How to Keep Your Children Happy on a Scottish Cruise

A good barge holiday requires a comfortable, characterful vessel, a friendly, helpful crew and wonderful surroundings. With these factors in place, there’s no reason to consider a Scottish cruise an 'adults-only' holiday, as children can appreciate these things just as much. However, it’s no secret that children, especially younger ones, may enjoy different aspects of the holiday in different ways. Here are some ideas to make sure that the whole family appreciates your Scottish cruise holiday.

Involve Them

It can pay to remember that you’re on holiday with the children, not in spite of them. Allow them sit at your table, eat the same food as you (or at least taste it), and sit with the adults and get involved in the conversation where possible. The occasional delayed bedtime can also really help a child feel grown-up and included. That’s not to say that you have to be joined at the hip for the entirety of your Scottish cruise, but children do tend to respond well when included in the proceedings rather than constantly provided with their own distractions.

Play Games

If you have more than one child who’s old enough to talk, this may well happen by itself, but a little encouragement never hurts (plus many children are delighted when their parents show interest in their games). If a child seems bored with the barge, perhaps help them to imagine it as a pirate ship, or a merchant vessel sailing through a storm. If they get bored with the scenery, maybe they’d prefer to imagine the sorts of people and scenes that could occur in such a place. In addition to these little imaginary narratives, more traditional card games or board games can also help the kids enjoy an evening below deck without feeling cooped up and frustrated.

Tell Them Stories

It’s worth brushing up on a few of Scotland’s folk tales and some of its history before going on your Scottish cruise. Children will be entranced with stories of will-o’-the-wisps, of the families and dynasties that inhabited the now-ruined houses and castles, and even the old favourite, the Loch Ness monster. You can share stories of how highland travellers have seen the aurora lighting the sky, and you could even make up some tall tales of your own.

Activities

In truth there is a huge array of things to try during a Scottish cruise. You could take your kids fishing, horse riding or cycling, some children might enjoy a visit to a gem and fossil museum, and others might want to see a real sheepdog in action at her day job. Young passengers can ride the steam locomotive from Harry Potter, or learn about Scotland’s history in its ruins, museums and in demonstrations of clan lifestyles. You could even take them to a local leisure centre for a change of pace. All these activities will be particularly successful if the child has a say in what to do: giving the children a list of options and discussing with them what to do over the next few days is a great way to help them feel included, as well as to choose something that they are really interested in trying.

Paul Newman is the Marketing and E-Systems Executive for European Waterways. We can provide you with a luxury, all-inclusive Scottish cruise to enjoy the sights of the most picturesque waterways. Wonderful barge cruises are also offered in France, Holland, and Italy.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.