Autumn break for awesome adventures and huge excitement
Rosemary Gallagher scours Scotland to uncover fun activities for all the family to enjoy during October’s half-term holiday week
It may feel to some like schools haven’t been that long back after the summer holidays, but they will soon be out again with the October half-term break fast approaching. Thankfully, there are plenty of activities across Scotland to keep children of all ages, and their adults, occupied – whatever the weather.
Halloween and seasonal fun
The Enchanted Forest, Pitlochry’s dazzling and ever-popular annual autumn event, returns on 2 October until 2 November. Lighting up the Perthshire town, this year’s theme, Luminara, is described as being “where the boundaries between nature and technology blur… This ethereal world is Luminara, the living network…”
For the first time in the event’s history, visitors will become part of a unifying immersive experience linking everyone on the trail together.
Set against the stunning backdrop of Faskally Wood, Luminara is positioned as “both a breathtaking spectacle and a timely reminder: technology does not have to replace nature – it can protect, enhance, and evolve alongside it.”
While in the region, visitors can pop into Pitlochry Festival Theatre. There is fun to be had for the younger family members at a performance of Laaaunch! on 21 October, described as “an adventure of galactic proportions, made especially for tiny humans”.
Looking ahead to Halloween, there are spooky events planned across the country, from pumpkin carving to ghostly adventures.
The Samhuinn Fire Festival 2025 will take place on Friday, 31 October on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill. Described as counterbalancing its sister event, the Beltane Fire Festival, this autumn version marks the seasonal transition with a mix of fire-play, drumming, and immersive performances.
Their story “follows the overthrowing of summer by winter, with a dramatic stand-off between the summer and winter kings”.
There are also Halloween trails in some of the country’s parks and palace grounds. In Fife, Falkland Palace’s Halloween Trail runs from 6 to 31 October. There are two Spooky Trails to choose from – the Big Witch and Warlock Hat Hunt, for up to three-year-olds, and the Which Witch is Which Trail, for children aged four and over. Each trail costs £4 per child and includes a “spooktacular prize” at the end. Adults go free and there are no extra costs for admission into the gardens.
In the west, Paisley Halloween Festival is on 24 and 25 October. Organisers say the streets of the town will come alive with an enchanting parade, magical installations, and spine-tingling street performances.
In Glasgow, GlasGLOW will light up the skies above the city’s Botanic Gardens in the West End with an all-new 60-minute blockbuster light and sound show from 24 October to 9 November.
And Glasgow Science Centre will be transformed into a spooky hotspot for the return of its indoor Family Halloween Party on 24 October from 6pm to 9pm.
It says: “Families are invited to don their most creative costumes and explore three floors packed with interactive exhibits, eerie experiments, and spine-tingling surprises.”
Look north
Further north, there are lots of family activities in the Cairngorms National Park for adventure during October’s half-term. Here are six options to give you a taster of what is on offer at the UK’s biggest National Park:
Rothiemurchus Estate near Aviemore Drive into the October holidays in style with a Mini Landys driving adventure for £30 at Rothiemurchus. Suitable for children aged 6-11 years, drive slots are available from 11 to 31 October.
Landmark Forest Adventure Park, Carrbridge Visitors can experience the ancient forest eight metres up in the tree canopy as part of the Red Squirrel Trail – perfect for little adventurers aged three-plus right through to grandparents. Climb, balance, and explore the forest’s RopeworX, Skydive, Tarzan Trail, Wee Monkey Trail, and its towering Pinnacle climbing wall. Roar back in time and be faced with 22 life-sized roaring specimens in Landmark’s Dinosaur Kingdom, or step into the enchanting Butterfly House.
October half term also promises Spookfest Park-wide, Halloween-themed family activities for all ages, and its Over Foam Weekend on 25 and 26 October, will see high-energy foam sessions for its Wild Water Coasters.
Farm Tour or Clay shooting experience at Alvie & Dalraddy Estates, near Kingussie Join a 1.5-hour tour of the 13,500-acre Highland estate and it working farm. Led by a member of the Balchurn Home Farm team, the tour takes visitors by 4x4 across the 13,500-acre plot to meet Shorthorn and Simmental cattle, Blackface, Scotch Mule, and Cheviot sheep. It costs £140 for up to four people, and more guests may be added upon request.
