Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nightclubs
9pm or 10pm to 1am, 2am or later. Often only open Thursday to Saturday.
Post offices
9am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 12.30pm Saturday (main branches to
5pm Saturday).
Pubs & Bars
11am to 11pm Monday to Thursday, 11am to 1am Friday and Saturday,
12.30pm to 11pm Sunday; lunch is served noon to 2.30pm, dinner 6pm to 9pm daily.
Shops
9am to 5.30pm (or 6pm in cities) Monday to Saturday, and often 11am to 5pm
Sunday.
Restaurants
Lunch noon to 2.30pm, dinner 6pm to 9pm or 10pm; in small towns and vil-
lages the chippy (fish-and-chip shop) is often the only place to buy cooked food after
8pm.
Children
Scotland offers a range of child-friendly accommodation and family activities.
It's worth asking in tourist offices for local family-focused publications.
The List
magazine (available at newsagents and bookshops) has a section on children's activities
and events in and around Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The
National Trust for Scotland
(NTS; 0844-493 2100;
www.nts.org.uk
)
and
His-
toric Scotland
(HS; 0131-668 8999;
www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
)
organize family-
friendly activities at their properties throughout the summer.
Children are generally well received around Scotland, and every area has some child-
friendly attractions and B&Bs. Even local museums usually make an effort with an activ-
ity sheet or child-focused information panels.
A lot of pubs are family-friendly and some have great beer gardens where kids can run
around and exhaust themselves while you have a quiet pint. However, be aware that many
Scottish pubs, even those that serve bar meals, are forbidden by law to admit children un-
der 14; even in family-friendly pubs (ie those in possession of a Children's Certificate),
under-14s are only admitted between 11am and 8pm, and only when accompanied by an
adult.
Children under a certain age can often stay free with their parents in hotels, but be pre-
pared for hotels and B&Bs (normally upmarket ones) that won't accept children; call
ahead to get the low-down. More hotels and guesthouses these days provide child-friendly
facilities, including cots. Many restaurants (especially the larger ones) have highchairs
and decent children's menus available.
