Scotland with Kids, Including Hogwarts Express!

We hopped around Europe with our 3 kids spending 3 nights in each spot. We totally fell in love with Scotland and we can’t wait to come back.
Here’s a run down on what we did. We needed more time. There’s so much to do here!

We stayed at the Kingsmill Hotel and Spa. This is the hotel that Adventures by Disney uses for their group tours so I knew it would be family friendly. It is an older hotel that isn’t super updated but felt very authentic. The service was great. I was really impressed with the attitude of the staff, attentiveness in the restaurant and bar and the front desk. The housekeeping was even friendly walking down the hall. It had a very homey feel and we were perfectly happy with this choice.
They had a great indoor pool with hot tub and steam room that was open until 9PM. We had a family suite. This was a large ground floor room with a king bed and sitting area. It has bathrooms and a bunk room (basically the size of a walk-in closet) with 2 sets of bunk beds.
The hotel doesn’t have air conditioning but the Scottish Highlands do not get hot. They gave us a large fan for airflow which was perfect.
The hotel is located on the outskirts of the city of Inverness. It took about 10 minutes (and 10 roundabouts) to get to the city center which is still very quiet. We had Pizza Hut delivered for the kids one night and my husband and I ate in the restaurant at the hotel. Everyone was happy.
There is a nice park with playground directly across the street from the hotel and the grounds are beautiful. We noticed the hotel (and a lot of places in Scotland) was dog friendly. If only it was close for us to bring our dog. Ha!

During a stay in the Scottish Highlands you have to search for Nessie. I’ve heard of the Loch Ness Monster as basically a fairy tale but I don’t think until I started planning a trip to Scotland that I realized exactly where it lived. We took an hour only Jacobite cruise on the Loch Ness which is the name of the body of water. There are a lot of Lochs in the area and Ness is the one with the monster. The cruise told the story of how it was spotted and people who have searched for it for almost 100 years. There’s even a man who they said 20 years ago left his wife and job to buy a cabin on the banks of Loch Ness to search for him. Alas he has not found him and has resorted to selling trinkets to tourists with no regrets.

I was on a mission to see the Hairy Coos or the Scottish Highland cows. I had read that the Culloden battlefield was a great area to see them. There are actually some that live on the battlefield. Another fun fact - this is one of the filming sites for the show Outlander. I haven’t watched this show so this was lost of me but I know a lot of people love it.
The kids loved running around the grass area. It’s 14 pounds per adult for the museum with a guided tour. They did a family pass for 30 pounds (I was so impressed with how there were family discounts everywhere in the UK) but you can walk around the outside area for no charge.

Keep your eyes peeled - Just down the street we found the Hairy Coos.

Another spot we hit was Rothiemurchus we. This is an outdoor activity place in a National Park. There’s a farm store, barn (which is their cafe), gift shop and more.
There are so many activities here. They have things for small children to adults.
Our kids did the Landry cars (PowerWheels sized Land Rovers) and fishing. The Landry’s go around a small track in the forrest. They go pretty slow. I would recommend this for 8 and under.
On property they have several stocked ponds with rainbow trout. It was 17 pounds per kid for a pole, net and bait. You were permitted one fish for this as well if you wanted to take one home.
We are not fishermen so I was having a hard time helping the kids cast their poles. I had the kids go fish by some young teens who noticed their inability and started helping them. It was perfect. The teenagers were so nice. They made it a competition between the boys to catch one. They quickly each caught a trout. They showed them how to hit it in the head (they were going to keep one) and how to release the other. The kids were on cloud 9.
There is so much to do here. They had falconry experiences, ATVs, horses, ropes course and more. It is also a place you visit on an Adventures by Disney tour. If you’re coming on your own make sure to prebook what you want to do. The activities sell out especially in the summer.

