A wealth of activities to enjoy

Readers’ideas for inexpensive days out

With castles, beaches, mountains, woodlands and more to explore right on our doorsteps, not to mention endless entertainment options, there’s so much to enjoy within easy reach of our homes.

And when we asked you to tell us your favourite things to do for under a tenner as part of our brilliant competition sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, there were no shortage of ideas for great ways to enjoy yourself with only a £10 note in your pocket.

Here, we round up some of the top suggestions from readers in Lanarkshire and West Lothian..

Angel Helen Dignitiy

said: “Stick a fiver in your tank then drop into Armadale for a couple of cones from Coia’s fab ice cream.

“Then drive a way up the Bathgate Hills, where you can see all the bridges over the Forth as well as Cairnpapple and Linlithgow Palace.

“Culross is easy to see on a sunny day, with Grangemouth and the future of petroleum just shy of the edge of Bo’ness and the fab railway with Thomas the Tank.

“That’s just what I see from my doorstep. What can you see?”

Gemma Gaitan

would spend her £10 on treats to enjoy on a cosy night in. She said: “I’d go into Bathgate and get two pieces of cheesecake from Artisan Cheesecakes, then round to Lidl to buy a bottle of their Prosecco, then home to light a wee candle, and snuggle up with my partner, our goodies and a movie.”

Sandra Bryden

recommends “a wee lunch and ice cream at the Cosy Cafe in Airdrie.

She said: “I have loads of memories of going there when I was wee with my granny and papa.

“I love that they have a sign stating they don’t have wi-fi and patrons should talk to each other – pretend it’s 1995.

“You could hardly hear over the laughter and chatter. What an atmosphere. The place is a wee gem.”

Derek Smith

likes to take his kids to Calderglen Country Park in East Kilbride. He said: “It’s not expensive so you can take the family for a tenner and they have a mini zoo with wallabies and meerkats. It’s a lot of fun.”