A family-friendly museum on a peaceful riverside site, with woods and fields extending for almost a mile. The traditional farm buildings and working watermill are home to many friendly farm animals, including highland cattle, rare breed sheep, and Clydesdale horses. There's a daily programme of activities, including milking demonstrations and handling sessions that allow you to get up close and personal with the farm’s varied residents. The museum houses displays and interactive exhibits that illustrate local history and tell the story of Scotland's shale oil industry. There are indoor and outdoor play areas to keep the kids entertained, plus a simulated archaeological dig, trampolines, go karts, tractor and trailer rides, and a narrow gauge railway.
Learning is at the heart of Almond Valley, and we're proud to welcome many study visits from school and nursery groups every year. The centrepiece of most learning visits is a “discovery session” in which our experienced demonstrators deliver highly interactive sessions, (most of which involve the farm's animals), that link directly to the Curriculum for Excellence and can be further tailored to your specific course of study. A self-guided exploration of the farm and site will add to a rewarding and enriching learning experience, and may be complemented by a variety of resource material downloaded from our website; including a seasonal trail sheet.
The Almond Valley site is ideally suited for large groups, with ample toilet and hand-washing facilities, (and a meticulous approach to farm hygiene), along with ample covered seated space ideal for eating packed lunches.
As a Charitable Trust our mission is "to preserve and interpret the history and environment of West Lothian and make this heritage accessible, engaging, and enjoyed by all" We aim to be a happy carefree place that can be enjoyed by all of the family, and hope that the experiences shared will inform, inspire and be reflected upon. This gentle process, which we call “invisible learning”, links and underlies everything that we do.