Bella Italia, Sauchiehall Street

What to say about this chain?  Our main discussion when we arrived was: "What used to be here?  Dino's?".

We chose this restaurant as we were visiting the Concert Hall with Gran and Papa and I was lured in with a Voucher Cloud code, which turned out only to be valid Monday to Thursday at this location.  Fail.

Also, Angus is a pizza fiend, so it seemed a good bet.

Bella Italia is a big chain which seems to have undergone a makeover of late.  The decor is very bright and colourful with lots to look at.  This location was sunny and we were seated at a large booth.

Everybody had and enjoyed a pizza (I couldn't manage all of mine and the staff were happy to box it up for me to take away).  Overall, I would say it is a little more expensive than Pizza Express.

The Piccolo menu is three courses and a drink for £5.95, so not the cheapest (there is another menu for older children).  We chose the veggie dippers for Angus to start (and they bought us lots of bread sticks too).  Then you can choose a child-size portion of any pizza or pasta from the main menu (as well as the kids menu choices), so Angus had a cheese and tomato pizza.  There is a big choice of desserts but Angus was sent up to the ice-cream cart, where they were very generous to him.  I think this was induced by the lack of chocolate flavour (they had run out!).  He had two scoops of his own choosing and mini marshmallows on top.  This is his perfect lunch.

Everyone was happy with their food and service.  I think I would only go back with a voucher or other offer though as it's a pricey treat.

The location is excellent as it is very central.  The nearest subway, Buchanan Street, is just around the corner and there are lots of buses nearby.  You could pay to park at metres near Cowcaddens or in the car parks in Buchanan Galleries or opposite the Holiday Inn.  The toilets were clean (we didn't use the baby change).

Bella Italia, Silverburn

Just a note now we have eaten at this branch too.  The staff were very helpful, although service was a little slow.  The menu, decor etc. was just the same as the Sauchiehall Street branch and we enjoyed our meal.  The Voucher Cloud deal is available on more days of the week too.  The only niggle, the toilets and baby change are up three flights of stairs (make sure you ask staff to show you where the lift is!)

Pick of Edinburgh Fringe Festival

With August nearly upon us, this post is very late.  With some clever scheduling, a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe can be a brilliant day out.  To make the train ticket worthwhile, try and see three shows in one day.  To accommodate three, make sure you check the running time (which is listed in the programme) and allow lots of time to travel between venues (and ensure the venues are in walking distance from each other).  Remember that you need to queue to get into each show as well (okay, you don't but there will be a queue for each show and you're not guaranteed to sit altogether otherwise).  There's no provision for buggies and I have never tried and would never try the baby change facilities - if your child can't walk that far or isn't using the toilet yet, wait until next year.

I heartily suggest planning your day with your child.  Programmes are available at lots of places in Glasgow.  I got mine in Soar.  They are in the bottom of Direct Distribution stands.  There is also a list of places they can be obtained here.

Don't just look in the children's section, there are plenty of shows suitable for children in cabaret and variety (magicians!), dance, physical theatre and circus, music, musicals and opera and theatre.  Each performance has a film style rating (U, PG etc.)

To make your trip as cheap as possible, aim for Preview or 2 for 1 performances at the start of the festival or you could try the half-price hut (might be risky as you are more of a niche audience).

Without further ado, what have I found for you?  Remember, I haven't seen any of these...but that's the spirit of the Fringe, take a punt and see if you win.

Cabaret & Variety

JJ and the Dancing Stick
Snap

Children's Shows

The Amazing Bubble Man
Ami and Tami
AnimAlphabet the Musical
Arr We There Yet?
BambinO (okay, this is Scottish Opera and it is coming to Glasgow but it will be good, nb. for babies)
Bitey and Bertie's Grand Tour
Calvinball (outdoor performance in the Botanics, I have seen work by Ipdip before and recommend)
CeilidhKids
Children Are Stinky
Cockadoodlemoo
David Walliams' The First Hippo on the Moon
Dr Zeiffal, Dr Zeigal and the Hippo That Can Never Be Caught
The Giant Jam Sandwich
The Giant's Loo Roll
Goblin's Peter and the Wolf
The Gruffalo's Child (theatre company, Tall Stories are excellent)
Hairy Maclary (or see it over the October week nearer Glasgow)
King Arthur and Wriggle Around the World (Recitals for Wrigglers are very popular over Edinburgh way, why won't they perform in Glasgow?!)
Nick Cope's Family Song Book
The Polar Bears Go Up (Glasgow-grown kids theatre with excellent track record)
Sarah and Duck
The Tales of Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck
The Wonderful World of Lapin (seen this, it's a treat and you learn some French too)

This is just scraping the surface of what you can see and you'll know your child's interests best.

