We went to the farmers market today, and really looked forward to it as it's the first of the summer here. I have to say it was more than a little disappointing. There were two meat stalls, one vegetable stall, one bread & cake stall, and one local sweets, cheese & jam stall outside. Inside the centre there was one old lady selling plants, the wonderful Lime Tree Larder stall, a stall selling spices & soup, and a crazy recycled jewelry stall. That actually makes it sound busier and fancier than it was in reality!
All we bought was a small cheese and two bargain-tastic small plants. What we REALLY wanted was hot food - as in bratwurst or roast pork or better still a burger, of the venison/buffalo style variety as it was cold and there were hangovers to feed. But the only food there was was the cafe produce inside, which wasn't an option with a particularly tetchy and tantrum prone toddler in a foul mood.
But it reminded me none the less that Lochwinnoch is a great place to spend a few hours when the sun is out with kids. In fact I regularly lie through my teeth and say I live in Lochwinnoch as I love it that much and won't admit that where I live isn't quite so charming!
You can get the train from Glasgow central and be at the RSPB reserve in 20 minutes which is a great place to walk around and browse in the surprisingly interesting and reasonably priced shop. Even if you aren't nuts about birds, it's a great place for kids to explore and learn.
Castle Semple is only a further 15 minute walk from there, and has tons of free car parking if you're driving. They have LOADS of water sports available, as well as the cafe, regular organised walks and events etc. You can see why I pretend to live there...
Lochwinnoch even has it's on website and newsletter with full listings of the varied events.