We also spent a full day to ride the Jacobite Steam Train. This is on the West Coast of Scotland from Fort William to Mallaig. It is the train featured in the Harry Potter films.
There are a bunch of ways to make this happen.
If you’re driving yourself, there are round trip train rides from Fort William. It gives you a break in the town so you can enjoy a quick lunch.
If you’re not going to ride it then you could go to Fort William and take pictures at the train, and then there is a spot to wait while it goes over the Glennfinnan Viaduct with easy parking, toilets and a cafe. In the town of Mallaig there’s a neat Haggrid’s gift shop for all the merchandise. This town is right on the with views of the Scottish Isles. I would love to come back and visit the Isle of Skye.
The train ride is beautiful though so we booked a tour. We were driven in a mini bus from downtown Inverness. They also have these day trips from Edinburgh. We made stops along the way. We rode the train one way, had time for lunch (amazing fish and chips!) and then we journeyed back with stopping to watch the train pass the viaduct.
It was nice to sit back and relax and let someone else drive for the day.


The people of Scotland were so friendly. I might even say best overall service as far as friendliness than anywhere I’ve been in the world.
Make sure to bring your rain gear even in the summer. It went back and forth from sunny to raining without any notice.
If you’re renting a car just a reminder that they do drive on the left. Inverness was the perfect place to do this with minimal traffic and mostly coy try driving. We had the kids say “Left side Daddy!” regularly to help. You can rent a car with a credit card and USA driver’s license. No special license in required. The cars are smaller here. We had a mid-size which was equivalent to a Mercedes C class. It was a good thing we only had carry on bags to fit in the car.

It’s a wonderful country and we can’t wait to go back.


Lia Vincent

OWNER of Vincent Vacations

Share :

Lia Vincent is the founder and owner of Vincent Vacations, All Inclusive Weddings, Magical Vacations, TravelAgentPro, Vincent Cruises and Vincent Events.Vincent Vacations is an award-winning travel agency established in 2013 that is based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. All Inclusive Weddings is an affiliate of Vincent Vacations and was established in 2019. Lia has been recognized for her own work as ...  Read More >>>

An expert luxury advisor with five star luxury travel packages. With a luxury travel company, Vincent Vacations.



6 Reviews & Success stories

Amazing destination wedding to El Dorado Royale
Amazing destination wedding to El Dorado Royale

Lia planned my destination wedding in May to El Dorado Royale and it was the most amazing experience!
-Haley McCarthy

3 week custom trip to New Zealand, Australia and Fiji
3 week custom trip to New Zealand, Australia and Fiji

Lia went above and beyond planning a 3 week custom trip to New Zealand, Australia and Fiji for us. She even let us drive her car to Dallas when our OKC flight got cancelled at the last minute. Thank you.
-Candace Adolphson Haggard

Disney Cruise for our Group! Amazing!
Disney Cruise for our Group! Amazing!

We just got back from our Disney Cruise through Vincent Vacations and had a blast! Lia walked through the details with me and answered all my questions! She prepared us for what we could expect so we were delightfully prepared for fun things like Pirate Night and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. We had a blast!! Thanks Lia!
-Justin and Erin Cornell

6 Reviews

My Areas of Expertise

Learn more about this travel agents destinations, interests, and supplier partners.

Destinations

Interests

Supplier Partners

Latest Blog posts

We are Certified NCL Travel Agents - Why Sail With Norwegian?3/7
2024
We are Certified NCL Travel Agents - Why Sail With Norwegian?

Why Sail With Norwegian Cruise LinesAre you thinking about booking a cruise or have just booked one ...

2024 Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres2/6
2024
2024 Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres

On February 1st, 2024, for the first time, Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres, opened their doors to...

Japan with Kids1/8
2024
Japan with Kids

We took 3 kids under 12 to Japan for Thanksgiving 2023. I would like to start off with saying my kid...

Top All Inclusive Resorts for Families with kids age 8+7/28
2023
Top All Inclusive Resorts for Families with kids age 8+

I get this question a lot. There are a lot of great all inclusive resorts for families but what abou...

Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana on Spring Break6/29
2023
Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana on Spring Break

Is it a good idea? What is it like over Spring Break? See our latest: All Inclusive Hard Rock Hotels...

Disneyland Paris-What I Liked and Didn’t Like6/29
2023
Disneyland Paris-What I Liked and Didn’t Like

What I liked and didn’t like about Disneyland Paris, including staying on-property.We are a Disney f...