Musicals & Opera

Annie
Peter Pan

Theatre

The Egg-Born Princess
The Great Big Beautiful Sky
The Jurassic Parks (PG)
Me and My Bee

Lamont Farm Project

We have visited the Lamont Farm Project a couple of times now and is a really lovely, little place to go.  It's a community project and there are troops of children, tweenies and the odd teenager doing mucky jobs in wellies everywhere.

The main parts of the farm are clustered together but adjacent are two fields of lambs and horses, so make sure you go up there.  In between is a field of llamas, goats, donkeys and ponies.  Overall, there is a wide selection of animals to meet, including pigs, poultry, reptiles and lots of rabbits and smaller animals.

There is a little play area with (what appears to be) donated equipment: garden swings, slides, ride-on cars.  Small children can spend a good half hour or more there.

This isn't a commercial attraction, so don't expect sessions where you can feed or hold the animals, fairground rides, fancy play grounds, tractor rides etc.  I think you can buy a cup of tea but I'm not sure.  You could take a picnic as there are a couple of benches.

Overall, we spend about an hour to an hour and a half there.  It's a really nice farm to visit and support.  We stop at Braehead on the way back for shopping and eating (see the Eating Out section for some ideas) but you could plan your own route and diversions.  On one occasion we pulled up at the end of the airport runway to watch the aeroplanes take off and land.  I believe there are also pick-your-own farms in the area too (East Yonderton Farm).

It's located in between Inchinnan and Erskine, a bit a journey from Glasgow.  It is also up a narrow street; there is parking on one side only and a concrete car park in a field right at the end, I advise going right up to this car park.  (You will have to in order to turn around and leave anyway).  The toilets are cold, clean and functional but what do you expect on a farm?  There is a large baby change room.  Wellies are not essential unless it's raining.  I also had a massive attack of hay fever after my first visit, this is particularly unique to me but worthwhile noting if you are sufferer from this kind of countryside pollen.

Swim School - West Dunbartonshire Leisure

Angus, who is 3, took part in the pre-school Swim School this summer, which is one of West Dunbartonshire's Holiday Camps

The class took place every day from Monday to Friday during one week, lasting half an hour from 9am.  I'm not going to lie, there was a lot of organisation to get us there in time.  However, as it is not term time, it was an easy journey with almost no traffic.

Angus had been very confident in discussions about leaving me to go with the instructor before the course but in the event, there was tears.  The instructor was good at knowing how much to push and when to leave him be.  It would have been nice if he had introduced himself to the mums and even better, if he had told the children his name (I should probably give him the benefit of doubt, Angus being 3).

There were four children in the class and one instructor.  There was lots of splashing and building confidence in the water using toys.  The children were held by the instructor to swim across the pool, on their front and back and also to jump in and lie back to make a star shape.  I could see progress being built across the week and I'm definitely looking to book a weekly class.

It's really brilliant of West Dunbartonshire to make sure there is still swimming provision for the early years during the holidays as it's usually the first to go, to full credit there.

The facilities are very clean and the pool is warm.  There is ample space to change and staff are helpful and friendly.  There is baby change facilities close by.  There is lots of car parking close to the leisure centre but as it's all one with the council offices, it can be confusing.  Customers for the leisure centre have their parking protected by a barrier.  Get a ticket as you go through and validate it at reception.

Butterfly and Pig, Shawlands

Since my days of working in town, Butterfly and Pig has been a long favourite from the day it opened (and the subsequent tea rooms too).

One sunny day, we thought we would visit Queen's Park and get some lunch nearby.  There were a few options but we wanted something filling and perhaps a little grown-up. We chose Butterfly and Pig in Shawlands, in the old Corona building.

