Edzell Castle Walled Garden

The walled garden at Edzell Castle is a genuinely unusual place - and I mean that as high praise. Built in 1604, it's not your typical rose garden affair. Instead, you get geometric beds laid out with almost obsessive precision, divided by gravel paths and bordered by walls that rise up like protective sentries. The walls themselves are the real draw: carved stone panels depicting the zodiac, planetary symbols, and geometric designs that would have cost a fortune when they were built.

Walking around, you realise this was a statement. A display of knowledge, wealth, and Renaissance ideas in rural Aberdeenshire. It's intimate rather than grand - small enough to see properly in an hour, but detailed enough that you'll want to linger and actually look at the carved stonework rather than just photograph it.

History enthusiasts will be in their element here. Families with younger kids might find it a bit quiet and contemplative for a full afternoon - it's not got the "wander about for hours" appeal of larger estates. But if you're staying at Dovecot Caravan Park or Royal Arch Riverside nearby Laurencekirk, it makes a proper morning excursion.

The garden's also remarkably peaceful, which says something given how close Laurencekirk is. Bring a camera and comfortable shoes. Sit on the bench and just watch how the light hits those old stones. That's when you understand what drew someone to build this in the first place.