Top Mexico All Inclusive Resorts for families of 56/29
2023
Top Mexico All Inclusive Resorts for families of 5

Top Mexico All Inclusive Resorts for families of 5By Lia VincentA common request is, “We love this r...

Dreams Flora Resort and Spa, New Resort3/7
2023
Dreams Flora Resort and Spa, New Resort

In typical Vincent Vacations fashion, we flew down opening week to check out the newest resort for o...

Ways to Save Money on your Destination Wedding1/31
2023
Ways to Save Money on your Destination Wedding

Planning a destination wedding can be a great way to have a fun and memorable experience without bre...

Having A `First Look` at a Destination Wedding1/31
2023
Having A 'First Look' at a Destination Wedding

A first look means seeing your partner right before the ceremony. With destination weddings, this is...

Magic Kingdom Secrets, Tips and Facts1/28
2023
Magic Kingdom Secrets, Tips and Facts

Having just returned from a family and Disney VIP trip, I felt it was time to post about Magic Kingd...

Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen1/27
2023
Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen

I had the honor of visiting the brand new build, Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen, in the heart of Ri...

Italy Bucket List Travel Ideas12/19
2022
Italy Bucket List Travel Ideas

We are happy to assist you with all your Italy travel planning needs. Italy is a country rich in his...

23 Great Excursions & Tour Package Options for Costa Rica11/11
2022
23 Great Excursions & Tour Package Options for Costa Rica

Costa Rica is like no place in the world. From almost every vantage point, rainforest vistas tumble ...

19 Reasons to Love Jamaica11/11
2022
19 Reasons to Love Jamaica

Jamaica is a Caribbean Island steeped in history, culture and beauty that welcomes just over 4 milli...

21 Fun Facts about Walt Disney World11/11
2022
21 Fun Facts about Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World's 4 Theme ParksMake dreams come true in four uniquely themed parks, each with its ...

8 Great Reasons to Book Disney with a Travel Agent11/10
2022
8 Great Reasons to Book Disney with a Travel Agent

Planning a trip to Disney takes a lot of thought and planning. That’s why you’re using a travel agen...

Secrets Bahia Mita9/20
2022
Secrets Bahia Mita

I just returned home from a wonderful 4 nights at Secrets Bahia Mita. Let me give you the scoop on t...

Scotland with Kids, Including Hogwarts Express!8/10
2022
Scotland with Kids, Including Hogwarts Express!

We hopped around Europe with our 3 kids spending 3 nights in each spot. We totally fell in love with...

Marco Island, Florida7/8
2022
Marco Island, Florida

I would like to start off by saying, “What a magical place!”I am just returning from a holiday weeke...

Tahiti: Where to Splurge & Where to Save Money6/27
2022
Tahiti: Where to Splurge & Where to Save Money

Tahiti: Where to Splurge & Where to Save MoneyI recently returned from a trip to Tahiti and this...

Rocky Mountaineer Train-Canadian Rockies5/20
2022
Rocky Mountaineer Train-Canadian Rockies

A luxury train, beautiful scenery, top notch service….these are all the things I think about when I ...

5 Must Do`s When Traveling to Ireland5/11
2022
5 Must Do's When Traveling to Ireland

I've had a lot of interest in the Ireland trip I just experienced. Here is a list of 5 must do's whe...

Family of 5 Resort ? Hyatt Regency Clearwater Resort & Spa is a perfect choice3/19
2022
Family of 5 Resort ? Hyatt Regency Clearwater Resort & Spa is a perfect choice

As a family of 5, we have the hardest time finding resorts - instead of condos - that have rooms tha...

The New Hotel Xcaret Arte – 1st Trip Thoughts2/14
2022
The New Hotel Xcaret Arte – 1st Trip Thoughts

I just returned from Hotel Xcaret Arte. This is a new resort that opened in 2021 to compliment Hotel...

Disney Cruises During Pandemic2/6
2022
Disney Cruises During Pandemic

We just returned from a wonderful week aboard the Disney Fantasy.Disney just started sailing again i...

Photo Albums

Get in touch with Lia Vincent

*Captcha:

Start Your Next Trip With All Inclusive Weddings Today!

In business for over 10 years, and in travel since 2002, we are your #1 source for destination weddings and romance travel!

See more