AD – I was compensated for this post.

The kids love an adventure and I’m no different!  So we headed up to Deeside Holiday Park for a couple of days to have fun and explore the area together.  The area is not completely new to me as I went to Aberdeen University, however this was a long time before children so a completely different adventure!

Wood Leisure Holiday Parks

Deeside Holiday Park is owned by Wood Leisure Holiday Parks who have 6 different holiday parks throughout the beautiful Scottish countryside.  Deeside is the furthest North, with the other holiday parks in Perthshire, Stirlingshire and West Dunbartonshire.

Deeside Holiday Park

Deeside Holiday Park is only a 15 minute car journey from the outskirts of Aberdeen, yet it is set in the beautiful countryside of Royal Deeside.  On arrival at the park we headed to the reception to collect the keys from the friendly staff who directed us to our home for the next couple of days.

Our caravan was facing toward the edge of the holiday park and so we had a lovely fenced private area at the back with a picnic bench, hot tub and a grassy slope.  It made it feel very homely and great to have an outdoor area that felt like ‘ours’, compared to other holiday parks we’ve visited where the homes can be much too close together.

Inside our caravan there was a large open plan living space, with a sofa, television, dining table and kitchen.  At each end of the caravan is a bedroom, one a double and the other a twin bedroom.  The double bedroom has is en-suite and the twin has access to a second bathroom which has a shared door with the hallway.  Plenty of space for a family of four to stay!

In the living area there was a folder filled with information of places to eat and attractions to visit.  There is also a television with all the main channels available, including CBeebies and CBBC for when the kids get up a bit too early in the morning!

The kitchen has a gas powered oven and hob, microwave, fridge, freezer, toaster and kettle, plus all the necessary cooking equipment, cutlery and crockery.  We had everything needed for cooking our meals and there is plenty of room in the fridge and freezer for storing food.  There is only one small cupboard for tins and packets to be stored in, but it should be enough for several days food to be stored at a time.

I did have a moment of confusion when the gas oven wouldn’t light, but realised that it was because the oven had been switched off at the wall!  So do check the switches if the lighter switch on the oven/hob isn’t working!  If you’re not used to gas cookers then allow more time for cooking, they can be a little slower than their electric counterparts.

The dining table sits beside the patio doors at the back of the property.  It does get in the way of the door if you leave it out, so we made sure to push it backward toward the wall after use.  If it was during the summer and warmer then it would have been lovely to have the patio doors wide open whilst we ate dinner or sit outside on the picnic bench.

As with the rest of the property, the bedrooms were decorated with quality materials and the children were very cosy in their beds each night.  Each person is provided with a towel and the adults are also given a soft towel robe and slippers each for walking to and from the hot tub.

The holiday park is not big at all and as it’s very family friendly there’s no worries about the kids running across to the park.  The park has enough to occupy the children, especially when they have great imaginations like my two.  Apparently the climbing frame was a time machine and the sand pit was a dinosaur nest with broken egg shells!  So funny to hear what stories they make up.

The park is right next to the duck pond, which was a great hit when they could watch the little ducklings waddle across to the pond.

Caravan With Hot Tub

Not all the caravans at Deeside have a hot tub, but you can choose one of the select few that do.  I definitely recommend a hot tub as it can certainly warm you up on a chilly autumn day!  The kids enjoy playing in the hot tub too, so they were certainly pleased when they saw the hot tub in the garden.

The hot tubs are checked twice a day and chemicals added when required, so there’s never a worry about them being unclean.  There is no switch to turn the temperature on or off, just turn the jets on when you’re ready to get in.

Park Facilities

Aside from the lovely duck pond with the sweet little duckling family, there is everything that you could need.  The reception has some basic food items, plus chocolate and ice cream.  You can also buy some duck food to take to the pond too.

Beside the duck pond is the park for children, which boasts a climbing frame, swings, sand pit and various other items.  There’s also a barbecue area that was being finished off when we were there, which looks like a great little spot to have a family barbecue whilst the kids play at the park.

Right beside the park is a large building containing the games rooms.  There are several sofas to relax on, a coffee machine (perfect for parents who are caffeine fuelled!) and a little soft play area for babies and toddlers.  In the next room is a pool table, ideal for the teenagers in the family.

Further around the corner is the laundry, which you need an access code for.  You should be given the code when you arrive, but if not just ask.

WiFi is also available around the site, but it’s for light access only so don’t be surprised if it comes and goes during busy periods.

Local Attractions

Deeside holiday park is situated in the perfect position for exploring Royal Deeside and further afield.  We only stayed for two nights, so didn’t manage to visit a huge array of places.  However, we can certainly recommend many of the local castles that we’ve previously visited, including Crathes Castle.  On our way up to Deeside we stopped in at Dunnotar Castle for a visit, which is a great castle for families to visit, it will certainly impress the kids!  Is not accessible for those who are in wheelchairs as there are rather a lot of steps involved.

Beside Dunnotar Castle are some lovely rocky beaches where my two had a fabulous time and ended up thoroughly soaked!  Just as well I always bring spare clothes and a towel with me!

Five minutes up the road from the holiday park is The Den and The Glen, which is an outdoor adventure park that has many storybook and nursery rhyme characters (The Glen) and the newer softplay building next door (The den).

We also chose to pop into Aberdeen in the afternoon to visit Duthie Park, a large open parkland with several play parks and the Winter Gardens.  The kids enjoyed painting different cacti and tropical plant leaves inside the tropical gardens, as well as playing the play parks outside.  A great place for the kids and free entry too.

There are plenty more options of places to visit from museums, beaches and forests to outdoor swimming pools and castles.  Check out the folder when you arrive at the caravan for more options.

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