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The Best Scottish Experiences and Adventures
I’ve always loved a good adventure. So finding some new Scottish adventures for 2021 seemed like a good idea! Here are some great adventurous ideas if you are travelling in Scotland this year. There are so many amazing adventures to be had in this beautiful country!
If you would like more ideas after reading this post, have a look at these 20 wild swimming locations in Scotland or these 10 Scottish road trips.
Balfron, Stirling, Scotland, G63 0TR, United Kingdom
Loch Katrine, Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom
Elie, Elie and Earlsferry, Fife, Scotland, KY9 1DB, United Kingdom
Falls of Shin, B864, Achany, Highland, Scotland, IV27 4EE, United Kingdom
Durness, Highland, Scotland, IV27 4PR, United Kingdom
Gartmore, Stirling, Scotland, FK8 3RW, United Kingdom
MTB & Ski Hire & Mountain Carting, Cairngorm hill track, Highland, Scotland, PH22 1RB, United Kingdom
Hillend Country Park, Lothianburn, City of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, United Kingdom
Ledbeg, A837, Ledmore, Highland, Scotland, IV27 4HF, United Kingdom
Dunstaffnage Marina, A85, Dunbeg, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, PA37 1PX, United Kingdom
Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, PH15 2DD, United Kingdom
Killiecrankie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, PH16 5GZ, United Kingdom
Ballinluig, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, PH9 0LG, United Kingdom
Greyhope Road, Torry, Aberdeen City, Scotland, AB11 8QX, United Kingdom
Treshnish Isles, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom
Knapdale, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, United Kingdom
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, KY16 9PA, United Kingdom
Seafari Adventures, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, PA34 4TB, United Kingdom
Barnton Street, Lower Town, Old Town, Stirling, Scotland, FK8 1HH, United Kingdom
High Street, Dunblane, Stirling, Scotland, FK15 0EE, United Kingdom
Wildlife Experiences
Spot Beavers in Argyll – Scottish Adventures
Knapdale in Argyll is the location of the first UK reintroduction of the European Beavers, where they have been since 2009. This isn’t to say there aren’t other beavers elsewhere in Scotland, but they are escapes rather than reintroductions! We’ve spotted evidence of Beavers at various locations around Perthshire and Northern Stirlingshire. The cycle path between Lochearnhead and Balquhidder or the walk behind Bennybeg pottery near Crieff are both great locations to spot evidence of beavers. However if you would like a chance to see the beavers themselves it would be best to book a walk with the rangers at the Argyll Beaver Centre.
The rangers will take you on a two hour evening walk to find evidence of the beavers and perhaps if you’re lucky you will see an actual beaver too! Booking is required.
Find Puffins and Visit the Isle of Staffa – Scottish Adventures
Staffa is made of the same Basalt columns as the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. The formation of the rocks is fantastic and so much fun for all the family to explore. You can book boats to visit from either Tobermory or Fionnphort, although landing does depend on the sea, if it’s too choppy they can’t land. We’ve visited twice and managed to land both times, despite it seeming fairly choppy when landing! When our youngest was 2 I took a carrier and carried him on my back along the rocks. He was absolutely fine and loved watching the waves and seeing where we were going. You should also have enough time to race across to the end of the island to see a few nesting puffins.
However, if puffins is want you really want to see then you need to visit Lunga. Lunga is one of the Treshnish Isles and can be visited from Tobermory by boat, along with a shorter stop at Staffa. Lunga is filled with puffins just waiting for their photo opportunity. As they are so used to people walking past and watching they never seem to be bothered by visitors. I imagine that the presence of humans keeps away predatory or sand eel stealing birds, which is particularly beneficial to the puffins too!
Isle of May
Another excellent island for puffin watching, along with lots of other seabirds, is Isle of May. You can take a trip either from the Seabird Centre at North Berwick or from Anstruther in Fife. We’ve visited a couple of times, both landing trips departing from Anstruther with Anstruther Pleasure Cruises. It’s a great boat and they allow kids of all ages.
