Cairngorm Alpacas

Spitting alpacas in the Scottish Highlands - it's exactly as daft as it sounds, and genuinely brilliant fun. Cairngorm Alpacas sits near Newtonmore and lets you walk around a field with these surprisingly gentle, occasionally bad-tempered creatures. You'll feed them, take photos, and probably get your hair sniffed by at least three of them. The animals are well-kept and seem unfazed by visitors, which says something about how regularly they do this.

Kids absolutely love it - there's something about hand-feeding a woolly animal that never gets old. Adults crack on with it too, though you'll notice the novelty wears off after about 90 minutes. The Highland scenery around you is proper stunning, which helps pad out the visit. It's the sort of thing that works brilliantly as a half-day activity rather than the main event of your holiday.

If you're staying at Invernahavon Caravan Park just down the road (3.6 miles away), this makes an easy morning outing. The nearby Laggan Glamping site is also close enough for a casual trip. Check their website before you go for current opening times and entry fees - these things change seasonally in the Highlands. Go when the weather's decent; standing in a muddy field in the rain loses its charm fast. Worth the detour if you've got young kids or you just fancy something a bit different from the usual Highland walking route.