Silver Birch Cabins at Strathyre (Wheelchair-adapted) - Fun Days Out

Blair Drummond is a family safari park just outside Stirling, set in a 120-acre estate with over 300 animals. You can set out on a drive-through safari past the African reserve, home to Grant's zebra and southern white rhinos, the lion reserve and the Asian reserve with Bactrian camels and Père David's deer. There is also an optional Monkey Jungle reserve for Barbary macaques, plus an elephant enclosure and a dinosaur exhibit with moving, noisy models.

Away from the animals, there is a bird-of-prey display, a big adventure playground with a pirate ship and adventure fort, part of it under cover for wet weather, and fairground rides. You can also walk the chimp path to a viewing platform. Food ranges from a restaurant and grill to cafés. Wood-fired pizza and desserts may be closed on weekdays. You can also bring a picnic; there are undercover benches if it rains. It's a good choice for families with children.

Tip: Tickets are online only and none are sold at the gate, so book ahead, especially at weekends and school holidays when it often sells out.

Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most historically important castles in Scotland. It stands on a volcanic crag with steep cliffs on three sides, and the rock has been fortified since ancient times. Generations of Scottish monarchs enlarged and embellished it, and Mary, Queen of Scots was crowned here in 1542.

You can walk the ramparts and the castle's three main enclosures, taking in the size of the stronghold and the views over Stirling and the surrounding countryside. Inside, look for the Great Hall and the refurbished Royal Palace, the childhood home of Mary, Queen of Scots. Its interiors have been recreated as they may have looked when James V's grand scheme was complete. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum, on regimental history, is also on site.

Tip: Book your visit online in advance for a set date and time; the Great Hall and Royal Palace are the parts to head for first.

Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn meets the River Teith, about 8 miles northwest of Stirling. The earliest identifiable work dates from the 13th century, but it took its present form between 1375 and 1425, when Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany and Regent of Scotland, rebuilt it. It has survived relatively unchanged and complete, and is now looked after by Historic Environment Scotland.

Inside, you can see the large tower house over the entrance, which held the rooms of the Lord and his family, and the separate kitchen and guest tower. The great hall links the two. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed here several times, in the rooms above the kitchen. It suits anyone who enjoys medieval architecture and Scottish history, and it makes an easy stop on a trip towards Callander and the edge of the Trossachs.

The Kelpies are a pair of monumental steel horse heads between Falkirk and Grangemouth, designed by sculptor Andy Scott. Each stands 30 metres high and weighs around 300 tonnes. They sit either side of a lock and basin at the eastern gateway of the Forth and Clyde Canal, within the parkland known as the Helix.

The sculptures celebrate the heavy horses that pulled the wagons, ploughs, barges and coalships of Scottish industry, and their shape is inspired by Clydesdales. You can wander round them for free, or take a guided tour of about 25 minutes. The guides explain the engineering, the symbolism and the artist's ideas. They are a good choice if you like big public art or are curious about how such huge sculptures were built.

Tip: Pre-book the guided tour, as tours are subject to availability. Dogs are not allowed on the tour.

Callendar House is a mansion in Falkirk, built around a 14th-century tower house and later extended in the style of a French Renaissance château with Scottish baronial touches. Over its 600-year history it has hosted figures including Mary, Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Queen Victoria. Inside you can explore the museum and its restored Georgian-style interiors, browse the gift shop, and stop at the tearoom for tea and cake. Afternoon tea is served in the Drawing Room, looking out over the park.

Outside, Callendar Park covers over 170 acres and includes a section of the Roman Antonine Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site. There's a playpark, and plenty of space for a stroll. It suits families, history fans and anyone after an easy, mostly free day out, as entry to the house and parking are free.

Tip: Book afternoon tea in the Drawing Room ahead; the tearoom itself takes walk-ins.

The Dunmore Pineapple is a folly in Dunmore Park, near Airth in Stirlingshire. It sits in the wall of a large walled garden, above a hothouse that was used, among other things, for growing pineapples. The top is a carved stone pineapple, about 14 metres high, crowning an octagonal summerhouse. It was once ranked the most bizarre building in Scotland.

Look closely at the details. The stonework is a very accurate pineapple, with every leaf drained separately to protect it from frost. The chimneys are disguised as Grecian urns, and below there is a Palladian archway with Tuscan columns. Inside the summerhouse, even the door and window panes are curved to match the round walls.

It suits anyone who likes quirky architecture, garden history or photography, and it makes an easy stop on a day out around the Stirlingshire countryside.

The Antonine Wall was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across the Central Belt of Scotland between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Construction began in AD 142 on the orders of Emperor Antoninus Pius, and for a time it was the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire. It ran for about 63 kilometres, with a deep ditch on its northern side.

Don't expect towering stonework. The turf and timber wall has largely weathered away, so its remains are less obvious than Hadrian's Wall, but some stretches are still visible and are cared for by Historic Environment Scotland. Look for the ditch, the forts and the fortlets that once lined the route. Rough Castle Fort is the best preserved of the forts, though also one of the smallest. It's a good outing if you enjoy Roman history and don't mind using your imagination.

Tip: Head for Rough Castle Fort first, as it is the best preserved of the wall's forts.

Dumbarton Castle clings to Dumbarton Rock, a volcanic plug rising almost vertical where the River Leven meets the River Clyde. It was once the heart of an ancient kingdom covering the area now known as Strathclyde, and its recorded history goes back 1,500 years, from the Dark Ages through to the Second World War.

The highlight of a visit is reaching the top of White Tower Crag for the views across Strathclyde and beyond. On the way you pass the artillery fortifications, some of Scotland's finest examples of early 18th-century military architecture. In the Governor's House, the Rock of Ages exhibition shows artefacts found at the castle, including part of a 1,000-year-old Viking sword. It suits history fans, families with curious children and anyone who likes a good view.

Tip: Book your visit online in advance; Historic Scotland members and Explorer Pass holders can also get in using their pass.