Altarstanes

The drive up to Altarstanes takes you through proper Fife countryside, and when you finally pull into the small lay-by, you understand why the effort was worth it. This viewpoint sits high enough to give you the Firth of Forth spread out below in all its moody glory - on a clear day you're looking across to Edinburgh and the Lothians, and on a grey one (which is most days) the whole thing takes on this dramatic, almost haunting quality.

It's the kind of spot where you stand for ten minutes and feel like you've actually seen something rather than just ticked a box. There's a small parking area and a handful of benches if you want to linger over a flask of tea, but frankly most people don't stay long. The views are the thing here - windswept and uncluttered, the sort that remind you why Scotland's coast matters.

Walkers will find it a natural stopping point on longer routes through the Fife peninsula, and it beats being stuck in Anstruther when the weather turns. If you're based at one of the caravan parks dotted around Kilrenny or Sauchope Links - all within five or six miles - this is an easy afternoon run that doesn't require much planning. No facilities to speak of, so bring what you need. Free to visit, of course. Allow twenty minutes, honestly, unless you're the contemplative type.