Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Enjoy a day out at local attractions
Call to support leisure sector
With the summer holidays now in full swing, a new Visitscotland campaign is urging people across Lanarkshire to support their local tourism industry by enjoying a day out across the region.
The initiative aims to highlight new places to explore as well as showcasing the many acclaimed attractions and locations that bring visitors from all over the world to Lanarkshire.
It is hoped the “Now is Your Time” campaign will encourage people across the UK to discover all that Lanarkshire has to offer, supporting the recovery of tourism in a safe and responsible way.
Jim Clarkson from Visitscotland said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the tourism and events industry and we all have a part to play in helping it recover.
“With the first part of this new campaign we hope to share just some of these experiences and encourage people across the region to get out and explore all the wonderful attractions and locations that we have on our doorstep.
“Lanarkshire is home to some fantastic days out that suit all ages and interests; now is the time to get out and enjoy them.”
Locations highlighted by the campaign that offer exciting days out include:
■ Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life – Take a trip to the “iron burgh” of Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire and discover the tales of Scotland’s industrial past. Formerly one of the nation’s most important ironworks, today Summerlee hosts an array of interactive exhibits, cuttingedge displays, and one-of-akind experiences.
■ Calderglen Zoo and Country Park – Calderglen Zoo in South Lanarkshire might only be around an acre in size, but it makes for a big day out.
Home to over 50 different species, some of which are critically endangered, the zoo specialises in small creatures and among the ornamental gardens and conservatory, you’ll discover meerkats, families of monkeys, noisy kookaburras, cheeky ring-tailed coati, and burrowing owls.
■ The National Museum of Rural Life – Experience life in the countryside at this fivestar museum, farmhouse and historic working farm, set in 170 acres between East
Kilbride and Glasgow.
Learn about the land, people and ways of working that shaped Scotland’s rural history and discover the huge collection of tractors, combine harvesters and other farming machinery.
After you’ve had your fill of the museum, take a tractor-trailer ride to the working farm, where you’ll meet bonny Highland cattle, Tamworth pigs, sheep, hens and colossal Clydesdale horses.
■ The Falls of Clyde – Although New Lanark, one of Scotland’s six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is currently closed (apart from the shop and cafe), you can still explore the picturesque village set on the banks of the River Clyde and the surrounding towering native woodlands.
New Lanark sits within the Falls of Clyde nature reserve and is famous for its spectacular waterfalls, scenic woodland walks, and wonderful wildlife – including a colony of Daubenton’s bats.
■ The Antonine Wall – Walk in the footsteps of your Roman ancestors along the Antonine Wall, which was once the most northern frontier of the Roman Empire, and see Silvanus, the Roman Head sculpture at Nethercroy.