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.

Pollok Country Park

With the Burrell Collection closed for refurbishment until 2020 (Angus will be 16 when it reopens!), we have been questioning whether a trip to Pollok Country Park is worth it now.  It is Glasgow's largest park though...

The Council is definitely trying to keep it alive with lots of planned activities.  There was lots on over Easter 2017 and Angus and Daddy went to the tour of the fairy trail one day.

Let's start there, if you walk as far as you can along the river beside the walled gardens, you come to the fairy trail.  The Grounds Staff are always about working and happy to offer directions.  The Fairy Village is very well done and culminates with a sleeping dragon

I imagine we will be visiting the village for many years, looking out for updates.

Going back towards the stables, there are dinosaur bones!?  Daddy discovered these...

The Walled Gardens are also good for a run around and include this pretty spectacular ship display.

As you walk along the river there are lots of ducks to see and it is a pretty good path to cycle or scoot along (in fact I learnt to ride a bike in Pollok Country Park).  At the Stables you can say hello to some heavy horses.  This is where lots of activities are based.

Walking further back you come to Pollok House, which is a National Trust for Scotland property and as such has an entry fee.  I wonder if you can access the Tea Rooms for free though?

Carry on past Pollok House and you walk alongside the Highland Cows.  Now you've visited all the captive wildlife!  Opposite the Burrell Collection is a fantastic playground.   It is huge and has equipment for toddlers through to big kids and it's all kept quite well.  There is often an ice-cream van around too.

If you take a picnic and scooters/bikes etc , there is enough to spend nearly a whole day.  There are lots of woodland and riverside walks to explore.

Down to the nitty gritty.  I was worried about the toilet facilities with the Burrell Collection closed.  I have seen online though that the toilets in the Burrell Collection are still accessible as well as those at the Stables.  You can park for £1 for 4 hours opposite the Burrell Collection or for free in the car park near Pollok House.  There are quite a lot of benches for a picnic.

Events in June

Do you need ideas for the sunny month of June?  Only if it rains may be.

Thursdays 8, 15, 22  June - Glasgow CeilidhKids
Are holding taster sessions of their dance workshops for 3-5 year olds with carers.  Each session is £2 and at Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church.  Would be useful if they could put a time on their FaceBook page! @Glasgow CK

Thursday 8 - Sunday 18 June - Glasgow Science Festival
Lots on - nothing for pre-school

Saturday 10 - Sunday 11 June - MamaBabaMe
A co-production between the Early Years organisation Starcatchers and Curious Seed, this dance/theatre piece is for 18 months - 3 years.  Three performances over the weekend, priced at £8.50, £5 and £4.

Sunday 11 June - RSPB Lochwinnoch Open Day
Free entry from 10am-4pm

Sunday 11, Saturday 24 June - Professor Murray the Magician
Roaming magician at Loch Lomond Shores, free!

Friday 16 June - Saturday 2 September - Brick Histories
This Warren Ellsmore exhibition may sell out - we have our tickets already.  It's on at Clydebank Town Hall from 10am-4.30pm daily.

Saturday 17 June - CarFest, Paisley
Raising money for St Vincent's Hospice, the procession is at 8.30am (!!) but you can see the vehicles from 10am-4pm.  As well as emergency vehicles, fairground rides, stalls and entertainers are promised.

Sunday 18 June - Wee Happening
At the Hidden Gardens from 12pm.  This one is all about Busy Bees.

Friday 23 - Saturday 24 June - Greenock P1 Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea
Boat racing!

Friday 23 - Sunday 25 June - Largs Live
Lots of music

#Tomorrow

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