Saughton Park & Gardens

What it’s like

Free walled garden and park with a play park, a putting green, a teddy bear hunt and a bandstand to potter round.

There's no entry fee here, which makes it an easy one to add to the list. The play park is the obvious first stop with younger kids, and once they've had a go on that there's a teddy bear hunt through the grounds to keep them moving rather than dragging their feet past the flower beds. The putting green is a nice one for slightly older kids who fancy a proper activity rather than just a wander, and the bandstand gives you a landmark to aim for if you need one.

The Walled Garden is open long hours, 9am to 9pm daily, so it works as an evening stroll in summer as well as a daytime visit. The Winter Garden and Conservatory keep shorter hours, 9am to 6pm on weekdays, so that bit is really a weekday plan rather than a weekend one. Dogs are allowed in the park generally, though it's not clear whether they're welcome inside the Walled Garden itself, so if you've got one with you it's worth sticking to the wider park.

There's no set list of ages this suits best, but the mix of a play park, putting green and open grounds means it works loosely for most primary-age kids, with younger ones happy enough with the play park and the hunt.

Facilities

Need to know

Dogs

Can walk dogs in the park but Walled Garden policy not stated

• The Walled Garden's long daily hours make it a good after-work or evening option in summer
• The Winter Garden and Conservatory are weekday-only, so plan around that if it's the bit you want to see
• The teddy bear hunt is a nice way to get reluctant walkers round the grounds

Plan your visit

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