Scotland's best family-friendly campsite – with meerkats, lemurs and donkeys on doorstep
Scroll down to see other UK sites that made the cut
TOP TENT Scotland's best family-friendly campsite – with meerkats, lemurs and donkeys on doorstep
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
THE top-rated child-friendly camping site in Scotland has been revealed for 2025.
And it features meerkats, lemurs, goats, pigs and donkeys on its doorstep.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
3
The Perthshire site has stunning views
3
Families can visit the wildlife park
Travel experts at Pitchup.com have compiled a list of the tried and tested sites around the UK, looking specifically for child-friendliness.
There are a broad range of sites, from high end shepherds huts to back-to-nature basic pitches.
And coming out top in Scotland is Auchingarrich, in Perthshire.
A wild-camping-style paddock is set aside for guests right beside Auchingarrich Wildlife Park and it boasts stunning views over the ponds and the surrounding countryside.
Just a 15-minute drive from Crieff, Drummond Castle and Loch Earn, the campsite allows guests easy access to the park, cafe and play area.
For children, there is an indoor play barn and an outdoor play area, for when the weather is dry and sunny.
The campsite additionally features a barbecue area for cooking meals outdoors.
Coming out top in the whole of the UK is Hill Farm Camping, in Essex, England.
Families love this site, which is home to free-roaming wallabies, alpacas and Emi the emu.
UK's Premier Scottish Caravan Site: Camping & Glamping Gold Standard
In addition to the on-tap animal magic, owner Alan has gone above and beyond to make it a family paradise.
Other activities on site include a play area and sandpit, zipline, pitch and putt, archery and tractor and trailer rides, providing fun for all ages.
Meanwhile, other sites in the top 20 ranking include Swallow Farm Campsite in Cheshire, a small farm camping site within a secluded south-facing field with simple facilities, and Easton Farm Park campsite in Suffolk, which combines farm life and woodland exploration - there's even goat yoga on offer.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
All the benefits that could be STOPPED over easy holiday mistake including Universal Credit and PIP
We reveal below how you can check if you're eligible for benefits TRIP UP All the benefits that could be STOPPED over easy holiday mistake including Universal Credit and PIP Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SIMPLE holiday error could see a host of benefits including Universal Credit and PIP stopped. You may even have to pay back any overpaid money and in a worse case scenario an up to £5,000 penalty too. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 A number of benefits can be stopped if you don't report going abroad Credit: Alamy Going abroad is classed as a change in circumstances which must be reported to the office that pays your benefits. If you do not, it may be reduced or stopped and you could be told to pay back any overpaid amounts. If you are found to have deliberately not reported going abroad, it is classed as benefit fraud and you could be taken to court or asked to pay a penalty of between £350 and £5,000. However, at which point you have to report going abroad varies based on the benefit you are receiving. For example, you don't have to report going abroad if you're on Attendance Allowance (AA) and going away for less than four weeks. If you do need to report going abroad, you need to tell your local Jobcentre Plus or the office that pays your benefit. This is the full list of benefits where you may have to report going abroad this summer: Universal Credit Jobseeker's Allowance PIP Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Attendance Allowance Carer's Allowance Pension Credit Housing Benefit Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) Maternity Allowance Child Benefit Guardian's Allowance Here are the rules on reporting going abroad for the major benefits. Universal Credit If you're on Universal Credit, you can stay abroad for one month and carry on receiving payments. You still have to tell your work coach you're going away and have to carry on meeting the conditions of your claim. For example, if you are in the intensive work group and have to spend a minimum amount of hours per week looking for a job, you have to continue doing this. There are exceptions to the one-month rule though - such as if a "close relative" dies while you are abroad and it is not deemed reasonable for you to return to the UK. Meanwhile, you can carry on claiming Universal Credit for up to six months if you have gone abroad for medical treatment. You can report going away on holiday by signing in via your Universal Credit account. Jobseeker's Allowance If you are on New Style or income-based JSA you must report if you are leaving Great Britain for any length of time. You can let the Government know you are going away by calling the JSA helpline on 0800 169 0310. You can also write to the Jobcentre Plus office that pays your JSA. You can find your nearest office by using its online branch locator. PIP and DLA You have to tell the DWP if you are on Personal Independence payments (PIP) Or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and going away for more than four weeks. You have to tell the Government the date you are leaving the country, how long you are going away for and which country you plan to visit. You also need to tell the DWP why you plan to go abroad. You can call the Disability Service Centre on 0800 121 4433 to inform them you are going away if you are on PIP or DLA. Attendance Allowance Like with PIP and DLA, you have to tell the DWP if you plan to go abroad for more than four weeks and are