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".