South Queensferry / North Queensferry
Deep Sea World · Photo: Billy McCrorie
Start at Craigie's Farm on the edge of South Queensferry with an early bite in the farm café and a look around the fields. Then cross the Forth to Deep Sea World, where a walk-through tunnel puts sharks and rays right over little heads, all indoors.
Food stop · 09:30–11:30 (2h)
Breakfast or early snack in the café, then a wander round the farm.
A farm cafe and shop west of Edinburgh with an indoor and outdoor play barn, an animal shed and seasonal pick-your-own, including pumpkins in October. Works as a lunch stop on the way to or from the Forth bridges or Linlithgow.
Photo: Anne Burgess
Aquarium · 12:00–15:00 (3h)
Lunch in the on-site café, then the shark tunnel and touch pools at a toddler's pace.
An indoor and outdoor aquarium in North Queensferry.
Photo: Billy McCrorie
ScotlandInverness
Follow the River Ness south from the city centre to a string of wooded islands linked by footbridges. Next door, the Botanic Gardens have warm glasshouses for a cactus and jungle detour, and a café with baby changing for lunch.
Ness Islands Walk → Inverness Botanic Gardens → Café Botanics
ScotlandEdinburgh city centre
Spend the morning in the free National Museum of Scotland, where skeletons, space kit and a whole floor of science and technology galleries keep curious kids busy. After lunch, walk downhill to Dynamic Earth for a journey through the planet's history under one roof, with no need to step outside for long.
National Museum of Scotland → Dynamic Earth
ScotlandEdinburgh (Corstorphine)
Edinburgh Zoo fills most of the day, with its hillside paths leading from penguins near the bottom to big cats and views near the top. Finish with a gentle wander and picnic in the free grounds of Lauriston Castle, which run down towards the Forth.
Edinburgh Zoo → Lauriston Castle
