Art and very good Art it is…read more You forget these Vaults quite easily on Market Street as they just merge into the city backdrop. They don't get used like this so it's a great way to use a space and i hope it's the start of something special for artists. The musty vaults host a series of arts and entertainment. I fell in love with two particular artist's work - David Martin and Miriam Mallalieu apart from the bit where I almost crapped myself going into Miriam Mallalieu's "Charnel House for Roadkill"!! We went in the daytime so know real entertainment to hear, but to see there were plenty of cool artists!

It's an exhibition - it's a party - it's a wonderland it's…read moreall of these things. And more. Every year Edinburgh's art scene opens the Vaults on Market Street and turn them into a world of its own. Sculpture, Fine Art, film, music, installation art and performances will take hold of you as soon as you step in. You will forget your everyday life for a couple of hours and feel like floating in a creative aquarium. I forgot that I was still in Edinburgh. the tickets at 10- 15 Pounds seem expensive but you'll be able to see several bands and DJ's and judging from their Opening Night yesterday, it's spectacular and I would (and will) happily spend it again. And they are a charitable fund! Oh and if you are too busy at night: the exhibition Vaults are open during the day - for free.

I only ate in the cafe, so this review is for that. This place is just what it needs to be. Soups…read moresandwiches and salads. I had a toastie and a salad and was pleasantly surprised by the size for only £5. I would come and eat here again if I lived in this town.

I've been to two concerts here and it's a good little venue. The seating is highly sloped which…read moremeans you get a good view which isn't obstructed by the person in front. The acoustics are also good. There is a little bar which i think serves food during the day (I haven't eaten there so this may be wrong-If it is let me know and I'll correct this!).

Handily situated next to a car park, small visitor centre and tea room, this place has some really…read morewonderfull sculptures, paintings and also jewellery. The topics are mostly the local wildlife (birds, sea creatures, foxes etc.), but really beautiful. Even my husband was enthusiastic and he usually hates being dragged into such places. Was really tempted to take something home, but sadly it was at the end of our holidays (not a lot of money left ). Apart from that, it's also situated handily at a starting (or ending)point for some really nice walks. We saw a lot of birds: a lot of seagulls, many razorbills and even a few puffins.

We drove past them on the highway and I tried hard to take a good picture but as an added surprise,…read moreour tour guide stopped for an hour to give us time to explore the park. Entrance is free and a great place to enjoy. They are reported to be the to be the tallest horse sculpture in the world standing at 100 ft tall. They are an impressive sight!

We drove past the Kelpies several times the past few years. Visible from far away on the M9…read more This time we decided to spend a little time here. And indeed it's actually well worth the hype! Parked at the Helix carpark, just a short walk away. With a fixed rate of only 3.50£. It's really great that visiting The Kelpies if free of charge. As well as the grounds and the Helix Park south of the carpark. Public toilets, some food stalls and a souvenir shop are located on the grounds. The Kelpies represent the lineage of the heavy horse of Scottish industry and economy, pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges, and coalships that shaped the geographical layout of the Falkirk area. The Kelpies are 30 metres (98 ft) high and weigh 300 tonnes each, built of structural steel with a stainless steel cladding. It's an impressive sight - an amazing sight. It's a popular place to visit. But we've chosen a late afternoon and many visitors were gone already. A good decision, took some good pics. Walked along the canal heading east for a bit. Then along the canal heading south back to the carpark. Almost had the paths to ourselves. There's a lot more to walk, to see and to discover. Including a several mile long circle path (through the town). Surely a thing we will do next time. Was a lot more interesting, prettier and rewarding than we thought. We will definitely be back.

This cinema has room for improvement but I like it…read more It is totally old school and reminds me of picture houses when I was a wee lass. You enter on the ground floor where you buy your tickets. But the screens are on the floors up the stairs (there's disabled access). There are 4 screens and there is usually a decent selection of films for all ages and tastes. Some screens are smaller than others and there is one which seems to sit just a few dozen. However the seats are comfortable, the screens and film quality is good and the place is clean. This is more than I can say for some chains I have been to. There is also an old fashioned projector that you can have a look at. The down side is there is very limited food and the staff can be a bit grumpy. However, if you eat at the Shish Tandoori first (see review) you won't be hungry. Plus, there is a Tesco near by if you need to stock up on treats for the film.