You get 2-3 hours on the island (depending on tide times) where you can explore the many pathways and watch birds of all kinds soar overhead. It’s a bird sanctuary so it’s particularly spectacular!
Dolphin Watching at Aberdeen Harbour
You can spot dolphins all around Scotland, we’ve seen them many times on our travels. The Sound of Mull on a ferry to Tiree was excellent, as was the ferry from Barra back to Oban. We’ve also spotted them off the coast near Lochinver and the Butt of Lewis.
But the best place to spot dolphins from land is opposite the entrance of Aberdeen harbour, at Torry Battery. The dolphins love to play near the entrance to the harbour and they are there almost every day!
Sea Eagles on Mull
There used to be a sea eagle hide to visit on the Isle of Mull. However, that no longer exists, fortunately they are really easy to spot!
The East coast of Mull is where you will spot them soaring along the coast, perched in trees and even just sitting in a field or hillside. We’ve seen them so often the excitement has pretty much gone, whoops! For your best chance of seeing White tailed sea eagles, take a tour from Tobermory. They’ll know exactly which trees to find them in!
Water Adventures
Visit Scotland’s Whirlpool
The Corryvreckan whirlpool is actually a series of whirlpools between Jura and Scarba islands. Due to the sea floor topography the water is in constant motion. The whirpool is best at certain tide times, check before you book a specific date.
Book with Seafari Adventures Oban, they are based at Easdale approximately 8 miles south of Oban.
Canyoning at Blair Atholl
Scotland has a lot of wild water and some excellent rivers for canyoning. The kids and I tried canyoning with Nae Limits near Pitlochry, and it was a fantastic family trip.
You are given a wetsuit, helmet and water shoes if you need them. Then leap into a cold Scottish river, swim by waterfalls, slide down stone chutes and swim across the pools. There are some jumps too, but nobody has to do them, although you are strongly encouraged to at least try the lower ones. All great fun, and a great way to bond with the kids.
Sea Kayaking Around Arisaig
One of my favourite places to be is by the sea and there’s some spectacular beaches around Scotland! Sea kayaking is hard work when the waves are choppy, but it’s definitely worth a little arm pain! Arisaig is a beautiful gem on the West coast of Scotland and from here you can take from 1-5 day guided sea kayak tours.
The tours provide you with everything you need, including the essential kayak of course! They can provide 2 person kayaks if someone in your group is a little unsure of kayaking on their own. The minimum age is around 15 years old, so not an adventure suitable to younger children. Although you may well find other places that will take younger children in kayaks on calm lochs inland. We’ve hired kayaks for us to use on Loch Tay viat Taymouth Marina, which was great fun!
Raft Down The River Tay
Scotland has it’s fair share of adventure sports, but a really good (and family friendly!) one has to be rafting! With a minimum age of 8 it’s a good one to do with children, the guides know each route well and will ensure you are all safe. Splash Rafting in Aberfeldy (Perthshire) seem like a good company, we’ve been canyoning with them ourselves (not the kids!) and they were brilliant. So I’m hoping we can go rafting with them once our youngest is 8 years old next year.
Splash has all the equipment you need, so just wear a swimsuit for under your wetsuit and some warm clothes to wear afterward!
Swim With Basking Sharks
This is something I would love to do with the kids! I’ve never seen a Basking Shark myself, but it would be amazing to not only see them in the water, but to actually go into the water and swim with them. Witnessing the huge open cavity of their mouth as the huge shark sifts zooplankton in!
Fortunately this IS something you can do with Basking Shark Scotland. You can use their equipment to snorkel with the gentle giants and see what they are really like up close. There are various trips to choose from, including 1 day, 3, 4 and 7 day tours to spot and swim with Basking Sharks. The trips fill up fast, so if you can’t find space this year find out when next years dates are released so you can book then!
