Balnakeil Church

The ruins of Balnakeil Church sit on a windswept headland just outside Durness, a bleak and beautiful spot that feels properly remote even when you're only a short walk from the car park. What draws you here is less the church itself - though the 16th-century structure is solid enough - and more the sense of standing at the edge of something. The graveyard is still in use, which gives the place an odd, living quality. You'll find graves dating back centuries, weathered stones that tilt at angles, and the kind of atmospheric gloom that makes you understand why people bothered to bury their dead in such an exposed location.

The church itself is roofless now, its interior open to the sky and the relentless Highland wind. There's a real sense of abandonment here - no visitor centre, no interpretation boards explaining what you're looking at. You just turn up and have a look around. The walk from the car park takes perhaps ten minutes across moorland that could be bleak or beautiful depending on the weather.

It's brilliant for anyone interested in Scottish history, less so for young children who'll get bored after fifteen minutes. Durness itself is your base - it's a proper little settlement at the end of the A838 - and Sango Sands Oasis holiday park is just over a mile away, making it an easy morning visit before heading elsewhere. Go in good weather if you can; this place is moody enough without horizontal rain. Free to access, naturally.