My name is Lynsey and I grew up in a rural village near Arbroath. I have always loved the countryside and as a wee lass, I would head out on my bike with my friends and we’d bike for miles round the quiet country roads.
Fast forward to adulthood and I now love exploring Angus further with my wee boys and husband. I was so excited to have been given the opportunity, by the team at Visit Angus, to showcase some of my family’s favourite places to visit in Angus.
Let the weekend adventure begin!
Saturday morning, alarm goes off, also known as my eldest son shouting “I’m hungry, it’s breakfast time!” Over breakfast, we tell the boys about our plans for the day, pack our bags with snacks, juice and plenty changes of clothes and we are ready to set off on our adventure.
First stop is to one of our favourite beaches in Angus, East Haven. I particularly like going here as it’s so easy for the boys to walk on and off the beach, there are no high sand dunes to climb and it always has a welcoming feel to it. You get a real sense of pride here and this is probably because the local residence and community do such a fantastic job of looking after this part of the coast. They even have a beautiful garden with a boat called “The Sisters” in it that is situated just as you drive into the village before going under the railway bridge.
So off we went to paddle our feet, dig up the sand and go exploring in the rock pools. My eldest son has no fear and wanted to go further and further into the rocks but I chickened out and persuaded him to go back to dry land.
By this point, my youngest son woke from his morning nap and we took a walk to the garden with the boat. We took it in turns to be the captain going in search of pirates. By this stage, tummies started to rumble so we headed back to the car and headed to Carnoustie.
We stopped off at Franco’s Café for some lunch. Plenty on the menu to pick from and we were all stuffed by the time we’d finished. We were now ready for an afternoon of adventure.
Back in the car and a short drive on to Arbroath, we headed for Kerr’s Miniature Railway, the oldest miniature railway in Scotland having first opened in 1935. This was a childhood favourite of mine and something that we’ve never taken the boys to before so I was really excited to see their faces when we got there.
Choo choo, all aboard! Kids loved it! My eldest also enjoyed sitting in the wee bus and fire engine which is located beside the railway. Big brownie points for mum and dad here!
We couldn’t go to Arbroath without spending time at the West Links play area. It was so busy and it was great to see families out enjoying the sunshine with family and friends. Selkie Rock adventures offer complimentary activities down at West Links including the ride on bikes, quad bikes and bounce castles to name just a few. Plenty for a toddler and 4 year old to do there that we lost track of time and it was tea time before we knew it.
Boys were exhausted and ready for tea so back to the car and we were homeward bound.
Sunday – no rest for the wicked!
Bags repacked and we’re ready to go. We head to Murton Nature Reserve for Kids Fest event. Murton is one of my son’s favourite places to go. There is so much to see and do, walks to enjoy, so it was a must visit on my takeover weekend. By chance, Kids Fest was on so there was even more happening! We met up with our friends and their kids and spent a lovely morning exploring the different activities on offer. We went to see the animals, played in the mud, bounced on the trampoline and had a shot on the swings. The highlight for our eldest son was getting the opportunity to sit in the fire engine and get his photo taken with a fireman.
It was only a matter of time… my husband spots the tea room! He has a sweet tooth and loves a cheeky wee cake – our eldest has managed to follow in his dad’s footsteps – so next thing I know, we are heading towards the newly refurbished and extended tearoom for some lunch and a cake. We sat outside on the veranda and had a bite to eat in the sunshine. It was lovely.
Fuelled up and ready for our afternoon’s activities. Away to Forfar Loch that is looked after by the Rangers at ANGUSalive. We took our eldest son’s bike and helmet and off we go along the tarred road. Heading to the boat house, there are speed bumps along the way so we were having races to see who could reach the next speed bump first. Safe to say that the wee man on wheels won! Our youngest son was toddling his way round at his own pace, exploring the long grassy verge and twigs on the road.
The sailing club were out on the loch enjoying the sunshine and breeze while we were larking around on the outdoor gym equipment situated next to it.
Heading back to the car, we were getting excited for spending the rest of the day at a family BBQ – great way to end a fantastic weekend.
I hope this has inspired you to have your own Angus adventure. Share your own favourite places to visit and remember to use #MyAngus and Visit Angus can share your adventures too.
