With just one week to go til the October Holidays (well, in Campbeltown anyway), thoughts will no doubt be turning to how to keep the kids entertained while school’s out. Or, if you’re coming here on holidays, maybe you’re looking for some nice free activities for kids which combine a bit of sightseeing for the grownups. Well, maybe we can help. We’ve come up with a couple of treasure hunt type things which will hopefully tick all those boxes!
Explore our Town and Buildings
All too often I think we take our surroundings for granted and don’t really notice what is right under our nose. Campbeltown has some fantastic architecture, much of dating from Victorian times, with loads of interesting and quirky decorative features to discover…if you look closely!
So print off this sheet (or pop in to Keeping it Local at 17 Main Street and pick up a copy for a small donation) and take to the streets; look around you, look up, stop and stare and see how many of these date stones, carvings and sculptures you can spot around the town. They’re all clearly visible from streets and public areas so please don’t go traipsing into anyone’s garden during your search! Younger kids may need a bit of help/direction so I’ve made up a wee map to show what area you should be searching in. For older kids, why not send them off to take selfies in front of all the ones they can find?
You don’t need to stop at what’s on the sheet either. Why not see how many different shaped windows you can find? Or what the oldest date stone is? (Can you beat mine? I’ve found 1706 but I’m not going to tell you where!) Or how many sculpted faces you can find? You can share your treasure hunt ideas and how you get on on our Facebook page. Don’t give away all the locations though!
Explore our Coastlines
Once you’ve explored the town, why not take to the Coast and see how many of these seabirds (and one mammal!) you can spot? Campbeltown Loch is home to lots of different species so you shouldn’t need to go far to find some; round the Esplandade, down the Pier or along Kilkerran Road are all good places to start. Admittedly some of the birds shown are more common than others but I have seen all the ones pictured reasonably regularly so you should be able to spot a few, with a wee bit of patience. If there are fishing boats in cleaning or gutting fish then that’s a good time to see some cheeky seals trying to snag some tasty treats!
For more ideas of things to do around the coast or ways to explore and get closer to nature, check out the Kids Wildlife Activities on the RSPB website. Also, if you see any birds that you don’t recognise then they have a really good Bird Identification tool to help you.
And Don’t Forget our Woodlands and Countryside!
Finally, we are very lucky in Campbeltown that not only are we surrounded by the sea but we also have some lovely woodland and countryside to explore. Try the Beinn Ghuilean Forestry trails for some woodland adventures or for littler legs, the Community Woodland area up the old railway cutting between Kilkerran Road and Limecraigs is much more accessible. The Woodland Trust has lots of ideas for outdoor activities and free downloadable activity sheets on their website. Great for giving the kids a purpose when you’re trying to drag them out for a walk!
Happy hunting everyone! Don’t forget to let us know how you get on. And remember to explore our website for more ideas of things to see and do.
