Almond Valley – Clydesdales, Donkeys and Soft Play
A few hours.
The route
Almond Valley Heritage Centre, on the edge of Livingston, is a farm, a playground and a museum rolled into one, and it's a brilliant morning out for young children.
There are Clydesdale horses, donkeys and goats to meet, zip lines, trampolines and an indoor soft play, an old water wheel and a little narrow-gauge railway.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book Almond Valley Heritage Centre
Book Almond Valley's entry tickets online before going: it sells them online only, weekends and school holidays sell out, and it's open 10am to 5pm every day (last entry 4pm) except 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January.
The day
Livingston
A morning among the farm animals and the play areas, with lunch in the café by the entrance.
About four hours
Almond Valley Heritage Centre
Almond Valley Heritage Centre is at Millfield, on the edge of Livingston Village, two miles from junction 3 of the M8, and its car park on site is free; it fills at weekends and in the school holidays. It's open every day from 10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm, apart from 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January, and the times can change in the quieter winter months. Tickets are sold online only, and weekends and holidays sell out, so book ahead: £13.50 for adults and £11.50 for children aged 2 to 15 at the time of writing, with under-2s free. Children can meet the Clydesdale horses, Bagot goats, donkeys and ferrets on the rare-breed farm and let off steam on the outdoor play, with its zip lines and trampolines. There's an old water wheel to watch turning, and an indoor soft play for when it rains. The little train and the tractor rides run at weekends, and on weekdays in the busy season, at an extra charge, like the soft play. Lunch is at the café by the entrance, with high chairs and bottle warming, or bring a picnic to the covered areas. The paths have no steps and suit a buggy, though some are uneven or muddy after rain; the train's carriages can't take a buggy, but the tractor ride can. Nappy changing is in the toilets. Dogs aren't allowed, apart from assistance dogs.
If it rains
The soft play, the café, the museum and the mill are under a roof; the farm and the outdoor play are not, so bring waterproofs and wellies.
Make it a weekend
More days out in Edinburgh.
Photograph by Colin C via Google