The inside is very pubby and, despite several families being seated in the dining area, feels like a proper adult destination.  It has the typical Butterfly and Pig decor of trinkets and nick-nacks and is dark and mysterious.

The food is delicious.  Mr GFN had a great burger.  There is no children's menu, you get a "half portion" of anything on the menu.  Angus had macaroni cheese with garlic bread.  We're fairly certain that this was full-size, just charged at half.  The two negatives for Butterfly and Pig are the prices (quite expensive for a lunch) and giving Angus a lollipop at the end of the meal.  I know this isn't a problem for lots of folk but it arrived without us being asked and we had to subsequently lose it in the park, as he's a bit young for boiled sweets.

You can find on-street parking further up Langside Avenue or on a road just off.  There is step-free access to the building (I think) but steps down to the toilets.  The toilets are clean, we didn't try the baby change.

Brick History - Clydebank Town Hall

Mr GFN is a huge Lego fan.  We have his constructions on display around our home and visited the Brick Wonders exhibition at Paisley Museum when I was on maternity leave with Angus.  It was very fitting that we could go to see another Warren Ellsmore exhibition, Brick History, now I am on mat leave with Douglas.

The exhibition is in the converted Bruce Street Baths part of the Town Hall, which has been done gorgeously.

This exhibition hasn't been trumpeted as much as the one in Lanark and it was very quiet when we went.  Your ticket gives you a time slot; I thought this would be for when you can enter but it's actually for the whole time you are allowed to be in.  So watch out.  Tickets weren't pricey but if you're not a Lego fan, it's probably not worth it.

I liked the local touch of the Titan Crane.

Ellsmore clearly created this exhibition for an American audience though as lots of the pieces refer to historical events such as slavery...

There is a trail suitable for littler ones, with clues to find minifigs and a quiz for older children.  Angus enjoyed the trail and had a quick look at the displays but was much more interested in the hands-on Lego.  He has since mentioned the underground train though and tried to recreate it with his Duplo.

As a Lego widow, I still enjoyed the attention to detail, particularly in this castle.  Mr GFN went round first, whilst I took the early shift with the kids, then we swapped.

There's lots of kid-friendly topics: dinosaurs,

boats...

There's this mega Lego, Duplo and original Lego to play with and some other activities too.  I think we stayed for the full hour.  Overall it was a good outing and enjoyed by everyone.

There is parking nearby; the old Council office car park is directed but there's free on street parking too.  It was fairly easy to get around with the buggy, although why there isn't a pedestrian crossing across busy Dumbarton Road from the town side to the library and Town Hall is a mystery.

The cafe in the Town Hall looked good but seating is limited so we couldn't try it.  We know Clydebank very well and can report that choice of cafes is limited.  Our usual place is the indoors market for a cheap and cheerful toastie or soup but we tried Roma this time and were very pleased we did.  Review coming soon!  The toilets and baby change in the Town Hall were immaculate.  Staff were very friendly.  The exhibition is on until 2nd September 2017.

The Big Stampede, Hamilton

Having tried to collect all the Clydes a couple of years ago, I was excited to see if Angus would be excited to try out Hamilton's The Big Stampede.  I can report back that he loved it.  

The concept is simple; companies sponsor artists to customise a lion, rhino, giraffe, gorilla or lion, which goes on display around the town.  There is also the Little Stampede where nurseries and schools design a hippo.

I downloaded the app to help us find and log them all.  You get trophies along the way and "rewards" (discounts in shops).  I thought Angus might enjoy putting the codes into the app to unlock each animal...perhaps an older child would.  Using the app (and GPS), ate through my data very quickly though.  At The Townhouse, I was able to pick up a leaflet with a map and I quickly wrote the code down for each animal next to it and put them into the app at home later using wifi.  This was a much speedier and cheaper process.  As a side note, the children's library in the Townhouse is fab with lots of toys and games.

The animals in the town centre are very close together, so the pace of the adventure was kept up.  There were lots of families out doing the same as us.  I have to give huge credit to the people of Hamilton, who chatted to us along the way and gave us some good hints.  They were really friendly.

