Arbroath Cliffs

The cliffs at Arbroath punch well above their weight. These aren't the dramatic thousand-foot monsters you'd find further north, but there's something raw about them - red sandstone faces that drop sharply into the North Sea with enough force to remind you why this coastline has wrecked ships for centuries.

You can walk right along the clifftop path here, which is the real draw. It's accessible without being a slog, and the views back towards Arbroath town and south along the coast are genuinely fine. On a clear day you can pick out the Bell Rock Lighthouse offshore - that's the one built by Robert Stevenson in 1811, a proper feat of engineering. The red stone glows when the sun's right, which sounds cheesy but it works.

Historically minded visitors will find this interesting enough - the rocks themselves tell a geological story, and there's genuine drama in the weather patterns here. Families with young kids can manage the walking easily, though it's windier than you'd think and the path can get boggy. Allow an hour to ninety minutes to do it properly without rushing.

It's free, obviously. The Grange Glamping, just five miles away, makes a decent base if you're combining this with a broader Aberdeenshire trip. Arbroath itself has the famous smokies to eat and Abbey ruins to poke around if you've got a spare hour. The cliffs work best on a clear day when visibility stretches - come when the weather's decent or you'll be squinting into mist for the whole walk.