Finsbay, Milngavie

Finsbay, in Milngavie, was a spontaneous choice for lunch before visiting Kilmardinny Loch (or the Gruffalo Trail, review here).  It was Saturday lunchtime and seemed popular as it was fairly busy.

They were able to accommodate the buggy at our table.  The decor is young, trendy and fun (a bit mid-century modern, I'd say).  There was an aquarium at the back, on the way to the toilet, which we went up to have a look at a few times.  The staff were welcoming to Angus but there's no children's menu; which is odd as there are toys for children to play with.

Angus had soup; he loves soup and our food was tasty too.  The drinks selection was good too.  I can't quite put my finger on it but I don't think I'd go back though.  Perhaps the service was a little slow, despite being friendly.  Perhaps it felt a little stuffy.  I just didn't feel that relaxed.  I think that, despite some toys and books, really it's a grown ups venue and best to leave it to them.

The toilets and baby change were fine.  We parked in the Marks and Spencer's car park for free.  The cafe is close to the town centre.

Paradise Island Golf

I'd been quite lucky for a long time, Angus hadn't spotted Paradise Island Golf in Soar, Braehead.  Then he did and I decided to treat him to some Big Brother-Mum alone time as a treat.

Whilst Gran cuddled Douglas, we went for it one rainy Wednesday afternoon (term time).  It was very quiet, there were perhaps two or three other groups on our course (which meant that Angus could have several goes on the exciting holes and not hold anyone up or get in the way).  There are two courses to choose from: the Tiki Hut Trail (I've done this one a few times before) or Maggie McCaw's Challenge.  I don't think there's any difference in difficulty or interest and Angus chose the latter.

There is a good range of clubs to choose from and Angus, who is on the shorter side (95cm), took the smallest, purple putter.  A couple of the 18 holes were a little less interesting (and repetitive) than others but that doesn't bother a three year old.  He especially enjoyed finding the next number hole and the holes where the ball goes down a gulf, along a tunnel and out.  The course is very well maintained and it was hard to enough to be a challenge for me but easy enough for Angus to manage each hole in less than 8 shots.  He did get a hole in one too.  The booming voices from the tiki huts and talking totem pole were amusing rather than frightening for him.  It took us between 45 minutes and one hour to complete one course.  I don't think I would do both courses in one session.

Overall it was really good fun and brilliant for a rainy day.  We had a great, relaxed time together with lots of laughs.  This session cost £8 as under 5s are free between 12-5pm, weekdays during term-time.  There is also a VoucherCloud offer of two play for £10 any time except all day Saturday and before 5pm Sunday.  So it's not the cheapest activity but not bad for a treat.

We didn't use the toilets, so I can't comment on them or the baby change.  You definitely couldn't take a buggy around.  I think the youngest age for this activity would be two and a half but that might be stretching it.  He got more out of it because it wasn't beyond his capabilities (at three years and five months).

Obviously the free car parking at Soar is plentiful and easy.  We had lunch beforehand at Wetherspoons which was cheap and cheerful and quite healthy as Angus had cheesy pasta with veg, apple slices and a glass of milk (don't forget they do bottomless coffee too!).

Big Music for Minis 2017

This is our third time attending this amazing festival of music for under 7s (and we have a three year old!). Young families take over the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall one weekend every October and the organisers drip information out over a long period of time.  I think concert tickets went on sale in March this year but the details of the whole programme came much later.

I plan meticulously, you can get the programme leaflet ahead of time at libraries or Glasgow Life venues.  We only had the Saturday free this year, so we arrived for 12pm for Toddler Tales (well, earlier to queue, you need to queue for the free events), then had lunch.  After that we went to our ticketed concert, which was Melody Quest - a trip around the world with Owen and Olly from Children's Classic Concerts and the NYOS Camerata.  All of whom played a great variety of short pieces magnificently.  Tickets were £5 each, an absolute bargain (Fun Box the next day were also a steal).  After that we stopped for another free event, Creative Martyrs' Kids Cabaret.  Angus laughed and laughed.

I think you could spend the day just at the free events but the tickets are subsidised, so why not?

This year for lunch we went to the Encore Cafe in the Concert Hall and it was £21 for three sandwiches, two drinks and two cakes.  They were okay.  Last year we went to the John Lewis Cafe, which was a bit nicer.  Lots of people take a picnic though and I think I might next year.

Overall, the atmosphere is great.  Loads of music of all different genres, all of which Angus has really enjoyed.  It's a great introduction to concert-going.  I can see us going for many years to come.  Bravo Glasgow Life.

There is a buggy park and the changing facilities are okay.  Entering the venue is difficult with a buggy as the front has lots of steps and there are two lifts at the back, which get queued up.  Go buggy-free if you can.  On the Sunday you can park for free north of the city centre, where the meters are off.  Or you can park for £3 all day in Buchanan Galleries or Cambridge Street car park.  Parking on the Saturday is much more expensive.  You can pay a lot to park in a car park. The meters aren't really an option as you will probably stay for more than three hours.  We park and ride on the Subway.

Baby 'n' You Beginners Baby Yoga

Organised fun for babies starts early...with Douglas (baby #2), I enjoyed this block of classes so much I did it twice!