Land Based Adventures
Walk the West Highland Way, Rob Roy Way or Fife Coastal Walk – Scottish Adventures
There are various different long walks in Scotland. Most notably is the West Highland Way stretching from Milngavie all the way to Fort William. It’s always busy with plenty of walkers, but also means it’s well set up for people with cafes and luggage carrying services along the route.
Alternatively, for a quieter long walk route you could try the Rob Roy Way, which starts at Drymen in Stirlingshire and leads to Pitlochry in Perthshire. This is a fair bit shorter than the West Highland Way (only 79 miles compared to 96 miles), but passes through some stunning areas of the Trossachs and Perthshire.
The Fife coastal path makes for a good distance walk along the East coast. It measures 113 miles (longer than the West Highland Way!) starting at Kincardine, finishing in Newburgh, taking in some beautiful areas of coast along the way.
You will also find other beautiful paths including the John Muir Way which is from Helensburgh on the West coast to Cockburn Path on the East coast. Have a look at the long distance walks listed on the Walk Highlands page for some more ideas for longer walks.
Hike To The Bone Caves
Another walk, yes, but this one is rather fascinating and set in an out the way part of the Highlands. If you are driving the North Coast 500 route I recommend a stop for the Bone Caves walk. The information sign at the car park will tell you more about the animal bones that were found in the caves. It’s still unknown if the bones were washed into the cave or if humans had been living here and left the animal bones.
The walk is only a couple of miles uphill, through some moorland and past rivers before you get to a steep section. From here you can see where the bone caves are located on the hillside. There are several caves to explore, with the two middle caves linked by a small tunnel. The kids had a brilliant time ‘caving’ in there!
Ski and Tubing at Hillend
Hillend is where I first learned to ski, not that I’m proficient in any way. I still don’t know how those little kids do it as they zoom past me on the snowy slopes of the Alps! But if you are looking for a good place to ski in Scotland or for some lessons on skiing, then Hillend is the place to go.
Alternatively you can have a couple of hours of fun tubing down the hill! The same dry ski slope material is used for big rubber rings to slide down at speed. The benefit to tubing here is that there is a travellator (is that what it’s called?!) to take you back up the hill with the ring. Great fun for an afternoon with the kids or even adult friends!
Alpine Coaster at Hillend
Hillend in Edinburgh also now has an alpine coaster, currently the only one in Scotland. It’s another great way to slide down the hill at speed. Or not. They have breaks so you can slow yourself down, just don’t go too slow or the person behind will crash into you!
Visit A Highland Games
There are Highland Games up and down the length and breadth of Scotland in the summer months. From small local villages Highland Games, to large cities and towns. You can find a list of all the dates online, so perhaps choose one near your planned route or even organise your trip around a few of them!
What should you expect? Expect some interesting strength challenges, from tossing the caber and shot put and tug o’ war. But you will also see plenty of kilts, highland dancing and the bagpipes being played. Normally there are lots of stalls with food, drink and crafts to browse too.
Cairngorm Mountain
Another great place for a day out is Cairngorm Mountain. They have a whole assortment of activities available in the summer months, and of course in winter there is skiing.
The big attraction is the funicular that takes you to the top of the mountain, to the cafe. But there is also tubing, go-karts, hiking, mountain bikes trails and, for the little kids, the ball run. A great family day out on the mountain!
Land Yachting at St Andrews
This is another adventure I want to try with the kids! Land yachting is basically a small sail boat on wheels, racing fast across a flat beach. With Blown Away at St Andrews you can do this in either solo yachts or twin land yachts for kids 5-12 years old to be race with you.
Blown Away provide all the safety equipment, just dress for the weather and bring spare clothes! I can’t wait to try this, it will be brilliant to race over the sands with the kids. It’s also possible to do SUP, surfing and kayaking with Blown Away as well, so if you’re in the area for a few days and enjoy some adventurous coastal activities, this could be the perfect company for you.
Tea With Sheep
An unusual one admittedly! But tea with sheep is a great experience for parents and older kids. It’s literally what it says on the tin. Having tea and cakes on a table in a field with sheep, who are more than happy to come up and enjoy the food too!
