Dalkeith Country Park Reviews Summary

Fort Douglas & Play Areas

Pros:

• "One of the best outdoor play spaces in Scotland."
• "The Fort is definitely worth it for the kids and is suitable for all ages especially from 3 upwards in my opinion."
• "The new 2-4 age range area is a great addition."
• "The adventure playgrounds are very nice and well bit, I always felt safe on there and I felt safe leaving my child to go around by herself."
• "Fort Douglas was fantastic & we went on a 90 min walk around the woods."
• "The fort for the kids is magical and they all seem to love it, plenty picnic tables and kiosk for a coffee, worth the Money beautiful place."
• "Fort Douglas is well worth the entry fee for kids and adults alike."

Cons:

• "The parking was terribly arranged."
• "Unfortunately wasn't impressed with the coffee which was more like warm milk."
• "The parking area is full of potholes and mud. The price for parking is an absolute rip off."
• "Children's playground in the grounds a bit too dear, there should be a deal whereby unlimited entrance is provided to campsite dwellers at a fair flat additional fee."
• "Beautiful place BUT overpriced and the only attraction for small kids was fully booked and closes so early..."
• "There are no benches around the playpark either so when you want a rest you need to stick your bum on the floor."
• "Although they were kept as clean as possible, there were occasions when they were filthy with paper towels left lying and dirty toilets."

Staff & Customer Service

Pros:

• "The staff were welcoming and very helpful."
• "Locally sourced freshly made food was delicious and Abbie, Katie & Louise made it a very special visit."
• "There’s always someone at reception which is very helpful!"
• "The staff were really helpful and easy to approach."
• "Staff very pleasant."

Cons:

• "The young slim man with dark hair and a hawk like nose... he was downright rude, not just his tone but body language also."
• "The woman was pretty rude behind the desk, just felt like I was being looked down on."
• "No doubt a fantastic adventure park but the admission staff need some training."
• "A lovely place to visit with the family however completely let down by the shockingly poor customer service experienced in The Larder."

Facilities & Cleanliness

Pros:

• "Clean facilities."
• "Good bathroom facilities."
• "The camp site was clean and safe. Facilities were perfect everything was spotless all the time."
• "Toilet and kitchen facilities were exceptional. Very clean, very spacious."
• "Lovely clean park with café, shop and toilets."

Cons:

• "Also all the bins in the toilets and showers required emptying on every visit to them."
• "Anyway we drive down a very bumpy track trying to navigate our way but the whole place seems to have a lack of sign posts."
• "Whilst there was good facilities on site, showers toilets etc, having a disabled toilet in a porter cabin, who’s entrance was over a foot off the ground with no ramp seemed completely pointless!"
• "Toilet and shower block could do with being cleaned to better a standard."
• "limited toilet and shower facilities (could've been cleaned more often)."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Excellent visit, very family friendly. £3 contactless entry to park the car."
• "The food at the refurbished stables area, 'The Restoration Yard', was superb and great value for money."
• "For 3 adults and 1 child i was only £12 i thought that was really reasonable considering you can stay as long as you want."
• "Coming as a family of 5 for the whole day bringing a picnic? £3 is a bargain!"
• "You were able to bring your own food and alcohol too which is handy if you are on a budget."

Cons:

• "£15pp entry is hefty but I can understand the expenses involved in arranging a large-scale firework event."
• "The country park is free to enter and wander however should the kids want to play in Fort Douglas it comes at quite a price."
• "Way to expensive for 20 to get in to park when there not much for toddlers the price does not include anything at all."
• "Charging £7.00 for five churros, for example, or minimum £3.00 for an ice cream just doesn't seem fair for a family-oriented and ticketed event, however."
• "I think it is pretty pricey as for use family of 5 it is £24."