We stopped for coffee and cake in the morning and lunch later on.  There is loads of choice of welcoming, independent cafes.

Three sites are outwith the city centre at the Academicals ground, Strathclyde Country Park and Chatelherault, so I think we will be making separate trips to collect these.  We got fifty plus on our first trip and Angus wants to go back with Daddy.

We parked in the retail park near the Vue cinema.  You can park for free for four hours; there are council car parks but they are pay on foot.  There are toilets in the shopping centres and library.  I didn't have a problem with the "Mum, I need a wee now" situations and the baby changes were okay.  We had Douglas in the buggy, which was no problem with easy step-free access and dropped kerbs everywhere.  No one batted an eyelid when I fed him on benches...

The animals are on display until 27 August 2017.  I can only recommend you get out stalking soon!

Best of the Merchant City Festival 2017

I've had a browse through the programme to choose the best of the festival for toddlers...and starred my top picks!

Saturday 22 July

12-1pm - the carnival procession goes from Cathedral Precinct, along High Street, George Street, Cochrane Street, George Square and back to the Merchant City.

12-10pm - al fresco eating in the Merchant City

12-6pm - Encontro Street Band Festival, live music out and about

Sunday 23 July

* 10.30am-1pm - Family Sanctuary at SYT, £5 buys you two performances: Little Red Hen and Eco Drama's The Worm

12-10pm - al fresco eating in the Merchant City

12-6pm - Encontro Street Band Festival, live music out and about

2-3pm - Massed band ensemble, over 300 musicians perform in George Square

Monday 24 to Friday 28 July

12-4pm - Artist-led workshops in Merchant Square, free, drop-in but recommended for over 5's

Saturday 29 July

10.30am and 2.30pm - Moanna Dance-along movie, at the Old Fruitmarket, led by Dance House Glasgow, tickets are £6 per adult and £4 per child

* various times - Tiny Tales and Tall Tales at the Tron, expressive arts workshops for under 5's, £5 for child and parents

12-4pm - Provand's Lordship Family Fun Day

12-6pm - SURGE festival, street theatre throughout the Merchant City, see what you can find!

Sunday 30 July

12-6pm - SURGE festival, street theatre throughout the Merchant City, see what you can find on the second day!

* various times - Tiny Tales and Tall Tales at the Tron, expressive arts workshops for under 5's, £5 for child and parents

Loch Lomond Shores

Loch Lomond Shores is a frequent family destination for us as it's close to Gran and Papa.  We have annual passes to the Sea Life Centre (review here), which means we can spend a decent amount of time here.

The views over the loch are wonderful and we take them forgranted!  The first part of the centre that greets you when you arrive is a crazy golf - we haven't tried this yet and are running out of excuses to put Angus off!

There is the Birds of Prey Centre, which hasn't been reviewed well by friends so, again, we haven't visited.  In fact, you can see in to a small part of it from the woodland walks and it looks underwhelming.

Next up there is the Tree Zone aerial adventure course.  Again, we are too small for this.  And it would be an expensive treat.  However there are some paths underneath (called the Tree Loop and Meadow Walk), which are well decked/laid, ideal for buggies and lead out to some little beaches that are perfect for stone-throwing or paddling in wellies.  You can also watch the big boys and girls doing the aerial course.  I try and make these walks part of any visit.

Now you reach the edge of the loch, where there are boat tours (I have my eye on some of the shortest cruises for a summer treat).  The shopping centre is here too.  The highlights are the RSPB shop and Jenners/House of Fraser.

Inside the shopping centre there is a soft play centre, Lomand Pirates.  Mr GFN has taken Angus before and found the prices to be reasonable, the food okay (the food is raved about in some quarters, we were therefore really let down), the soft play is good for little ones.  The soft play is in a single story so there is no capacity for a high frame, it does have a lot of bouncy castle elements.  The problem that is unique to my family is that Angus doesn't like a bouncy castle, so we don't visit this soft play.

Further along, you find the play park and Sea Life Centre.  The play park is really well maintained and has lots to do for really little ones through to quite big kids.  Angus always goes straight for the slide, which has a a stair case up to it, making it very child-friendly.

There is an obstacle course, which he loves but we have to give him a hand on.  Big kids love it though, it's very long and quite a challenge.

