Clans and Castles: Six Great Family-Friendly Places to Explore in Scotland

By Shelley Cameron-McCarron

Scotland is the ultimate getaway for lasting family memories. Here are six places to get your adventure started.

Scotland just keeps getting better and better – I know this is what my kids are thinking on a brisk June evening as they stand in Old Town, Edinburgh at Mercat Cross, site of royal and parliamentary proclamations and perhaps a hanging or two, listening to Stephanie, our ghost tour guide, dredge up Edinburgh’s murky past. “I see some bloodlust in your eyes – I can work with that,” the black-cloaked guide says almost gleefully.

EDINBURGH’S ROYAL MILE STREET ©SHELLEY CAMERON-MCCARRON

Standing along the iconic Royal Mile in architecturally-stunning Edinburgh, I can see my kids are enthralled by this tour, this city, and this glorious country. And why not? In 10 days, we’ve danced in a fairy glen, sidestepped sheep, shopped amazing boutiques, museum-hopped world-class institutions, and stood in fog-shrouded glens and ancient battlefields hearing tales of historic intrigue. Here are six family favourite places to explore and have fun in Scotland.

EDINBURGH

The joy of Scotland’s compact capital, we discover, is walking around and becoming immersed in the surrounding history. We stroll atmospheric stone streets, winding into narrow alleyways and little lanes known as closes and wynds. And walk we do. Up the Royal Mile to see Edinburgh Castle, over to the Elephant House café to sip hot chocolate in the place where J. K. Rowling did most of her writing, up for the views on Calton Hill, and through the heavenly arches of St. Giles’ Cathedral, named for Edinburgh’s patron saint.

I even booked a walking tour through streets that skirt past intriguing statues and centuries-old graveyards like Canongate Kirkyard where Charles Dickens may have found inspiration for Ebenezer Scrooge, misreading perhaps the gravestone of “Ebenezer Scroggie – meal man” as “mean man.” Everywhere, wonder abounds – from the easy 30-minute hike up Arthur’s Seat, a dormant volcano, to the fascinating exhibits and rooftop garden views of Edinburgh Castle.

STIRLING

STIRLING CASTLE WEST SIDE

An hour’s drive from Edinburgh, and easily accessible by train and bus, visitors to this medieval town can step into the Church of the Holy Rude, showcasing six centuries of history including James VI’s coronation, and visit Stirling Castle, one of Scotland’s most besieged castles. Straddling the highlands and lowlands, whomever held Stirling Castle, held Scotland.

Passionate guides bring history to life, and kids love standing on the north gate, dating back to the 13th century, dressing in medieval finery, and posing for Instagram shots in the Great Hall with its five massive fireplaces. The towering monument to William Wallace, erected where the Scottish hero defeated an English army in 1297, can be seen from the castle. Bannockburn, where Robert the Bruce claimed victory in 1314, is mere kilometres away.

GLENCOE

GLENCOE IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS ©SHELLEY CAMERON-MCCARRON

Rain pelts the bus windows as we drive through Scottish highlands into the haunting scenery of Glencoe, arguably Scotland’s most famous glen, memorialized in song and legend for one of Scotland’s saddest stories: the 1692 Glencoe massacre, when the Campbells, after availing on 10 days of MacDonald clan hospitality, acted on orders of King William to slaughter their hosts. Standing on this storied ground, expect a tear or two by all family members.

CULLODEN

THE BATTLE OF CULLODEN PLAQUE ©SHELLEY CAMERON-MCCARRON

Eerie and excellent in equal measure, the bleak, boggy battleground of Culloden Moor, just 15 minutes east of Inverness, capital of the Highlands, is where Bonnie Prince Charlie led the doomed 1746 Battle of Culloden, which changed the course of history and claimed many Jacobites, followers of King James, largely Highland clans. As chickadees chatter and the sun breaks through, it’s poignant touring the interpretative centre and wandering the field with stone markers commemorating clan names – including my own.

THE ISLE OF SKYE

ISLE OF SKYE

The largest island in the Inner Hebrides is a must-see. Driving from Inverness, stop to see the ruins of Urquhart Castle, watching over Loch Ness, and the much-photographed Eilean Donan Castle. Cross over to Skye to see the mist rising off The Cuillin, a rocky mountain range. It’s said the Vikings believed the island was engulfed in the cloud and part of the sky, hence its name. Take time to cavort around the green hills of the otherworldly Fairy Glen on the Trotternish Peninsula, walk the pier in Portree and drive the unreal, hairpin mountain road to the scenery of the Quiraing.

GLASGOW

KELVINGROVE ART GALLERY & MUSEUM

In Glasgow, there is excellent shopping along the Style Mile (a cobblestone pedestrian hub with over 200 stores), a thriving music scene, gorgeous architecture and world-class museums (all national art galleries and museums are free in Scotland). Check out the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum to see Renaissance art and medieval weaponry.