Almond Valley — Attraction in Great Britain

Fabulous farm/heritage centre situated in Livingston on the banks of the River Almond. The attraction offers plenty for adults and children and is great for families. There is an informative enthralling exhibition about the Scottish Shale Industry from its beginnings to the Modern day and there are very intriguing items to see in this exhibition in particular the paraffin lamps and section about James Young and how he tried to extract paraffin oil. The Shale Oil Museum details how oil was extracted from the Shale and how the industry started in the local area and the mining process and there is interesting mining equipment to see. The Display Barn houses some farming equipment all of which is in great condition and there are some information tags detailing what they are and there is also some nostalgic posters in the Barn aswell. The Livingston Mill is a fantastic building and its difficult to think that the place was once in a state of disrepair and the job they have done to restore its absolutely amazing. Inside the Livingston Mill you can read about the history of the Mill from its beginnings to the point of its restoration and also the Mill making process for flour, which is interesting and informative and you can also see the Mill apparatus used in the process. The other areas of the attraction are the Wartime garden where you can see an Anderson Shelter and information about it and also the food that is grown there. There is also scenic and picturesque views of the River Almond to enjoy as you walk around the site. There is an array of rare breeds of Farmyard to see such as Buff Orpington Chicken, Clydesdales Horses, Tamworth Pigs, Bronze Turkeys, Alpacas, Sebright Bantams and Guinea Pigs all of which are very friendly at the sight of Human Contact. The best of the animals is the Clydesdale Horses as they are particularly friendly and look very majestic and magnificent. All of the animals are kept in decent sized enclosures, which are clean and tidy showing their welfare is very well maintained. There are great rides and playgrounds for the children such as the Paraffin Works, The Bouncy Cow and Subterranean Trolleys making it great interactive fun for them and passes the time nicely. There is a cafe on site selling a decent menu priced very reasonably and also a shop with a decent selection of souvenirs at affordable prices. Overall this is a thoroughly excellent and enjoyable place to visit, which caters for children and adults alike and also a fantastic place to learn about history of the local area and also see some very friendly animals to see. Definitely a top...

Thus Was the first time we had visited here. Loads to do and really well set out and a huge selection of resources and equipment for the children to explore. The park was very clean and well kept. We visited the cafe which had a good selection and prices were reasonable. The only issue was our table was at the fire exit and in the event of an emergency you would need to move the table and chairs out the way. I was a bit concerned about the safety of the children in the soft play area as there were no staff at the reception area and had to go out to the cafe to pay. The seating area for the parents was at the side of the play area and you had to go past the exit and round to the other side to access this. As the reception area was unmanned anybody could have accessed this area and approached the children without anybody being aware. If your child has fallen over or hurt you would not be aware of this to u can only see a small area from the seating area. The area itself was very clean and spacious with lots for the children to explore. If the seating position was relocated this would be much safer for the children. We went on the train ride and the driver was so nice, informative and helpful insuring everyone got on and off safely. These are not complaints as I would definitely visit again and recommend to others. Just small improvements to ensure...

What a wee gem this place is! I don't have kids, but was visiting here with a friend and his two, and they had a great time! They have clearly tried to make it an experience everyone can enjoy from 2-70.

There are games, pedal powered rides, play parks, educational play areas, green spaces, a museum about the local area with interactive exhibits, animals (including ones you can safely pet, if they are close enough), and picnic areas, plus probably a few things I missed or have forgotten!

The facilities are in generally good nick, although a couple of the pedal powered bits weren't in very good working order. There were some closed areas, but you could see they were working on some quite impressive expansions to one of the kids' play area, which I suspect they're hoping to finish by summer 2019.

That being said, it's essentially a pay-to-enter play park with a few play areas spread around across the site. It's definitely aimed at younger families, with only a few things really aimed at the slightly older, independently minded kids.

And whilst not a criticism of the park, do be aware that none of the play areas or animal areas are specifically staffed, so kids still need to be directly supervised - to be honest, that's one of my favourite things about this place. It's interactive, and naturally encourages adults and kids to...