4th Apr 2010 1,000 Things for Kids to Do!
While flicking through the papers this Sunday morning we came across an article within the Guardian that caught our interest. The item titled 1,000 things for kids to do contains a host of fun activities, hobbies, sports and interests designed to entertain the kids with. Of course we quickly set about ear marking various suggestions to er…try out…our selves, you know, just to make sure they were safe for the kids.
Okay, the truth is that sure, they will keep the kids busy, but they seemed like such good fun that we thought that we would set out to tick a few boxes ourselves. So we decided to see if any of the Guardian’s suggestions were available in the area surrounding Muckrach... and as it turned out there happened to be one or two rather entertaining activities positively on our doorstep. Have a look, then tell me you are not interested in trying some out…you know…for the kids sake.
Outdoor Climbing… Okay, so this one is a bit of a no brainer, after all we are in the Cairngorm National Park, home to the Cairngorm mountains. As the Guardian states G2 based in Aviemore runs half day taster sessions for families with young children and training lessons for teenagers and adults. The views can be spectacular and the courses as hard (or easy) as you like.
Abseiling… I have always just thought of this is what you do once you have climbed to the top of something, but apparently it is a bit more complicated than this, as the Beallich centre in Grantown on Spey will doubtless be more than happy to explain. Run by Abby and Patrick Harrison the Beallich is a health and activity provider specialising in mountaineering as well as yoga and massages. So Mum can be pampered while Dad watches the kids dangle from a short rope on the edge of a cliff. Fun for all the family then.
Mountain Boarding… I had no idea you could actually do this around here until I punched 'mountain board cairngorms' into the search engine. For all snow or skate board enthusiasts this is a must, the oversized board strapped to your feet is propelled by four thick pneumatic tyres and you are left to descend the hill at increasing speed with just a little light body protection. A definite Spring or Summer activity to keep up your taste for the slopes. Aviemore has apparently taken to the sport over the last year and groups are popping up all over the area.
High Rope Courses… Those we have in this area by the dozen, ranging from the family orientated Landmark Centre in Carrbridge which hosts high rope obstacle courses for different ages, to Craggan Outdoor Centres (www.cragganoutdoors.co.uk/) challenging high ropes regime where families or groups can test their team work and daring against the towering wooden structure. Also a new ropes course is just starting up in Aviemore along the lines of a "Go Ape" type operation (We can not wait to try that one out.)
Quadbiking… Well up here quad biking is just another way of getting about while not getting your feet too wet, so of course there are several centres that offer quad biking facilities, Craggan Outdoors being just half a mile down the road from us here at Muckrach, and other similar centres in the areas offering a range of courses and vistas to experience.
Scottish Country Dancing… The Guardian says that ‘The surge in Scottish nationalism over the past couple of decades has seen patriotic teenagers reclaim the reel.’ Having been ‘forced’ to participate in this activity as a youngster I can assure you that this is not everyone young persons dream past time, however for many this can be a fun and interesting few hours and now in my latter years I can appreciate the pleasureable bonding which it induces. (That may just be the whisky though.)
Cycling Activities…It must have been about ten years since I had ridden a bike, but there is something about the Scottish Highlands with its abundance of forest trails, quiet roads and soaring scenery that seems to be best experienced on two wheels. Within six months of moving here I had invested in a modest mountain bike and have not looked back since. There are cycle trails throughout the Cairngorm National Park and one which will take you safely and relatively easily all the way to the coast. For the extreme among us there is the amazing Laggan Wolf Trax based in the Strathmashie forest at Laggan which boasts 18km of track for down hill biking enthusiast. Amazingly this is free of charge with up lift offered at a rather minimal fee and base camp facilities including cycle repair, wash, shop and café.
Archery…A more child friendly version of the clay pigeon shooting which is so popular in Scotland, archery offers a safer more relaxed environment with historical connotations and a good dose of heroic fantasy for the kids.
Golf…The Guardian points out, again very much on the nose, that golf in Scotland is a very much more ‘egalitarian game’ which the dictionary told me means classless (kind of). I have to agree, I had always been put off from playing golf in England due to the rather stuffy nature of the game and its follower. Yet in Scotland, where the courses weave there way between the towns and villages, there is a much more casual feel, and I found myself donning flip flops and shorts last summer and enjoying a very relaxing couple of rounds. Local courses have little in the way of dress code, will hire you all the kit for reasonable prices and will barely cringe at all when they watch you dig several holes into their newly flattened green.
Horse Riding…Having been bitten by one of these giant four legged creatures as a blameless four year old naively kicking a fence I have never fancied the idea of actually climbing on top of one and letting it run off into the hills. However since my girlfriend was rather keen I thought we could perhaps have ago on some of the smaller, friendlier kin of these monsters. I came across a leaflet for Pony Trekking in neighbouring Carrbridge, ponies are the beloved friends of six year old girls I thought, therefore surely relatively harmless, I booked us in on a foggy Autumnal afternoon and prayed for a vegetarian one, however, upon arrival our very helpful and informative instructor lead us to the stables and presented us with our mounts. If there was a pony within the stable then it must have been swallowed by one of the mammoth like horses gnashing their domino like teeth at me.
Yet let me tell you that once upon the thing I soon realised that he was a timorous beastie, not wee, but certainly docile. The cross country trek took us through majestic woodland and up into the Scottish mists, we cantered and tried a little galloping in the two hours we were in the saddle and I greatly enjoyed the experience. I may have been more blazing saddles than horse whisperer but I certainly changed my opinion about the big chaps.
Orienteering… Orienteering is great fun, and don’t let anyone tell you other wise. It just got a bad wrap due to it being the chosen sport of bespectacled geography teachers and your Granddad. These days orienteering has found renewed interest, combining map skills with running and endurance. Several clubs operate within the area, and lets face it, if you are going to run about in the woods it may as well be up here where you will be joined by all of the wildlife that the Scottish Highlands have to offer.
Or you can notch it up a step, Geocaching is (so the Guardian assures me) treasure hunting with a twist, where GPS units aid you in hunting down caches of “treasure” hidden around the world. I had never heard of this and so tentatively typed it into the search engine with little hope of finding any links to our area. Lo and behold there is a cache just out of Grantown situated near a view point that offers spectacular views of the Spey and Ben Avon.
Water SportsTo be honest there was a whole host of different activities listed under this category; from raft building on a gently lapping loch to crashing of white water rapids in kitted out kayaks. For all who don’t know (not many) the river Spey courses its way through the Cairngorm mountains, this often fierce river offering fun for all with its many available water sports. The various Lochs offer a more sedate experience with Canadian canoes and sail boats hireable from the scenic Loch Morlich and various seafront experiences on offer on the Northern Coast line.
1,000 things for kids to do, I thought while thumbing my way through the article, is that all they managed to come up with for the whole of Britain, there has to be at least a 1,000 kid friendly ways to while away the Summer days on the doorsteps of the Cairngorms national park alone. So why not let us do the researching and booking for you, our staff are always happy to help organise day events for our guest with our compliments, so all you have to do is turn up and have fun.