Bring the wee ones to the Cairngorms - free babysitting and affordable adventures …
Travelling with a young family can be a nightmare when trying to find accommodation which is not too expensive, or even somewhere which will welcome babies or toddlers. Here at Fraoch Lodge in Boat of Garten village we're trying to give you an answer.
Fraoch Lodge crosses the boundaries between a B&B and a hostel. Not only can we offer comfortable twin or family rooms with hand basins but we are also able to offer a separate kitchen for the use of our guests to prepare babies bottles or meals as required.
However, if looking to relax further and not worry about the catering elements of the holiday (after all you have to do this every day at home) we do offer flexible meal arrangements to suit the family and/or free babysitting services should you wish to take the opportunity to have a meal out at the local hotel or restaurant 5 minutes walk from the Lodge. Alternatively you could have an eating out experience in with us without worrying about the kids upstairs.
Min stay: 2 nights
Max stay: as long as you like
Unique extras available at Fraoch Lodge:
Use of an off road push chair
Real nappies (please pre-book) and laundering
Baby monitor
Sandpit & slide
Toy crate – jigsaws, books and mega blocks amongst other things
3 year old playmate named Gregor
The room
The family room is upstairs in the main house. It shares a bathroom with another twin room (which can also be set up as a family room for a couple with a baby or 2 young children (under 5s). The rooms open on to a landing at the top of the stairs which can be protected by a stairgate. The shower and toilet are shared between these 2 rooms. If you prefer you could book both rooms - one for adults, one for kids or one for the nuclear family and one for grandparents etc, as you wish. Then you have exclusive use of the upper floor of the Lodge.
Prices:
£60 per night for our family rooms (1 double, 1 single and 1 cot)
Please state when booking that you require our family room. If you would like a different arrangement of beds we will do our best to accommodate you.
We plan to have 2 family rooms available shortly. At the moment one is set up with additional facilities suitable for a young family. If you require the use of our push chair, changing table or bath to fit in the shower cubicle please just ask.
Looking to do something active while staying with us – not to worry there are plenty of choices from kayaking to hillwalking; from ball pits to swimming. All the family can participate at a level to suit. There are even walks from our back gate into the woods, up fairy hill or all the way into Aviemore (6 miles). Loch Garten is virtually on our doorstep if our guests want a bit of a nature experience (osprey watching) or they could go to the Speyside Wildlife Badger hide with the older kids.
Family activity packages - coming soon ... please ask Andy for full details
Suggested days out:
Whin Park, Inverness - Whin Park is an activity park in Inverness in the same area as the Aquadome. There are numerous climbing frames, slides, swings etc within the park plus a boating pond and a mini train to ride (see above). The swings etc are all free of charge. There are small charges associated with the train and the boating. There are also picnic tables, but watch out for the thieving seagulls.
Highland Wildlife Park - the park is now associated with Edinburgh Zoo and has considerably "sexed up" their displays and residents. You can now see Snow monkeys, Siberian Tigers and the Polar Bear along side the Wildcat and pine martens, grouse and snowy owl. The kids will love the whole expeience.
Black Isle Wildlife Park - a completely different experience from the Highland Wildlife Park at Kingussie. Most of the animals here are in paddocks and though less "sexy" than the tigers, at least the children are able to feed the goats, llama, wallabies etc. Buy a bag of feed on arrival and the kids will have great fun. There is also an extensive play area here and picnic tables.
Mountain Biking to Aviemore or Loch Garten Osprey Centre - free of charge or just the cost of hire for the day. See www.cairngormbikeandhike.co.uk/ or www.mountainspirit.co.uk
Local walks - ask Andy for advice depending on the prevailing weather
Foraging - mushrooms and berries are freely available at the right time of year. If you are not confident of identifying wild produce correctly you should either not pick or hire a local guide for a half-day or full day to give you some insight into what you can expect to retrieve here.
Wet day activities - soft play in Aviemore, Coylumbridge or Inverness;
