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Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, Coatbridge

Companionship careNorth Lanarkshire

Days out in North Lanarkshire for an older parent

Six places in North Lanarkshire that make a good day out for an older parent, from Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life to Forth and Clyde Canal at Auchinstarry. For each one: what its own access information confirms, what it costs, how long to allow, and the carers nearby who drive and could take them.

Researched by PrimeCarers from each place’s own website and access information  ·  Updated September 2026

Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life. Photo: Jayhoolihan, Public domain

Six days out across three towns

The best places to take an older parent in North Lanarkshire

Six of them are free to visit or to walk around. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, Coatbridge

Photo: Jayhoolihan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Coatbridge

Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life

Summerlee is a free industrial heritage museum on the site of an old ironworks in Coatbridge, with a large exhibition hall of machines, a recreated row of miners' cottages furnished from different decades, a reconstructed coal mine and a heritage tramway. It is open seven days a week.

Entry and parking are free, the exhibition hall is fully accessible with lift access to the gallery, and the café is right next to the exhibition hall.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry and parking

What their access information confirms

  • Café

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Coatbridge

North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre

Museum · Motherwell

North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre

The North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre in Motherwell tells the story of the area from Roman times through the steel industry to today, with a viewing tower looking out over the Clyde valley. It also holds the local archives and family history resources.

Entry is free, there is free parking at the rear with three Blue Badge spaces and an accessible toilet on the ground floor.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free entry

What their access information confirms

  • Blue Badge parking

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Motherwell

Colzium Lennox Estate, Kilsyth

Photo: Euan Nelson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Garden · Kilsyth

Colzium Lennox Estate

Colzium is a council estate on the edge of Kilsyth with a walled garden, woodland, the remains of a 15th century tower house and a 17th century ice house. The former Clock Theatre next to the walled garden is now a visitor centre and garden café.

The estate is free and open all year, with free parking including disabled spaces and a café overlooking the walled garden, so a carer can plan a short, sheltered walk.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free entry and parking

What their access information confirms

  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Kilsyth

Drumpellier Country Park, Coatbridge

Photo: Alec MacKinnon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Coatbridge

Drumpellier Country Park

Drumpellier Country Park on the edge of Coatbridge has lochs, woodland and peatland, and is a gateway to the Seven Lochs Wetland Park. The Lochside Trail is a one mile stroll around the loch that takes about half an hour.

The visitor centre has a café and toilets, and many paths are suitable for wheelchairs, so the loch circuit makes a manageable outing with a sit-down at the end.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Café

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Coatbridge

Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell

Photo: Ross Watson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Motherwell

Strathclyde Country Park

Strathclyde Country Park covers 400 hectares of the Clyde valley around a large man-made loch, with ten miles of walking trails and the remains of a Roman bathhouse. It is free to enter and has indoor and outdoor cafés.

The flat Lochside route and accessible parking make it easy to plan a level walk by the water, with toilets near car park number one.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Motherwell

Forth and Clyde Canal at Auchinstarry, Kilsyth

Photo: Alan O'Dowd, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nature reserve · Kilsyth

Forth and Clyde Canal at Auchinstarry

Auchinstarry is a small marina on the Forth and Clyde Canal just south of Kilsyth, below the crags of Croy Hill and the line of the Antonine Wall. The canal towpath runs east and west from the marina past moored boats and open countryside.

The towpath is flat, so a carer can plan a short walk along the water from the marina car park and turn back whenever needed.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Kilsyth

Regular groups and events in North Lanarkshire

Something to go back to every week or every year, from our research into what older people enjoy doing in North Lanarkshire.

  • Gardening · HolytownHolytown Community GardenA community garden project near Bellshill set up with council and local group support, where residents help with planting and upkeep. A carer could go along for a session, handle the kneeling and carrying, and leave the sowing and deadheading to the person they support.Details
  • Music · BellshillNL Community Choir, south groupA council-run community choir that meets weekly at Bellshill Cultural Centre and takes singers without auditions. A carer can sort out transport and stay for the session, which makes a regular weekly commitment far easier to keep.Details
  • Fishing · CaldercruixAirdrie and District Angling ClubAn established local club with fishing on waters including Hillend Reservoir at Caldercruix, open to members and permit holders. A carer can handle the drive and the gear, which keeps a long-standing hobby going when carrying rods and nets has become hard.Details
  • Photography · MotherwellMotherwell Photographic SocietyA local camera club with a season of meetings, talks and competitions for members of all standards. A carer could help sort images for a club night and provide the lift there and back, so the social side of the hobby carries on.Details
  • Painting · AirdrieAdult drawing and painting classA weekly council-run drawing and painting class for adults held at Airdrie Town Hall. A carer could carry materials, arrive early to get a seat with good light, and help with setting up and clearing away.Details
  • Sports · MotherwellWalking football at RavenscraigWalking football sessions, including disability and impairment sessions, run at the Ravenscraig sports facility. A carer can provide the lift, carry kit and wait on site, so an hour of gentle football stays practical.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in North Lanarkshire

At a glance

The six places side by side

What each place’s own access information confirms. “Ask” means it does not say, not that it is missing.

PlaceTimeCostStep-freeToiletCafé
Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial LifeCoatbridgehalf a dayFreeAskAskYes
North Lanarkshire Heritage CentreMotherwellan hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk
Colzium Lennox EstateKilsythan hour or twoFreeAskAskYes
Drumpellier Country ParkCoatbridgean hour or twoFreePartlyAskYes
Strathclyde Country ParkMotherwellhalf a dayFreePartlyAskYes
Forth and Clyde Canal at AuchinstarryKilsythan hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk

Where the places are in North Lanarkshire

The county’s boundary, numbered as on this page, with the main towns for reference.

AirdrieCumbernauldBellshill123456
  1. 1Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, Coatbridge
  2. 2North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre, Motherwell
  3. 3Colzium Lennox Estate, Kilsyth
  4. 4Drumpellier Country Park, Coatbridge
  5. 5Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell
  6. 6Forth and Clyde Canal at Auchinstarry, Kilsyth

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in North Lanarkshire

Carers in North Lanarkshire charge £19 to £20 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £19, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £76 for the carer’s time. Entry, food and parking are extra, and travel costs are only payable if you agree them with the carer in advance, in writing. The cost of home care in North Lanarkshire has the full figures.

Photographs on this page are from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one.

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in North Lanarkshire

Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre in Motherwell, Colzium Lennox Estate in Kilsyth, Drumpellier Country Park in Coatbridge, Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell and Forth and Clyde Canal at Auchinstarry in Kilsyth. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre, Colzium Lennox Estate, Drumpellier Country Park, Strathclyde Country Park and Forth and Clyde Canal at Auchinstarry. Parking is often charged even where entry is free.

Yes. A companion carer can drive your parent there, walk at their pace, help with the toilet and meals, and bring them home. 24 of the carers with a rate near North Lanarkshire drive. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £19 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in North Lanarkshire shows who is available.

Often. Many attractions let a carer or companion in free, or at a reduced price, with a disabled visitor, and some ask for proof such as a letter or a benefit award. It varies, so check each place’s access or prices page before you go.

Where the nearest carers live

From the profiles of the carers based within about 45 minutes of North Lanarkshire

Where the nearest carers live. A carer close to home can manage a longer day out.

Companionship care in the counties around North Lanarkshire

Days out in the areas around North Lanarkshire

Companionship care by town in North Lanarkshire

Each town page shows the carers who list it as home, with their rates and reviews.

Find a carer who could take them out in North Lanarkshire

See carers near North Lanarkshire who drive, with their photos, interests, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

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