Scotland: 19 things to do this summer for under £19 (or completely free!)

Outdoor fun

Auchindrain, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32, 8WD Daily tours Auchindrain is a museum representing an important part of Scotland’s past. The 22-acre site, deep in the stunning Argyll countryside, contains the houses and other buildings of a small farming community known as a township. The preserved buildings give an authentic insight into how people lived and worked. Visitors can wander freely around the houses and farm buildings, see where the animals grazed and where crops were grown. The houses are furnished with everyday objects and old farming tools and implements can be seen in the barns. It feels as if the people have just gone out for the day. Today, Auchindrain is a very special place indeed: there is nowhere else like it, in Scotland or elsewhere.
Price: Adult - £12.00; child - £6; concession - £9 Book online at www.auchindrain.org.uk

Glen Urquhart Highland Games, Drumnadrochit, Highlands Saturday, 26 August 2023 Experience a traditional Highland Games. Glenurquhart Highland Games includes the traditional events performed by the heavyweight athletes – throwing weights and hammers and tossing the caber. In addition, there is the Glen Challenge, hill race, track running for adults and children, solo piping and the very popular tug o’war. Price (cash only on the day): Adults £6.00; Family Ticket (2 x Adults & 2 x Children): £15 (additional children £1); OAP (65 and over) / Children (5 – 16): £3; Under 5′s: Free; Car Parking: Free www.glenurquhart-highland-games.co.uk

Practice skiing and snowboarding, Snowsports Centre, Midlothian Monday 3 July - Friday 11 August 2023 Set into the hillside of the stunning Pentland Hills Regional Park, Midlothian Snowsports Centre offers all the fun and adrenaline visitors would expect from Britain’s biggest artificial slope. Price: Main slope, first hour – Adult: £ 15.00; child £10.00 (All prices for lessons and practice include equipment hire). www.midlothian.gov.uk/info/200281/snowsports_centre

Scottish Crannog Centre, Kenmore, Perthshire Daily tours (see website for times). The Centre is in the process of rebuilding its Crannog following a fire. However, there is still plenty for visitors to see and do including offering to volunteer. By volunteering at the Scottish Crannog Centre people can help to present and preserve Scotland’s heritage, giving visitors the opportunity to understand and appreciate what life was like in Iron Age Scotland. Email any enquiries to – volunteers@crannog.co.uk. Visitors can also book a guided tour of the museum and artefacts as well as interactive demonstrations of ancient crafts and technologies. Visitor prices: All individual tickets are £7; family tickets from £20. https://crannog.co.uk/

City

Beyond the Little Black Dress, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Until 29 October 2023 Featuring over 60 garments, the exhibition charts a century of fashion through a series of themed, immersive displays. See early 20th century pieces by Chanel, Dior and Jean Muir alongside contemporary looks by designers such as Gareth Pugh, Simone Rocha, Comme des Garçons and ground-breaking Black British designers like Joe Casely-Hayford and Maximilian. Price: Adult - £12.50 - £14.50; Concession: from £7.50; under 16s – free www.nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events/exhibitions/national-museum-of-scotland/beyond-the-little-black-dress/

Half day bike hire with Gear Bikes, Glasgow With the UCI Cycling World Championships taking place in Glasgow, visitors might like to explore the city themselves by bike, with a cycle along the Clyde or to the city’s many parks, including Glasgow Green. Hire bikes are from Ridgeback, a very popular ‘road hybrid’ style bike suitable for use on roads, cycle pathways, bridleways, road touring. Free storage is also offered for luggage and cases on arrival. Price for half day hire (4 hours): £15 per person, which include helmet and padlock (longer length of hire is available) Book online https://gearbikes.com/

Verdant Works, Dundee Verdant Works is a world class visitor attraction which tells the story of Dundee’s industrial textile heritage in the atmospheric setting of a beautifully refurbished Mill building. Hear the tales of the mill workers, see how they lived and worked in an industry which enveloped Dundee. Explore this amazing building, see (and hear) the machines at work, and step back to a time where the Mills were the heart of Dundee. Price: Adult: £14; Concession: £14; Child: Starting 1July 2023, kids under 16 go free at Verdant Works…*forever! (with a supervising adult).
For more information, go to www.verdantworks.co.uk

Nature & animals

Scottish Deer Centre, Cupar, Fife Daily tours Animals include 12 species of Deer and animals which are long lost from the Scottish countryside including Wolves, Lynx and Scottish Wildcat plus our European Brown Bear. Open all year round with lots to see and do. Learn about the animals with daily feeding talks, tours, Falconry shows and play areas both inside and out for younger visitors. Price (pay on the day): Adult: £12.50; Child: £8.50; Concession: £10; Family 2+2: £38; Family 2+3: £45 https://scottishdeercentre.co.uk/

Aberdeenshire Sheepdogs, Ellon, Aberdeenshire Located on a farm near the town of Ellon, just 15 minutes from Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire Sheepdogs offers visitors the opportunity to experience sheepdogs at work during this interactive demonstration. Michelle and Gary Bruce will share their experiences working, training and trialling with their five Border Collies and share stories about life on a Scottish sheep farm. Visitors will be invited to meet the dogs and will have the opportunity to try working the dogs themselves. Aberdeenshire Sheepdogs offer experiences suitable for groups. Price: £18 per person www.visitabdn.com/listing/aberdeenshire-sheepdogs

