Glasgow is within an hours drive of some beautiful country parks that are perfect for a daytrip.
We’ve got forests, lochs, rivers, beaches, animals, castles and some amazing play areas for kids of all ages. These are wide open spaces where you can explore and take a big deep breath away from the city. In no particular order we have…
Dean Castle Country Park
Dean Castle Country Park has the cutest deer just next to the car park, farm animals and a good play area. It also has beautiful walks along the river through the forest, and walks that take you around the fields of animals if you have any little farm animal fans. Also has a cafe and plenty of free parking.
- Free entry.
- Good for dogs.
- Accessible by bus from Buchanan bus station.
Calderglen Country Park
Our favourite part of Calderglen Country Park is the lovely little children’s zoo which has meercats, coati, rabbits, lots of birds and a skunk, among other animals. The playpark at Calderglen is amazing and there are some lovely walks alongside the river through the trees. I can’t recommend the cafe here for food as it is not my favourite, but they do have nice ice cream and hot drinks.
- Free entry to most of park; small entry fee applies to the Children’s Zoo.
- Good for dogs.
- Accessible by bus though not super easy to get to from Glasgow.
Mugdock Country Park
Mugdock Country Park has lovely walks through the woods, a pretty little pond plus a few good play areas, a castle to visit and a nice cafe too. The visitor centre/park rangers at Mugdock are pretty active and have trails and events on throughout the year.
- Free entry.
- Good for dogs.
- Accessible by bus from Glasgow.
Chatelherault Country Park
Chatelherault Country Park is one of the most beautiful parks around, with huge trees, an old ruined castle, ancient oak trees, a river with little beachy bits to play in, wonderful walks, an amazing super high bridge, a great play area & a good cafe in the visitor centre.
- Free entry.
- Good for dogs.
- Accessible by public transport either by train or bus.
Culzean Country Park
Culzean Country Park has one of the best play areas we’ve ever visited and one of the best beaches along the Ayrshire coast. (Bold claims, I know. But true.) It has walled gardens, lovely walks through the woods, a herd of deer, a castle, a great cafe, swan pond, and ice cream shop.
- Entry fees apply.
- Good for dogs.
- Not easily accessible by public transport from Glasgow.
Dumfries House Estate
Ok so technically Dumfries House Estate is not a country park, but this place is a wonderful day out. It has multiple great play areas – , lovely walks, giant sequoia trees, a nice cafe, a great maze & stunning walled gardens.
- Free entry.
- Good for dogs. Dogs must be on lead anywhere within park. Only part they’re not allowed into is the maze.
- Not easily accessible by public transport from Glasgow.
Kelburn Country Park
Kelburn Country Park has wonderful walks and great play areas, some small farm animals to see, lots of space to play and of course its unique castle. It’s piece de résistance though is the Enchanted Forest which is a wonderful walk through area with loads to explore. The Enchanted Forest gets transformed into a walk through storybook for their special events at various times throughout the year. Also has a nice cafe.
- Free to walk around, but entry fees to enchanted forest apply & you need to pay for parking.
- Good for dogs.
- Not super easily accessible by public transport from Glasgow but you can get a train to Largs and then a bus along to the park.
Beecraigs Country Park
Beecraigs Country Park is a huge forest park out near Linlithgow. It has beautiful walks through forests with massive trees, a loch, farm animals to see, a nice cafe with a wee play area outside and another great play area about a 10-15 minute from the car park.
- Free entry & free parking.
- Good for dogs.
- Not easily accessible by public transport from Glasgow.
Dalkeith Country Park
Dalkeith Country Park has one of the best fort play areas we’ve ever been to. There are also lovely walks through the woods in the park, plus it has a really nice cafe and a big farm shop.
- Entry fee applies for play area.
- Dogs not allowed in the fort play area.
- Not easily accessible by public transport from Glasgow.
There are many more I could add to this list so I’ll definitely do a part 2 at a later date. Let me know if you have any other favourites!