I love the pavillion as it is like going back in time…read more The staff are really friendly and collect your ticket at the dooryou can buy popcorn at a price which is not so high you have to sell a child and the 4 screens mean the cinema is intimate enough that you can engage easily with a film without feeling like it is a completely impersonal and mass participation event. New films can take a bit of a while to make it to Gala but I would go here rather than to a massive multiplex anytime.

I visited this time for Puff's toddler group trip and was delighted to go back. Smudge has now…read moredeclared herself far too grown up for this sort of activity much to my disgust as I loved our trips here when she was little. This visit was a beautifully sunny day so the perfect day to wander around checking out all the animals; goats, donkeys, GIANT bunnies, guinea pigs, cows, sheep, rats, collie dogs, geese and puff's favourite a cat - we have a cat at home!!! As well as a farmyard full of animals to check out, you can pet lots of the wee ones. A whole barn full of fluffy bunnies, chickens and guinea pigs to stroke. Unless like me you're allergic in which case not touching is a much better option - puffy eyes, manic sneezing and a snotty nose does not make for a fun day out. Once you have spent a happy hour trying to teach a stubborn one year old any animal noise other than meeow, and failed, there is still plenty to do here with an inflatable cow bouncy castle, indoor soft play area, tractors to ride, trampolines to bounce, fossils to uncover and a lovely cafe to eat cake and drink coffee in. It has to be said that a rainy day would not completely ruin a trip to Almond Valley. There is plenty to do under cover and even a big picnic barn to eat in, not to brag but we used it for shade because it was so hot.

This is a lovely little place, a great day out for all the family. Lots of animals to see, an lots…read moreto learn. they're upgrading it all the time so it just keeps getting better and better. They do lots of special activities, Christmas Fayres, Easter, all year round really. they have soft play for toddlers and a new bigger area for older kids. It's got a great little cafe too with friendly staff and good food. It really is worth a visit, you will undoubtedly learn something and have fun while doing it.

It should not take long to get there from Edinburgh (approx 1.10h), if you take the right junction…read moreof the A92 onto the A915 and B942. It also helps to have a car as I can't imagine it's an easy destination to get to with local transport. The car park is of good size. This property belongs to NTS, so if you are not a member they might ask you to pay £2 for parking. It's quite relaxed there with controls. During Easter the younger generation enjoyed a well planned Easter Hunt followed by an adventurous play in the children's playground in the woods. Entry is about £10.50. Please ask for family concession. National Trust members go free. I started with the building first and absorbed it's 650 years of history. Originally it was a tower house and belonged to one of the 5 families that once owned it. Amongst the owners or keepers during the 1800's were the Erskines and Lorimers (famous painters and architects). When walking through the building you can either read about the history of each room or ask a guide to help you. I believe the guides are multi lingual. One of the ladies gave me access to Henry Lorimers tower room in which he painted his famous paintings. It's a very intriguing room. The Lorimers made this castle their home and you can still feel the homely touch around this place. The tearoom is not cheap and you don't get much for your money. Not much food choice either. There are two rooms with tables inside and an outside sitting area, which is lovely when the sun is out. As the sun was shining I also enjoyed a stroll around the walled garden, which by the way is beautiful, even without the summer's touch. Last but not least I made my way out using the woodlands walk. There are also toilets to be found in an outside roundhouse building, which serves it's purpose. It's a lovely family outing for young and youthful adventurers!

The castle itself is a 3 start (especially if you get to go up to the artist studio way up at the…read moretop), but the gardens are absolutely heavenly and worthy of all 5. We went in early Sept and and it was like walking into a flower wonderland. In April, things are just beginning to bloom, but I would think anytime during the summer would be perfect. And you can visit the gardens any time you want--just pop a few quid into the honor box and enter the garden through the little door. Secret surprise the first time we went and discovered the castle was closed. Also fun places for kids to play and a nice cafe if the castle is open. Also a nice view of the sea from the front.

