Reindeer

Edinburgh Zoo's reindeer enclosure is where you'll find yourself face-to-face with these magnificent creatures, and honestly, it's one of the few reasons to drag yourself up Corstorphine Hill on a grey Scottish afternoon. The animals are properly impressive - stocky, watchful, with those impressive antlers that make you understand why they've survived the Highlands for millennia.

You're looking at a visit that works best if you're already planning to spend half a day at the zoo itself. The reindeer are housed in a decent-sized paddock where you can actually see them grazing and interacting with each other, not just standing about in concrete pens. Children under ten will be absolutely transfixed. Teenagers and adults get something out of it too - there's real presence to these animals that beats most zoo exhibits.

If you've got a base at Linwater Caravan Park near Newbridge, you're roughly twenty minutes from the zoo by car. The reindeer visit takes thirty minutes to an hour depending on how patient you are with kids wanting to linger at the fence. Entry is included with zoo admission, which isn't cheap but covers a full day's exploration.

Best visited on quieter weekdays - weekends get rammed with families and the animals visibly withdraw. Winter months are actually better for seeing them active, rather than slumped in summer heat. If your kids know their reindeer facts already, they'll get more mileage from this than youngsters encountering them for the first time.