50 ABD

The remains of a Roman marching camp sit quietly on the outskirts of Woodside, about three miles from Aberdeen's city centre. Fifty ABD - that's the military designation - isn't dramatically ruined like Hadrian's Wall or scattered with standing stones. What you're actually looking at are earthwork ramparts and ditches, the ghostly outline of where Roman soldiers dug in around 84 AD during their push north into Scotland. You need to use your imagination a bit, but once you do, it clicks - the scale becomes apparent, the tactical positioning makes sense.

History buffs will find this compelling, though families with young children might lose interest within twenty minutes unless someone's keen on archaeology. The site itself is free to visit and largely unmanaged, which means there are no visitor facilities, no information boards, and no tidy car park. You'll need to locate it carefully and allow time for wandering about trying to work out which earthwork is which.

It's worth combining with Seaview Caravan Park nearby if you're based in the area for a week. The location works as a morning visit before heading into Aberdeen proper or as part of a broader Roman Scotland trail. Spring and early summer are best - the grass won't be overgrown and the light's good for picking out the rampart lines. Don't expect drama. Come for the sense of standing where thousands of legionaries once stood, planning their conquest of the north.