This is just for 16 and overs, but to be fair this would be a hilarious and memorable bonding date for both parent and teen! Certainly an experience.
Ziplining Across A Beach On The North Coast
If you wanted a beautiful experience in the far North of Scotland, you can’t get better than this! The Golden Eagle zipline near Durness is a spectacular experience. Zipping across a beautiful beach, watching the se lap the shore below.
It is weather dependant, so you will need to check the zipline’s social media posts to find out if it’s running that day. If there strong winds or heavy rain it will be closed for safety reasons.
Bungee Jumping In Perthshire
If you are looking for more of an adrenaline rush, there is bungee jumping at Killiecrankie in Perthshire. So if leaping off a bridge attached to a stretchy rope is your idea of fun, then you need to head to Killiecrankie’s Highland Fling bungee!
This is for age 10+, so if you and your kids are feeling brave, then you can try this fun experience.
Watch Salmon Leaping
For something a little less scary, you can visit in the autumn months to watch salmon leaping up waterfalls. There are many, many places where you can see this, so do ask your accommodation provider if they know of any good places to watch. One of the best places to visit are the Falls of Shin near Lairg.
Why are the salmon leaping? Well this is simply part of their lifecycle. They hatch and grow in the freshwater river, many miles upstream from the sea. Then as they get bigger they swim downstream to the ocean to finish growing, only returning to the river as fully grown migrating adult. Then adults swim upstream to the spawning area they were hatched and lay/fertilise eggs on the river floor for the next generation. The adults die upstream after all the energy expended on reaching the spawning site and reproduction.
Elie Chain Walk
This is a great family adventure for all ages, well maybe not the smallest ones. But from around 7-8+, if they are used to clambering on rocks. The Elie chain walk is a stretch of rocky shoreline and cliffs with metal chains and footholds that you can use to walk along the shoreline.
Make sure the tide is on the way out when you start, as the biggest danger here is being cut off by the tide. But you can easily find tide times online to plan your trip. It’s also much better on a dry sunny day, otherwise the rocks can be quite slippery.
Cycle around Loch Katrine
Loch Katrine (pronounced ‘Katrin’) is in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and an excellent place for a day out. One of the best family experiences here is to take (or hire from the pier) bikes on the boat to the far end of the loch. After admiring the scenery on the way there you then spend a good couple of hours cycling back around one side of the loch to the start. It’s easily done by children around 7+, but do bring plenty of snacks as well as a picnic. You will want to stop and take in the views, plus there are some pretty steep hills to go up too!
Creative Experiences
Weaving Tartan Or A Scarf
Radical Weavers in Stirling is the perfect place to visit if you want to try weaving. You can choose from weaving your own tartan or a scarf, both are great fun to do. I chose to visit and make a scarf at a day long workshop and it was a fantastic experience.
You learn how to set up the loom, as well as weaving, and you do everything yourself under supervision of an instructor. And of course you have a great piece of weaving to show off to family and friends afterward! This is another one for older children, around 12+ should be fine with this workshop.
Learn To Make Haggis
Are you a foodie? What about making your own haggis? In the Haggis Experience workshop you learn what goes into haggis, as well as how to prepare it and cook it. And of course you get to taste the haggis afterward!
This is suitable for kids as well as adults, plus you can choose from a masterclass where you can make the haggis yourself or a demonstration, where you can watch someone else making haggis!
Craft and Jewellery School Workshops in Stirlingshire
The Central Scotland School of Craft and the Central Scotland School of Jewellery are both located on Dunblane’s High Street. There are so many different workshops available throughout the year that I can’t list them all here. However, expect everything from wooden spoon carving and book binding to silver ring making and sea glass pendant creations.
I’ve tried various different workshops with the school of craft and loved each and every one of them. Next I’d love to try a weekend beginner workshop with the jewellery school. Ages are dependent on the class, generally tweens and up can do a lot of workshops, but there may be age restrictions on certain ones for safety when using chemicals or sharp implements.
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