Dun Alascaig, Broch

You'll find yourself standing in front of a proper jumble of ancient stone on a hillside near Ardgay - that's what remains of Dun Alascaig, a broch built somewhere around 2,000 years ago. These Iron Age towers are scattered across Scotland, but this one's a solid walk to reach, which means fewer tourists cluttering up the view.

The ruins themselves won't bowl you over with grandeur. It's more a case of picking through rubble and trying to imagine what a full-height defensive tower looked like when it was new. The walls are partial, the layout's intelligible if you squint a bit, and the surrounding landscape is genuinely worth the trip on its own - moorland rolling away, proper quiet.

Historie types and keen archaeologists will get the most from it. Kids might manage the walk if they're the patient sort, but expecting them to stay engaged with foundation stones alone is optimistic. Allow a couple of hours if you're taking it seriously, including the approach from Ardgay.

It's free, naturally - no one's collecting money out here - and there's no fixed opening times because it's just sat on the hillside. Go when the weather's decent because mud's a certainty otherwise. The nearby glamping at Ardgay (4.3 miles) or Dornoch Firth Caravan Park (5.8 miles) make reasonable bases if you're spending a few days exploring the area's archaeological sites. Worth the detour if you're already around the Highlands, but don't rearrange your whole trip just for this one.