On Saturday, our original idea was to go to Roslin Glen to
see the autumn trees. But by the time we had packed bags and got coats and
shoes on, the rain was falling steadily. So there we were in the car, all
dressed up and nowhere to go. To add to our conundrum, we also knew that we
didn’t want to spend too much money, which is tricky on a rainy day when you
have little ones to entertain.
Because we were heading in a westerly direction (my husband
saying, ‘Where shall we go, then?’ and me frantically leafing through my
edition of Edinburgh for Under Fives for ideas) we decided to pop to EICA at
Ratho. I’d heard good things about the Rocktots playroom and knew it was open
at weekends.
There was ample parking, which was a great start, and lots
of people milling about with canoes which interested my three year old
daughter. Then when we got inside, the view down to the climbing walls from the
café was incredible, like something from the Matrix. My daughter declared that
she wanted to climb the walls like that, so we headed quickly towards the
playroom before the idea took hold in her head.
Rocktots is great, with safe little areas for babies, all
sorts of toys for toddlers and a bouncy castle. There is a café area where you
can station yourself, and water is provided for free. We spent a happy 90
minutes there, then got in the car unsure of our next destination. We’d spent a
fiver on playroom fees and didn’t want to spend too much more. My husband
suggested Dobbies Garden World at Lasswade.
The great thing about Dobbies (apart from the brilliant,
child-friendly café with its fantastic cakes – which were on a 2-for-1 offer!)
is that you can spend a lot of time there with little ones, for free. We spent
ages looking at the fish in the pet area, then at the guinea pigs and rabbits
and budgies. But my daughter was absolutely fascinated by a model dinosaur in
one of the displays that roared at passers-by. There was a model band made up
of a walrus, a rhino, a hippo and a giraffe. Christmas displays were up so
there were plenty of twinkly lights, which interested the baby. We had a lovely
time just wandering around and looking at things. I even resisted the
temptation to pop to the new branch of Lakeland – result. By the time we got
out it was dark and time to head home for tea, bath and bed.
This is just one way to pass a really pleasant rainy day in
and around Edinburgh with minimal damage to the bank balance. You could also go
to the National Museum of Scotland, a gallery or a library – the new Drumbrae
Library is great place to spend time. The Penicuik Centre is highly recommended
by our researchers too.
Have you got any favourite, cheap, rainy day activities? Let
me know at efufeditor@gmail.com and
your ideas could appear in the next edition of the book.
Until next time, keep dry!
Cathy
Editor
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