Logan House Gardens

The gardens at Logan House sit just outside Stranraer, sprawling across what feels like proper Scottish estate land - the kind of place where you half expect to bump into someone in a tweed jacket. What you're looking at is a collection of walled and woodland gardens that have evolved over centuries, with specimen plants that absolutely thrive in this microclimate. The Gulf Stream effect means subtropical plants grow here that have no business being in southwest Scotland, which makes for an oddly exotic afternoon if you're expecting heather and moorland.

It works best for garden enthusiasts and plant nerds rather than hyperactive kids, though families won't find it a slog. Plan on two to three hours if you're taking it properly, less if you're just wandering the main routes. The woodland paths are gentle underfoot and there's enough shelter to make it manageable even when the weather turns dreich.

If you're basing yourself at Sands of Luce Holiday Park - just a few miles away - this slots in nicely as a half-day venture. It's the sort of place that rewards poking about and actually reading the plant labels rather than power-walking for the sake of ticking it off. Whether you go depends entirely on how much you care about gardens. If you do, it's absolutely worth the stop. If you don't, no amount of atmospheric description will change your mind.