Farm/park/activity centre places are invisible to you until you have children. Then they pop up all over the place. Almond Valley is one such of these and is a gem. The USP is that it is a heritage centre with information about the history of farming and mining in the area, I have yet to look at anything about this!
We have been twice, both sunny days in September. The first visit was a Wednesday during term time and it didn't get busy at all. We went more recently on Saturday and it still wasn't very busy. There were very few children over the age of Primary 1; it is a haven for pre-schoolers.
It's not too expensive but they do ask for top-ups, for example a charge for the soft play, £1 per person to ride the train (a 20 minute trip)...
...and 50p per person for a tractor trailer ride.
A couple of them are indoors but overall this is a dry day venue. There are two areas to the centre. The area nearest the reception has museum exhibits and most of the animals. Walk around the field and you can get up close.
Around the Mill Pond there are smaller animals and more farmyard animals.
Some of our favourites are the pigmy goats...
...and Smokey the colossal pig.
Over the other side of a bridge is Charlesfield. This has lots to try including trampolines, a bouncy pillow, indoor sandpit, more play areas, pedal karts...
...and round the back a few more animals and dry sledging.
There is so much to do that you can easily fill a whole day and it is suitable for both new walkers and older children. There are two sets of toilets but none at Charlesfield, so it wouldn't be the best day out if you are toilet training but they are well equipped for baby changing.
The cafe is fairly reasonably priced and has a glorious selection of traybakes.
The whole centre is easy to get around with a buggy and doesn't get very muddy.
It is around a 45 minute drive from Glasgow. If it was a bit closer I would consider an annual pass but I don't think we would make it four times a year.
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