My last post was all about the UK campaign to permanently reduce VAT on hospitality. Well this summer the UK government introduced a Summer Savings scheme which does cut VAT from 20% to 5% on family days out – from cinema and theatre tickets to attractions and children’s meals out. Unfortunately, the scheme is not permanent – it runs until 1st September – and in rural Scotland the number of businesses that can participate is limited.

The government’s Summer Offers page doesn’t show any in Oban. The nearest is Kilmartin Museum (which I can personally recommend for families) so check their website for details as they also run family-friendly workshops and other events during the school holidays.  Inveraray Castle is another attraction that’s signed up to the scheme and they’ve reduced ticket prices across the board by 15%. You could definitely make a day out in Inveraray. The town is easy to explore on foot (it’s smaller than Oban) and the jail has cut ticket prices with a discount voucher code ‘GBSUMMER’. This code will give you a 15% discount on ONLINE tickets only so visit their website to book.

Dunollie Castle and the 1745 House and Museum is a lovely, local attraction which (although not participating directly in the scheme) has introduced a ‘Pay Once, Visit All Season‘ ticket. For the price of a normal ticket, visitors will receive an annual pass that allows multiple visits – holders can come back as often as they’d like whilst they are open. They’ve also reduced admission prices and passed on the VAT savings on kids’ meals in the on-site cafe which has a good playpark and plenty of space for children to explore safely. You don’t need an admission ticket at all to visit this area.

And Dunstaffnage Castle also has a summer saving scheme through Historic Environment Scotland. There’s a 20% off promotion on tickets to all their popular historic sites so you could benefit from reduced entry to both Dunstaffnage just 3 miles outside the town centre and Bonawe Iron Furnace a further 10 miles east in Taynuilt.

The summer saving scheme on children’s sit-down meals doesn’t really work in our area. There are very few restaurants taking part! You can save a few pence on a kids meal at the Corryvreckan pub (part of the national Wetherspoons chain), but as we don’t have any other national chains operating in Oban you’ll have to eat at Tesco supermarket to make a noticeable saving! Their Kids Eat Free offer runs all summer. Note, it’s one free dine-in Kids’ hot meal, breakfast or pick n mix deal per any adult item and you must have a Tesco Clubcard/app to be eligible.

Some independent restaurants may have reduced the price of their Kids Menu, but the savings are minimal, and for most the hassle of changing an re-printing menus and the increased costs of accounting and admin have not encouraged take up.

Sadly our local cinema is no longer operational. You can see films at the local community arts centre – the Rockfield Centre. Check out their Whats On page for details. The centre also hosts a Kidspace, which is a dedicated room that allows children to learn through play about the social history of Oban. There’s also a huge soft play area at our local Atlantis leisure centre. Free for babies and less than a fiver for toddlers. Another much smaller soft play room is available above the Eats at the Bridge cafe. Young Ollie is a regular user of both – he loves his soft play. When he’s a wee bit older I’m sure he will take advantage of the free outdoor play park on his doorstep at Cologin. Free for under 12s to use (with adult supervision).

Let’s finish with some more good news – there are many attractions in our area (including National Trust Scotland properties and gardens) that are exempt from VAT as they operate as charitable concerns so ticket prices are already 20% lower than commercial concerns. And don’t forget those family favourites such as the beach are free to visit all year round. (Ganavan Sands – Oban’s local beach – has 2 hours free parking with public loos and a food trailer.) As long as you’re prepared (and properly dressed) for our Scottish weather, getting outside this summer with your family is surely the easiest and cheapest option available anywhere.