Having not played since I was in primary school (I guess I would have been 9 years old) I was still…read morevery much up for a game. We briefly debated which of Glasgow's laser tag places to visit before being steered towards the one in Clydebank by recommendations from someone's much younger sibling. The laser tag place is called Planet Lazer. So, y'know, nil points for naming. However, they run a mean laser tag place. They're part of a larger complex that also does go-karting. There's a a little cafe inside where you can get drinks and snacks, or wait to meet people, a few arcade style games and, most importantly, the laser tag room (arena?) We each paid £9 for two games, each game lasting 20 minutes, which felt about the right length of time. It's surprisingly tiring and I was glad to hear we had a 20 minute break between our two sessions, while another group took a turn. It's a lot of fun, and at least with our group seemed to feature a lot of screaming, giggle and personal vendettas. We've all agreed that we want to go back soon, so I guess you can call that a success.

Cannot thank the staff enough at lazer planet in Clydebank especially AIDEN who made my son…read moreStevie's day by playing a game of lazer tag as there were no other customers in at the time my son is 22 and has autism with no speech at all and yet this guy made a brilliant effort to make stevies visit a great success we had driven through from Edinburgh in a snow storm to get there and were really warmly welcomed. I can't thank them enough a bunch of really nice staff and a great place to take the kids (and bigger kids) once again thanks especially to AIDEN for going the extra mile for my son oh brilliant value for money too with affordable prices

My four kids really enjoy visiting The Happy Castle…read more It's a soft play/climbing area which is really tall! There's a separated section for tots and a huge 'big kids' section. Parents are encouraged to use the apparatus themselves, which is always fun! The cafe is very reasonably priced and the food is average quality. Thankfully they also sell cheap pitchers of squash (the kids get through loads!).

This is a pretty area down a hidden alley with lovely colourful studios but honestly that's about…read moreit, I was expecting a lot more but there really wasn't anything to offer. I was expecting little boutique gifts shops but all I found was the hidden lane tearoom which to be fair looked cute, upholstery shop, yoga studios and not much else so I was disappointed, I wouldn't go out your way to visit.

The Hidden Lane has much to offer. Unfortunately, it's also a bit too hidden, so lots of people…read moremiss it, which means that the turnover of the retail businesses is fairly high, as they often don't get sufficient foot fall to sustain their business. The landlord really needs to get his act together, and get some proper signage and lighting. The entrance to it could be really cool - I'm thinking maybe some sort of art installation of neon lights in the lane entrance, or big neon arrows, or something along those lines. When you get into the lane itself, signage would really help with finding the businesses too, as it is a bit of a rabbit warren, and it's hard to work out where things are, even when you know they are definitely there. Signs with numbers would be a great help. Particularly in the winter months, when it gets dark so early, it can be a bit intimidating stumbling about a lane in the dark. Also, cars are allowed to park right in front of the doors pretty much, so even if there is a small sign that the business has put up, it's often easy to miss. Seriously landlord dude, get it sorted. The businesses that are there though, are typically worth seeking out. There is the AWESOME Hidden Lane Tearoom, a vintage style cafe, with beautiful cakes and teas. Currently, the lanes are also home to Paul Tasker Music - cool guitar teacher, A Shore Thing - a guy who makes great things from driftwood - top tip - you'll see a lot of his stuff in some of the pricier west end boutiques at much more expensive prices than if you buy from him directly.There's also the newly opened Sweetheart Creations selling up-cycled items, Dragonfly Boutique selling beautiful jewellery, art, and home-ware items (well worth a visit - they have some gorgeous stuff including items made from beach combed glass), Monday's Child, selling textile home-ware, and Emily Rose vintage. Aside from the retail units, there are also all sorts of people doing really cool things. Sew Confident offer sewing courses, which I really like the sound of, there's Shona Jewellery, who mostly sells online but works from a studio here, Bobbin & Fleck who do furniture restoration and upholstery, and lots more including a picture framer, a laser cutting and engraving place, a landscape architects' studio, and the New Hellfire Club, which is a not for profit record and book shop. Plus there's a recording studio! La Chunky Studios are right at the back left hand corner of the lane, and it's a fantastic place, offering high-end recording facilities for musicians, film-makers and voice over artists. I was lucky enough to have a look about recently, and hidden at the back of their studio there's a massive sunken room for hanging out in - it's so cool. So, The Hidden Lane is a quirky place, fully of brilliant people who deserve a better landlord - one who has the vision to turn this into a thriving hub of creativity and successful businesses. The Hidden Lane is cool already, but it could be utterly amazing.