It seems to me that if the children are happy, most parents seem to be happy too! Here are a few of the things we like to do! Many also suitable for a rainy day – it’s always best to be prepared!
The Playbarn at Greenfields, near Llanbryde, is the largest indoor play area in the north east of Scotland. Best for under 10’s in my opinion!
Have a surf lesson (they will be wet anyway!) Suds’ Surf School will organise lessons, hire equipment and wetsuits at Sandend and New Wave Surf School operates predominantly from the East Beach in Lossie. Stand up paddleboards and body boards also available. 10% discount on prices with Suds for guests at our cottages too. There’s also Blue Coast and Cullen Sea School in… Cullen!
Kayaking and surfing are both popular activities at Sandend
Go horse riding! Imagine riding through the Forest on a crisp winter’s day. Or on the beach watching a summer sunset from the back of your horse. The Equus Equestrian Centre has horses of all sizes and capabilities. Complete beginners, both adults and children, are catered for as well as the more proficient riders. Located near Roseisle, Equus can organise treks down to the beach whilst Cranloch riding centre, a few miles east of Elgin treks through beautiful woodland and extensive farmland. Either can organise lessons.
Woodland paintballing or white water rafting on the River Findhorn are available from Ace Adventures, just south of Forres.
Visit the MacDuff Marine Aquarium and learn about the marine life of the Moray Firth. Watch the divers hand feed the fish in the living kelp reef.
Local award winning ice cream from the ever popular Portsoy Ice Cream Shop!
Eat an ice cream! All along the coast, small ice cream parlours with a mind boggling array of home made flavours, have been springing up. Our favourite has to be the Portsoy Ice Cream shop, but there’s Cullen, Fochabers, Rizza’s and Miele’s in Lossie and many more! VisitScotland even has an ice cream trail, if you’re a connoisseur or enthusiast (or addict!)
Visit the Scottish Dolphin Centre at the mouth of the River Spey – it is one of the best land based places to go dolphin watching in the UK. You may catch a sighting of ofsprey, seals and maybe otters if you join a wildlife wander. And there is also the largest ice house in the UK to explore.
Hire a bike from Outfit Moray and go mountainbiking at the Moray Monster Trails at Fochabers.