Best Family Day Out Near Edinburgh?

Scottish weather is temperamental. So families —especially those with young kids — need venues with plenty of indoor and outdoor options to explore. 

12 Reasons why Almond Valley Heritage Centre currently tops our list

1. There are SO MANY ANIMALS to meet and greet! Plus extra petting sessions. Rare species incl. a Clydesdale horse. Mice, ferrets, chickens/chicks, donkeys, alpacas (bookable walks too), deer, sheep, a tortoise, goats, ostriches etc. The staff are also great with kids.  

2. A giant umbrella covers the huge Paraffin Works play area, where kids can run, climb and explore the pipes, tanks and furnaces of a Victorian shale oil works. There is also a fantastic long train for kids to explore. 

3. My 4-year-old child loved the woodland go-karts, accessible flying foxes and the ‘Subterranean trolleys’. These involve sitting on a sledge-tray and whizzing down a covered slope. Great fun! (Cairnie Fruit Farm boasts something similar.) 

4. Plenty of outdoor bouncing opportunities incl. multiple trampolines and two bouncy pillows.

5. A spacious tent (‘Bones and Stones’) where young children can dig to their hearts content. 

6. A newish looking fortress for older children with lots of climbing and role-play opportunities. Plus a HUGE, super addictive slide.  

7. Spacious, varied soft play for children aged 8 and under split into age-appropriate zones. Plus an adventure zone and play mill for older kids. 

8. Little kids will love the (sheltered) train and tractor rides, which take place during busy times. Plus the diggers zone. 

9. There are hands-on learning opportunities galore: Livingston Mill, a play mine, a shale oil museum, display barn and much more…My little one enjoyed popping herself into a black and white 20th-century school photograph, for instance!

10. There is a huge sheltered barn where you can enjoy your own picnic. Or head to the large café for hot and cold food, if needed. There’s also a refreshments van in the barn during busy times. 

 11. Given the amount of all-weather entertainment, Almond Valley is great value. Adults cost £13, children £11. An annual pass is valid for 12 months and costs £55 per adult and £45 per child (age 2-15). What’s more, you’re supporting a charitable organisation which preserves local history and rare animals. 

12. We’ve spent two days here and still not done many of the activities on offer. Next time, we’ll be trying the maze…

Good to Know:

Access

There’s a large car park on site. 

Address: 

Almond Valley Heritage Centre, Millfield, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 7AR

By train:

Trains from Edinburgh Waverley to Livingston North. From there, it’s a 30-minute walk, or take the 72 bus, or taxi. 

www.almondvalley.co.uk