The team behind the £1.8million regeneration of an Aberdeenshire visitor attraction is revelling in its success so far.
Haddo Country Park, near Tarves, has been spruced up, with monuments and buildings refurbished, a new visitor centre opened and new paths and bridges installed.
But the most popular improvement so far is the new adventure playground, which has been keeping kids – big and little – entertained during the first week of the school holidays.
The play area, which features a zip-wire, climbing frames and slide, has been packed with happy families since it was officially opened.
Diana Spencer, visitor services officer at the park, said: “It’s been incredibly popular.
“It’s always full of people, some enjoying a picnic rather than playing. It seems to be the place everyone is going.”
The visitor centre is also gradually becoming a top stop-off point for more people, who can pick up information about particular wildlife to look out for as they walk around the grounds of Haddo House, or see what events are on.
Now the main capital works have been carried out, the team will focus on the second phase of the regeneration project – raising awareness of the country park as a destination for visitors of all ages from across the region.
Ms Spencer said: “We’re now looking at audience development, which involves holding different events and seeing what works.
“We want to get the word out to people who have not been to Haddo before. It’s not just for people for know it and have been coming here for years, we want to look at ways of getting new people to come out and see what we’re doing – elderly people, school groups, community groups.”
The project has been funded by various organisations, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland and Aberdeenshire Council, and will continue running until the end of 2016.
More than 225,000 people visit the park each year, including more than 60,000 from outwith the local area.
On Saturday, visitors can find out more about the wildflowers that grow in the lakeside meadows at Haddo, learning not only how to identify them, but how to grow them. To book a place, or to find out more about the 2pm event, e-mail haddo@visithaddo.com or call 0844 493 2179.