Baby 'n' You is an independent business run by Suzy out of the Scout Hall in Dowanhill.  With Angus, I did Baby Massage and Baby Calm, followed by Beginners Baby Yoga, all of which I recommend.

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to manage Baby Yoga as I have problems with my back, but the focus is mainly on the baby.  Both my babies loved it and I'm trying my best to keep up bits at home with Douglas; although it's mainly the bits for assisting windy tummies I practice!  The difficulty of the moves build up over the four weeks.

Suzy is very welcoming; I find the fact she's a paediatric nurse very reassuring and useful when I've had questions about the boys.  The classes as a whole are warm and friendly, through the time for tea at the end of each session, I've made good friends as well as starting my journey into Mum Life as I bump into these mums around and about.  I think this is a unique aspect to these classes and a great touch.

The sessions are quite fast-paced, which seems daunting at first but I picked up the moves and the songs quickly.  There's a good balance of simple moves, more complicated ones, quiet time, props and songs.

With Angus I remember sitting out in the garden, drinking tea and chatting in the sun...no luck with this maternity leave.

Since then parking restrictions have come in, which means you can't pop down to Byres Road and continue the party in a cafe or nip to the shops as easily.  You can still park for free nearby.  Obviously there's a baby change!  The price for the block seems quite high at first but it keeps the class sizes smaller which I prefer.

Wild Adventure

The need to visit this soft play, Wild Adventure, came about after so many different people suggested we check it out.  It's in Drumchapel and feels a little out of the way but was worth the journey.

It's a fairly standard soft play but the place feels easy.  We visited on a Monday morning and it was very quiet, just us and may be two or three other families.

This first photo is of the main frame.  It's got lots of explore but is still suitable for preschool age.   I think older children would have fun in there too.  At the back is a football pitch area, which is Angus's favourite part of any soft play frame.

On the other side is the babies and toddlers section, which had plenty to keep wee ones entertained.  Behind a screen to one side is a learning area, this has various activities and there is a theme each fortnight, which is listed on their Facebook page. It's planned out nursery-style.

The cafe fare isn't very inspiring; the usual nuggets, baked beans, pizza...  I had a Mexican chicken panini but the chicken was reformed.  For the children's lunch deal, they can pick and mix from a selection, which led to Angus selecting a hot dog and garlic bread for his lunch.  Milk was included though.  The coffee is good.

The seating area is particularly well thought out: it goes right across the width of the soft play.  This makes it very easy to see your child all the time.

Toddler time is £3 but I can't find other prices, suffice to say, it's very reasonable.  There is no car park so you need to park on the street.  This wasn't a problem on a Monday morning.  The toilets were plentiful and basic.

Finlaystone Country Park

Finlaystone Country Park is an easy drive from Glasgow and we were looking forward to a day out in the countryside with added extras.

There is a small visitor centre and shop at the car park.  Sometimes there is an attendant taking the admission fee and sometimes you have to go into the centre.  Inside is a little boat to play on.

Our party for this visit was myself, Mr GFN, Angus (3), Douglas (2 months and in the buggy), Gran and Papa.  All were needed.  Angus needed someone to play with (Daddy or Papa preferably) and someone needed to push Douglas or stand with the pram.

We went down to the adventure playground area first.  There are lots of different areas throughout a woodland.  Here are some planks to balance on, which are close to a train.

Most of the play "equipment" is handmade, which is very charming.  There is lots of opportunity for creative and imaginative play.

As you make your way around, you stumble across different areas.  Here is something for tinies:

The only problem was, despite visiting in August, most of the woodland was boggy and muddy.  Wellies were essential and a lot of the time the buggy couldn't go close to the play areas, just wait on the path.  Below is the only slide (inside a hand crafted, full size wooden tram), Angus could go on, as all the others ended in a muddy bog.  

There was quite a bit that was accessible but for a three year old, you want the slides.  It had been a rainy summer but I would expect the area for playing to be built on a site with better drainage.  I think Angus would have had a lot more fun playing with his friends or will have much more fun with friends when he is older and can be given a large area to roam free in.

We spent about an hour playing then went to the cafe for lunch.

Everyone was very impressed with the cafe.  I was surprised that it wasn't much busier but I suppose as you can't access it without paying admission that limits numbers.  The Tearoom had a great menu and wasn't too pricey.  Everyone enjoyed their food and the space is light and airy.

We finished our trip by taking a stroll around the ornate gardens.  This took about half an hour.

There are woodland paths to explore, which we didn't as they didn't look accessible with the buggy.  You can also pay to enter a bird centre.  There was a witches and wizards event on, with a treasure trail and costume competition.  This was just a little too old for us on this occasion but other children appeared to be having a great time.

At the time of our visit, admission was £3.50 for children and concessions and £5 for adults.  We spent about three hours there and were quite disappointed with our visit, given the cost and how much people rave about the place.

In different circumstances, perhaps in sunnier weather with a BBQ table booked or with a large group of older children, I imagine it's a brilliant place but for toddlers it's a poor man's Kelburn Castle.

Parking was quite easy but it did get busier towards the end of our visit.  There are lots of areas to have a picnic.  The toilets have been judged "like a park but slightly cleaner".