There are lots of other bits and pieces to play on: musical instruments, climbing, role play.  We can spend quite a long time in the play park.

If you keep walking around the loch there is another beach with lots of picnic benches.  These are really good and not too wasp-infected.  This is where the outdoor activities like canoeing and segues are.  Keep going and you find some sand-diggers.  We haven't gone past this but the last stop is the Maid of the Loch.  Apparently there are displays on board and a tea room.  One day we'll make it this far.

The management stage lots of events all year round and it is worthwhile checking the website often.  There is a regular farmer's market and several big foodie events each year that are really huge and well-attended.  During any sort of holiday, there is free stuff for kids to do.  We have done some cookery school bits and seen the Drakes of Hazard over the years.  There's always entertainers, face painters etc over any school holiday.

I think a picnic or buying something at a market are the best eating options at Loch Lomond.  There is a cafe at the top of the Sea Life Centre, which scores very highly for their amazing views but the food is lacklustre (toasties, soup, nachos, kids lunch boxes).  There is a Thorntons Cafe and a cafe in Jenners but we haven't tried either.  Our preferred cafe closed during 2016.  There is also the Kilted Skirlie restaurant; the menus look okay (pub grub) but we haven't tried it yet.

The car park is huge but the sunnier the day or the better the event on, the busier it is.  This is also true for traffic through Dumbarton to get there, so do check before you travel.  There are good toilet facilities and baby change in the shopping centre.

Bellahouston Park

Bellahouston Park is one of our closest and most visited parks.  There is loads to do and it's well worth a visit.  It seems to be a real "locals" park not a destination.

I'm going to try and describe it starting at the Ski Centre, where there is a little viewing platform to watch people skiing, snowboarding or tubing.  Next door is the House for an Art Lover.  Quite often you can people-watch a wedding or hear some bag pipes.  There is an entrance fee for visiting the House but the sculpture park surrounding it is free.  Somewhere you can pick up different trail maps for the whole park, including a sculpture one.  The offerings from House for an Art Lover keep growing, especially with the building of ARTPARK and the Heritage Centre.  There are lots of classes and exhibitions on.

Beyond this is one of the playgrounds.  This is the artist-designed one.  Not everything in the park is that functional but there are some definite hits.  Some things are a little risky and everything is spread out over quite a distance, so if you have a toddler you do have to stay on your feet and supervise.  Angus really enjoys this play park though.  There is  a walled garden in this area too.

Moving West, there is a Maze (architect-designed), which Angus loves to run around.  There are more sculptures dotted about.  You're coming into dog-walking territory now.  Lots of paths to scoot or cycle on but be aware there is a large, steep hill in the middle of the park.  The area in the centre of the park has lots to explore and see if you can find the Sunken Garden.

Towards Paisley Road West, there is the Palace of Art, which is actually a leisure centre with football pitches.  There is usually football for a sports-mad boy to watch.  Keep going and there is a special section for dogs to play (poo) in and then a little play park.  It's quite old-fashioned but still fun.  You're reaching the end of the park now and Bellahouston Leisure Centre.  If you cross the car park, there is another, newer play park.

Going North, there are cycle tracks and a pitch and putt as well as lots more paths to explore or cycle and scoot along.

It's definitely a park you can pop in to for a play or spend all day if you include lunch and maybe a swim.  My one word of advice would be "wellies", it can very muddy and stay muddy even after a few dry days.

The paths are suitable for buggies/wheelchairs.  Parking-wise you have lots of choice: Palace of Art, Bellahouston Leisure Centre, Ski Centre.  It's all free.  There are toilets at House for an Art Lover, the Bowling Green (not too sure about this one), Palace of Art and Bellahouston Leisure Centre.  This is quite a good offering for a park as they're not the usual dingy park toilets.  There aren't very many benches for a picnic but demand isn't high either.  The Ski Centre cafe is supposed to be good but I have yet to try it.  House for an Art Lover has a lovely posh cafe, which isn't as expensive as you'd think (you would probably need to book at weekends though).  Palace for Art has some vending machines and seats.  Bellahouston Leisure Centre has the usual Encore cafe, which is bright and light.