your driving experience in Italy: 1. If you are a man, never drive in the slow lane. It is demeaning. No Italian man willingly remains in the slow lane. Any Italian man forced to drive in the slow lane, such as a truck driver, will keep two of his wheels at all times touching the white line of the fast lane and will veer across the white line at regular intervals, particularly if they think you are about to overtake them.
Read MoreHilton Coylumbridge, Aviemore
Hilton Coylumbridge, Aviemore Our Family Opinion Aviemore has a long-held reputation as a family-friendly destination. My own family used to visit regularly but it has been nearly thirty years since I last stayed at Coylumbridge Hotel. Returning with our own young kids brought back a flood of happy memories. (Though I was a little disappointed to discover that they no longer had one of those original table-top space invader games in the bar). There’s just something special about Aviemore surrounded by snow-capped mountains that combines a wonderful feeling of getting…
Read MoreTaychreggan, Oban
Stunning lochside country hotel on the banks of Loch Awe Perhaps best visited without the kids…..but children are very welcome! This hotel is a former winner of “Most Romantic Hotel”, Taychreggan Hotel is a stunning haven of peace nestling in its own bay on the shores of glorious Loch Awe. The hotel lies at the end of a seven mile single track lane where you find yourself pausing to give way to fearless Red Deer in no hurry to get where they’re going. Then, as you order your glass of wine…
Read MoreA Wee Whinge at Calmac
The family drove up to Mull for the bank holiday weekend in late May all the way giving thanks for the invention of the portable DVD player. Calmac’s Oban-Craignure Ferry was briskly efficient though seeing my very pregnant wife begging strangers for a 20p pence to use the Calmac toilets was a little grating. They charge you at both Oban and Fionnphort, the ferry port to Iona as well, which although busy, is hardly Grand Central Station. Ho hum.
Read More