Black Isle Brewery

The brewery sits on the Black Isle, a peninsular bit of the Highlands just north of Inverness, and it's where they make proper craft ales without any of the pretension. You walk in, the smell hits you straight away - that warm grain and yeast combination that tells you immediately this is a working operation, not some sanitised visitor experience bolted onto a pub.

They run the place Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and while I couldn't confirm entry costs, most Scottish breweries charge a fiver or so for a tour. Allow a good hour if you want the full experience - the tour itself, a pint in their taproom, maybe a chat with whoever's working that day. The staff know their stuff and aren't the type to bore you senseless with fermentation temperatures unless you ask.

Kids get a bit from it if they're old enough to wander round whilst parents sample things, but it's not a soft play situation. History types and proper beer enthusiasts will get the most. The brewery's been going since 1997, which makes it one of the older independents in Scotland, and they've stuck to their guns about quality over expansion.

If you're staying at Coulmore Bay Holiday Park just two miles away, or either of the others nearby, this is a natural half-day stop rather than a full day's entertainment. Pair it with a walk round Inverness itself - the castle's decent enough - and you've got a proper afternoon sorted.