If you haven’t been to Calderglen Country Park yet it should definitely be on your list of must explore outdoor places. We have spent many a lovely day there and no, I’m most definitely not sick of it yet.
What I like about Calderglen is that it’s got an understated beauty and tranquility. It’s not a pretentious type of place, but perfect for spending a few hours or a full day out. It doesn’t try to thrill, inspire awe or boast, it’s just what it is and it is good.
Located on the Strathaven Road outside East Kilbride we usually go there by car which is really quite quick from where we are in Glasgow, it’s a 20 minute car journey and from the centre of Glasgow you should be able to get there in 30 minutes.
The park has quite a few things to offer, and has some indoor attractions too in case you get caught in a really bad shower. Outdoors, there is a garden area, an adventure playground and a toddler play area, a children’s zoo with a surprisingly varied collection of animals and my favourites, the meerkats. Indoors is a tropical greenhouse and more animals, of the amphibian and aquarian type. But there’s more than those basics, the beauty is often in the detail. For instance, the garden area also has a little pond which is just a great attraction to the little ones, as is the rainforest area indoors, which is small but big enough for the youngest to enjoy.
Nearby is a visitor shop and a cafe – so if you didn’t bring your packed lunch there’s no need to dispair. There are extensive woodland walks too and the Countryside Rangers have a programme of events as well, so really, there’s a lot to choose from and you’ll get a lot of mileage out of visiting Calderglen.
And you know what’s best? It’s free. (I still can’t quite believe that, but it is!)
Nature Kids 
remember going here with the school years and years ago….they use to have a hot house type thing with ropes strung across above head height that the ants used to wander backwards and forwards on with huge chunks of leaves in their grasp, Do they still have them?