Scotland With Teens: Planning With My 13-Year-Old Son

Posted by on Jun 8, 2018 in Articles, Travel

Scotland With Teens: Planning With My 13-Year-Old Son

My youngest, J, who is 13, and I are going to Scotland to visit the husband and bonus sons before school starts up again. J loves Scotland: The food (oh, so many macaroni pies), the outdoors, and the people. So what do we do in our time there, besides visiting the family and the usual?

Our time there is more like “other house visiting” and less like “vacation,” but we do try and take advantage of certain specific things. J is a sports-fan and likes to be outside as much as possible. Here’s some of our favorite things to do, (besides the XBOX One, which we don’t have in Virginia).

Fishing

Allllll those lochs and rivers mean there are tons of fishing spots around Scotland. Bait or fly, big guided excursions or simple half day fishery visits – especially fisheries – are great. Fisheries are easy fun for teens and younger kids because it’s a controlled environment and you’re almost guaranteed to catch something good, like trout! And they’re seriously beautiful too.  Our favorites near Glasgow are the Wellsfield Fishery and Carbeth Fishery. Check out The Best Places to Go Fishing in Scotland and Fishing in Scotland for more places and details.

Beaches

Scotland really isn’t that big, you know. And as such, you’re almost always only 1-2 hours away from the water. From the south side of Glasgow, I can be in Troon (which I love) or Ayr or on a ferry to the islands in less than an hour. Are they beaches like we have in Virginia or my beloved Outer Banks? No, they’re much more mild mannered. No crashing waves, and yes, they’re pretty cold, even in the height of summer. Does that stop my teenage son from running into the water? Nope. And just like our beach towns, there’s fish and chips and candy stores and salt air all the beachy things your soul needs.

Photo: Ayrshire & Arran Tourism

Paintball

Listen, I know paintball isn’t so totally touristy and all things Alba, but Delta Force East Glasgow Paintball, 15 miles outside of downtown Glasgow, is amazing. Ah-maaaay-zing. And outside. He’s been once and he’s going again, and he can’t wait. You have to be over 10 to go, but it’s definitely worth it. If you’re a teenage boy.

History (uuuggggh, says the teenager)

No, my son isn’t a huge fan of traipsing around historical sites in Scotland when we’re there (although he’ll say he likes history as a subject in school). But we do try and hit up some of the big ones when we are there, and there is a lot that teenagers will like. Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle are favorites, as is the castle and cathedral in St. Andrews (there’s a story of the time J. hopped over the wall at the castle, and found himself on the outside of the perimeter, but never mind). Roman ruins like the Antonine Wall builds stretch for miles and make his American brain short out a little.

What will we find when we are there this August? I’ll let you know.

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