Golden Oak Hideaway at Strathyre - 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.

Alloa Tower is a 14th-century fortified keep, the largest surviving one in Scotland. It was built to guard a ferry crossing on the River Forth and became the family seat of the Erskines, Earls of Mar. Mary, Queen of Scots and her son James VI both spent part of their childhoods here.

Inside, you can see the medieval Solar with its original oak roof timbers, plus opulent 18th-century interiors created by the 6th Earl of Mar. There are paintings by Raeburn and Van Dyck, along with china and silverware from the family's collection. Climb to the top for views across nine counties, and listen out for tales of curses and ghosts. Children can dress up in 16th and 17th-century costumes. It suits history fans and families who like a castle with a story.

Tip: No need to book in advance, but the steep, narrow spiral stair to the upper floors and roof walk may not suit everyone.

Innerpeffray is home to Scotland's first free public lending library, a Georgian building beside the River Earn in rural Perthshire. Local people borrowed books here until 1968, and today you can still read the rare books in its collection. Highlights include a Great Bible with woodcuts by Holbein and the original Borrowers' Register, which lets you trace the families who once borrowed from the shelves. Guided tours are available.

Outside, wander through the graveyard to the medieval St Mary's Chapel, which has rare wall paintings and lovely acoustics. The Heritage Trail leads down to the river, past a Roman road cutting and the ford that gave access to Strageath Fort. It suits history lovers, walkers and anyone after a quiet, atmospheric visit.

Tip: Follow the Heritage Trail down to the river ford, but take care beside the swift-flowing water.