on AA. You can claim AA for up to 13 weeks while abroad, or 26 weeks if you're going away for medical treatment. Carer's Allowance If you are on Carer's Allowance, you can go away for up to four weeks over a six-month period while still receiving the benefit. But you still have to report this or risk having to pay back your entitlement or paying a fine. You can report going away via the Government's website or by calling the Carer's Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297. Pension Credit You can claim Pension Credit for up to four weeks if you are abroad. This is extended to eight weeks if the absence is due to the death of your partner or a child. However, you still need to report going abroad. You can do this via the Government's website or by calling the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 731 0469. Housing Benefit You can usually only carry on claiming Housing Benefit for up to four weeks if you go abroad. Like with Pension Credit, you can carry on receiving it for eight weeks if you have to go abroad because a close relative has died. But you should contact the Benefits Service on 020 7364 5000 to let them know you're going away. You might also be able to via your local council's website. You can find your local council by using the Government's online locator tool. Are you missing out on benefits? YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to Charity Turn2Us' benefits calculator works out what you could get. Entitledto's free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit. and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data. You can use Policy in Practice's calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs. Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
The Herald Scotland
5 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
St Andrews golf worth £317m annually to the Scottish economy
Researchers calculated the amount visitors spent directly on golf in St Andrews as well as on hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and local travel providers. Read more: St Andrews Links - whose other courses include the New, Jubilee, Castle, Eden, Balgove and Strathtyrum courses - welcomes an average of 2,000 playing visitors every week. Around 72% of those visitors come from overseas, with the USA (40%) and Canada (6%) being the key markets. A further 28% of visits were from the UK, with the remaining 26% coming from elsewhere. Across visitors from all locations, 84% said they were 'likely or very likely' to return in the future. 'This is the first such study looking solely at the impact of golf in St Andrews on the town and the wider Scottish economy," said Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust. 'It clearly shows the massive impact on the town and that our visitors are delivering a boost to communities across Scotland each and every year. This impact has probably been undervalued in the past. Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust (Image: Gavin Craigie) 'The unique place that St Andrews holds as the lifeblood and source of the sport means that both golfers and non-golfers want to come here and experience this place for themselves. But this only works if we continue to invest in our facilities and in ensuring we strive for excellence in customer experience.' St Andrews Links Trust is a charity with all of its revenue reinvested into the sport, facilities and in community initiatives across the region. For every £1 that passes through the tills of St Andrews Links from visitors, an additional £3.43 is generated for other businesses in the town. "Scotland has a proud reputation as the birthplace of the game and St Andrews is home to many links courses, not least the Old Course, which are the envy of the world," Scottish Business Minister Richard Lochhead said. "This report hits home the scale of the benefits we all reap from the trust's courses, alongside the broader impact of golf tourism, which boosts the economy by £300 million every year and supports around 5,000 jobs. Read more: "I commend the Trust for all it does to sustain and grow the game and I'm looking forward to the return of The Open to St Andrews in 2027, which, backed by Scottish Government funding, will further increase our standing as a first-class host of major events." Of the 283,000 rounds played on the seven St Andrews Links courses in 2023, 152,000 (54%) were played by visitors to St Andrews. More than half of visitors combined their St Andrews Links trip with a visit to another iconic layout in Scotland, the most popular being Kingsbarns (29%), Carnoustie (25%), Dumbarnie (15%) and Crail (14%). Vicki Miller, chief executive of VisitScotland, added: 'This comprehensive study showcases the important role golf plays in Scotland's visitor economy, with St Andrews standing at the heart of this as a globally recognised asset. Read more: 'Scotland continues to be the destination of choice for golfers worldwide, and beyond the course, our renowned hospitality, culture, and heritage offer a truly distinctive and enriching experience for all who visit. We welcome this research, which reinforces Scotland's reputation as a world-leading tourism and events destination.' Professor Simon Shibli, from Sheffield Hallam University, said: 'Economic impact studies tend to look at the effects of one-off major sport events. For St Andrews Links Trust we have had the opportunity to investigate the economic impact of a permanent year-round golf business. "Using gold standard methods to interview over 2,400 golfers, our research reveals a significant asset to the Scottish economy, which has arguably not been fully appreciated. St Andrews Links Trust is not only a thriving business in its own right, it is also a catalyst for considerable tourism and employment benefits.'
Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Scots beach described as ‘white sand paradise' named best in UK
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A PRISTINE beach with pale, white sands has been named best in the UK. Heading for the coast often come top of the list for a family day out. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The island beach came out in top place in the UK 3 This bay in Morar also made the top five And we are spoiled for choice in Scotland. New research, conducted by QR Code Generator, analysed Tripadvisor reviews to find the highest-rated beaches in the UK. The coastal spots rated four stars or higher were ranked based on the percentage of five-star reviews compared to the total number of reviews. And four of the top five were in Scotland. Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator, said: "Scotland dominates the list of best UK beaches, claiming four out of the top five spots." Coming out in top place is the stunning Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris. The bay had an impressive 93.79 per cent of reviews giving it five stars. This beach boasts white sands, blue-green waters and was named one of the UK's best beaches in the Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Awards. Often mistaken for the Caribbean, it is found on the west coast of South Harris in the Outer Hebrides. Coming in second place was another destination on the isle, Scarista Beach with 90.50 per cent of reviews rating it five stars. Primark is selling the perfect beach bag for your summer holiday - it's lightweight, waterproof and shoppers can't get enough of the sparkles Less than six miles from Luskentyre, it is rated as the best place to visit on Harris. This white sandy beach speckled with seashells lies on the southwestern coast and looks out into the Atlantic Ocean. Camusdarach Beach in Morar, three miles south of Mallaig, came in third place. Described as an arc of white, glistening sand and clear water, it can be found south of the estuary of River Morar, with views of the Isle of Skye. This beach was also featured in the film Local Hero and is a popular filming location to visit. Marloes Sands Beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, is the only top five placing not in Scotland. The fourth place bay has dramatic coastal scenery and vast golden sands. It's surrounded by wildlife and ancient history, looking out onto Skokholm Island. 3 Sandwood came in fifth place And in fifth place is Sandwood Bay in Sutherland. It is a natural bay with a remote, picturesque beach on the far north-west coast of mainland Scotland. Visitors will find a mile of golden sands and dunes, with rocky cliffs and a giant sea stack to complete the stunning vistas. COASTS WITH THE MOST HERE'S the full top 10: Luskentyre Beach, Isle of Harris, Scotland Scarista Beach, Isle of Harris, Scotland Camusdarach Beach, Morar, Scotland Marloes Sands Beach, Pembrokeshire, Wales Sandwood Bay Beach, Sutherland, Scotland Embleton Bay, Northumberland, England Ross Back Sands Beach, Northumberland, England St Aidan Beach, Northumberland, England Rhossili Bay, Gower Peninsula, Wales Steve's Beach, Isle of Wight Marc said: "Scottish beaches can often be overlooked for southern destinations, but these reviews show how extraordinary these locations really are. "These beaches are more remote than usual seaside towns that are overrun during the summer months. "They offer visitors a quieter, more picturesque experience that is truly breathtaking.'
