Dura Den

The gorge cuts through Fife landscape like someone's taken a knife to the land - steep red sandstone walls rising either side of a burn that's carved its way down over millennia. Dura Den is a proper geological story written in rock, and it's the sort of place that makes you realise how young the rest of us are in comparison.

Walking the riverside path here is straightforward enough, though the gorge sides mean it's shaded and damp most days. You're looking at about an hour for a reasonable ramble, maybe ninety minutes if you stop to photograph the exposed rock strata and peer into the old quarries that scar the walls. The fossilised remains found here - fish and plants from the Devonian period - tell you this was once a very different place indeed.

It's brilliant for anyone with even a passing interest in geology or natural history. Kids who like scrambling about rocks will enjoy it; those after a flat, easy stroll might find it a touch underwhelming. Just outside St Andrews, it makes a solid half-day outing, especially if you're basing yourself at one of the caravan parks dotted around - Clayton or Craigtoun Meadows are only a few miles away and offer decent access.

Bring proper footwear. The path can be muddy and the rocks underfoot are slippery when wet, which in Fife is often. There's no visitor infrastructure here, so come prepared. It's free to access and there are no formal opening hours - that's both the appeal and the reality of it. Raw, unmanicured geology on your doorstep.