Highland Hounds

Highland Hounds sits just outside Forres in Aberdeenshire, and it's one of those quirky Scottish roadside attractions that you either love or find utterly baffling. We're talking about a collection of enormous hound sculptures - think larger-than-life dog statues dotted across the landscape. It's the sort of place that stops you dead when you're driving past, which is precisely what it's meant to do.

What you're looking at is essentially public art, folk art meets Highland kitsch, depending on your view of things. The sculptures are substantial enough to photograph properly, and there's something genuinely odd about encountering giant bronze or stone hounds in the middle of rural Aberdeenshire. Kids find it amusing for twenty minutes, families stop for the novelty of a quick photo, and walkers occasionally wander through on their way to bigger attractions.

This isn't a destination in itself - be honest with yourself about that. You're not making a special trip from Inverness for it. But if you're staying at The Loft Glamping and Camping nearby, or passing through the area, it's worth a five-minute detour. Free to visit and no parking hassles, which helps. The appeal is really just that it's there, unapologetically odd, and unmissably Scottish in a way only the Highlands can manage. Roll up expecting nothing more than a quick leg-stretch and some daft photos, and you'll leave happy.