Mabie Farm Park, Dumfries and Galloway Open daily, April – October A day out at Mabie Farm Park will be great fun with adventure both indoors and outdoors: from learning how to feed some of the smaller animals with animal feed; as well as seeing the larger animals such as Shetland Ponies, llamas, alpacas, pigs, goats, donkeys and sheep. Visitors can also enjoy go-karting, trampolines and the play park. Price: Adults: £10.50; children (age 2-16): £10; family of four: £40. Under 2’s visit for free. https://mabiefarmpark.co.uk/admission-and-ride-prices/

Argaty Red Kites, Doune   Main Red Kite Tour; tour daily at 1345. Argaty is a working upland livestock farm which has been home to the same family since 1916. Expert guides are on hand to explain red kite behaviours and relay fascinating facts about their lives. There’s a purpose built 35-person viewing hide for great views of rare farm birds including tree sparrows, yellowhammers, long tailed tits and more. Set against a glorious backdrop of 0.5 acres of wildflower meadow. Price: Adults: £10; Children 6 -16 years: £4; Concession: £9; Young Children 0 - 5 years – free: family ticket: £24. https://argatyredkites.co.uk/

Free

The Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival (3-27 August 2023) Festivals descend on Edinburgh during the month of August; the Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival offers over 350 free shows this year each day: Comedy, Cabaret, Theatre, Kids Shows, Music and more. See more at https://freefestival.co.uk/

Essential Free Tour Glasgow Strawberry Tours Daily tours at 1030am There are many highlights for all visitors on this free walking tour in Glasgow including the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, George Square and the Necropolis. Full meeting point details and a map are sent in a confirmation email when booked. The tour is solely tips-based so guests can decide to contribute as much or as little as they feel the experience was worth. Book online at https://strawberrytours.com/glasgow

The Helix: Home of the Kelpies, Falkirk The Helix Park is The Home of The Kelpies - the largest equine sculptures in the world. The visitor centre at the Kelpies has a gift shop, café and more information on The Kelpies themselves. Visitors can also take a tour from there with one of the guides who will tell the story of The Kelpies and even take visitors inside for an exclusive look at their engineering and ingenuity. The Helix has an adventure play park (with accessible equipment), splash play water fountains, parklands, woodlands, wetlands and boardwalks, a lagoon with a cosy coffee shop on its shore. www.thehelix.co.uk

‘Meet’ a Shetland Pony in Shetland Visitors won’t have to search for long to find Shetland Ponies – they can be seen grazing by the roadside all year round. Unlike other ponies and horses, Shetland Ponies are extremely hardy; they can remain outside during the winter and they eat heather. Though they appear to roam wild, Shetland Ponies all belong to local crofters. They are friendly, but should be approached respectfully by visitors (and be careful – they can nip!) During August, the local agricultural shows take place in Shetland, providing excellent opportunities for visitors to see these wonderful ponies in action (read more about these here). www.shetland.org/visit/do/wildlife/ponies

Ayr Gorge Woodlands walk, Ayrshire (The reserve is at Failford village on the B743) The Ayr Gorge Woodlands reserve is a steep ravine of sandstone cliffs covered mainly with oak, ash and some very old majestic beeches. It is one of the most important ancient woodlands in Ayrshire for invertebrates, plants, fungi and bats including Daubenton’s and brown long-eared bats. It is a great time to visit all-year round but in the summer months visitors are more likely to see bats and invertebrates. Dogs should be kept on a lead. For more information, see: https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/reserve/ayr-gorge-woodlands/

Bird of Prey Trail, Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides Bird of Prey Trail will take visitors on a self-guided journey linking 13 locations, including two ferry journeys across the 150-mile-long Archipelago from Barra in the south to Ness at the Northern tip of Lewis. The trail can be explored by car, bike or by a combination of public transport and on foot. The Outer Hebrides support the highest densities of golden eagles recorded in Europe whilst white tailed eagle numbers are steadily increasing after their re-introduction. In Uist, important populations of hen harrier and short-eared owl are supported by an abundance of voles. With little disturbance from people, birds of prey are often encountered at close quarters on the quiet roads, tracks and paths. www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk/see-and-do/wildlife/bird-of-prey-trail

Scapa Flow Museum, Lyness, Orkney Open daily. Discover the collection of wartime artefacts of national and international importance in the First and Second World War. www.orkney.com/listings/scapa-flow-museum

Mary Queen of Scots’ Visitor Centre, Jedburgh, Scottish Borders Set in the centre of historic Jedburgh, this 16th century towerhouse tells the story of Scotland’s tragic queen – Mary’s month in Jedburgh in 1566 was a turning point in her life. The displays of paintings, objects and textiles associated with Mary explore not only her life and times, but also the cult that has grown up around her story. www.liveborders.org.uk/culture/museums/our-museums/mary-queen-of-scots-visitor-centre

For more ideas for things to do in Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com