Alternatively, some clay pigeon shooting might hit the target for those aged 12 and over. Experienced instructors will be on hand, charging
£54 for 25 shots, £78 for 50 shots, and £115 for 100 shots.
Highland Wildlife Park, Kincraig, Kingussie Visitors here can experience nature, learn about the challenges facing wildlife, and how the park is working to save animals from extinction.
Visit Scotland’s Wildlife Discovery Centre, which features an interactive exhibition, a hilltop den where you can learn about the charity’s conservation work, and classrooms to provide space for local communities to engage with the natural world.
The centre is hosting a Carve a Treat pumpkin event on the weekend of 25 and 26 October.
Loch Insh Outdoor Centre, Kincraig, Kingussie With sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking, archery, pedalos, rowing boats, skiing, snowboarding, skating, tubing, and paddleboarding on offer, Loch Insh Outdoor Centre is guaranteed to get a big thumbs-up this October.
Its Kids Multisport option starts from £70 per day for children aged five to 11, including a wide range of activities. For kids 12 and over, they offer a Sailing Week or Windsurf Week.
Cairngorm Activities near Grantown-on-Spey The Cairngorms Activities Day Camp runs from 10am until 3pm and is aimed at ages eight to 13 at a cost of £40.
In groups of 25, youngsters get to enjoy a day full of fun, team-based activities, and nature exploration.
Children over the age of seven can also enjoy Halloween archery, with a spot of pumpkin shooting.
Culture buffs
For those who appreciate the arts, Children’s Classic Concerts and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra present Fright at the Museum at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 25 October.
The Royal National Mòd is being staged in the Highland hub of Lochaber this year, from 10 to 18 October. It is expected to welcome up to 10,000 competitors, musicians, and visitors.
Lights of the North, the 2025 Scottish International Storytelling Festival, runs from 22 October to 1 November, exploring Scotland’s northern identity, sharing tales, songs and myths from the world’s northern arc, which bridges Finland to Iceland and connects Germany to Norway, with Scotland in between.
Some of the north’s most celebrated storytellers will join leading voices from other parts of Scotland to bring a feast of world-class storytelling, music, workshops and shared experiences to Edinburgh and venues across Scotland.
And The UK’s first-ever country music day party returns to SWG3 TV Studio in Glasgow on 25 October, when the venue will be transformed into a Wild West setting.
And relax...
If this plethora of activities is making you feel slightly frazzled, there are also plenty of opportunities to chill out and relax in October for some much-needed “me time”.
Near the top of the list must be a trip to the UK’s first “cruising sauna”, pitched as bringing a “new era of wild wellness on Loch Tay”.
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Luxury lochside resort Taymouth Marina has launched its HotBoat. This floating sauna provides an intimate and exclusive escape for up to six friends or family members on the waters of the loch, guided by an experienced skipper.
Colin Farndon, resort director at Taymouth Marina, says: “We’ve meticulously crafted an offering that marries the profound benefits of hot and cold therapy with the unparalleled tranquillity and beauty of Loch Tay. This is luxury slow-wellness at its finest, allowing our guests to truly disconnect, rejuvenate, and reconnect with nature in an entirely new way.”
Those looking to breathe fresh sea air should head to Ayrshire, where one of its coastal hotels has recently opened the doors to a new 17-bedroom sea-view extension as part of a £3 million overhaul.
The Waterside Hotel at West Kilbride has a choice of luxury guest suites and bedrooms with sea views over the Firth of Clyde. Located just 40 minutes from Glasgow, the hotel maximises its beachfront location with its New England-style design, vibrant restaurant, and private gardens.
A hotel representative enthuses about the showpiece of the extension, the Kilmory Suite, and how it boasts views across to the Isle of Arran from its own private balcony, complete with hot tub.
Ayrshire hospitality group, SimpsInns, is the driving force behind The Waterside, as well as the group’s flagship venue, The Gailes Hotel & Spa, which is located just 20 minutes’ drive away in Irvine.
Malcolm Simpson, founder and director of SimpsInns, says: “We’re committed to exceeding our guests’ expectations and are regularly investing in our hotel and leisure facilities.”
He adds: “Work is also underway on our new luxury seafront spa at The Waterside, which is now due to open to guests by early 2026, following two years of work and planning.”
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