Dolphin and Whale Watching is a truly magical experience for anyone Watching dolphins and whales is on a lot of nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts’ bucket list. This is not surprising given how impressive these marine mammals are. The sight of these enormous creatures breaching or bow-riding is simply breath-taking. Fortunately, you do not need to go out of the country to cross off this entry on your bucket list. Dolphins and whales, as well as other marine mammals like porpoises and seals, ply British waters. In fact, there are three known resident pods of dolphins in the UK!  

Dolphin and Whale Watching

Whatever your child's age there is always something to enjoy. Get cracking in  a multi-level play area where kids can climb, clamber and slide over all sorts of adventurous obstacles. What’s next? What about a ball pond where your children can dip and dive in a pool full of colourful balls? All of the above would make for serious family fun. Of course parents are not forgotten either as a cafe is never far away. You can relax with a tasty coffee and a slice of cake. What more could you want?

Indoor and Soft Play Areas

If you decide to take a holiday in the UK to an area you don't know (or maybe you do but want to know more), an excellent way of seeing around and actually getting to see the "best bits" is by taking a tour with a local guide or someone in the know. Walking tours, cycling tours, boat tours, pogo-stick tours (ok maybe not the last one) - whatever suits your family best, can be booked online or at local visitor information centres and make a real difference to your stay.  You can find out the history of a place, local facts or even go on something weird and wonderful like a ghost walk or follow in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes or Jack the Ripper.  Eek.  An open top bus journey can take away the hours pounding the pavement to look around a large city. Boat trips and river cruises are also a great way of seeing a lot of things in a small amount of time, giving you a completely different aspect of the town you are visiting.  Join a large boat or charter something smaller yourself and follow the river along to get a better look at all the surround countryside.  

Tours and River Cruises

Climbing is a great way to test your strength, balance and agility. As both an indoor and outdoor sport it can be done whatever the weather! You can try out bouldering, climbing and traversing lower walls (around 3 meters) without the assistance of rope. Bouldering basics can be mastered in a few hours and climbing centers will have graded routes allowing you to start out on the easier paths and work your way up. Rock climbing or high ropes is climbing vertically with the assistance of ropes and using safety harnesses, the walls are around 15 meters tall. You will need a good nerve for heights for this activity! Again, beginner sessions are available as are graded routes.

Climbing

A leisure cycle is a great way to get the whole family out and exercising! It allows you to travel further whilst still getting to experience the local area. Why not take your family along the Camel Trail in Cornwall? Or Maybe go and hunt a Gruffolo in Delamere Forest, Cheshire, the possibilities are endless! Whether you are a family who loves biking together on relaxing forrest paths or a serious Wiggins type who prefers fast road cycling, there is no doubt that camping holidays give you the freedom to take your cycling hobby with you, wherever you decide to go in the UK.  Plenty of great campsites are near cycling paths and some may also offer bicycle hire too, showing you the best routes to take for a great day out cycling.  

Cycling

Want to enjoy a leisurely swim or a splash with the family? You can find an array of incredibly fun activities for all the family at a Leisure Centre including tennis, badminton, roller skating, aerobics, gym, dance classes and many more! Whatever takes your fancy, they have it! 

Swimming Pools and Leisure Centres

What a beautiful town Oban is.  Small and compact and easy to get round on foot, it is full of interesting shops and galleries to explore, as well as a local distillery, chocolate shop (woo hoo!) and museum.  There are also a great selection of places to stay and restaurants and pubs to eat at (seafood is a speciality here and you'll be spoilt for choice).  A short climb above the town you will find the famous landmark of McCaig's Tower, a monument built in 1897 by banker John McCaig - apparently to give the local stonemasons something to do.  As if they didn't have enough going on with all those highland walls.  Anyway, it is well worth the climb and the views from the top are quite breathtaking. There are many sea adventures to be had here.  Boat companies offer tours to Fingals Cave and puffin colonies on Staffa and the Treshnish Isles.  Ferry boats go across to the Isle of Mull.  You can take a trip to see whales, basking sharks, seals and other marine life. The list is endless.  Onshore, kids will love the Scottish Sea Life and Marine sanctuary, just north of Oban on the shore of Loch Creran. Carry along the seafront from Oban and you will find the ruins of Dunollie Castle and a museum explaining more about its heritage and some of the conservation being done today.  The sandy beaches that stretch along here are well worth a visit at any time.  In the evening you might be treated to a glorious sunset.  Oban is a great base to explore the surrounding area of Argyll and Bute, make sure you stop here on your travels through Scotland!