Mill Farm

You won't find Mill Farm marked on many tourist maps around Perth, which is precisely why it's worth seeking out. This is a proper archaeological site where Iron Age roundhouses once stood, and walking the grounds gives you a genuine sense of how people actually lived here two thousand years ago. The remains are subtle - post holes, ditches, the ghost of domestic life - but that's what makes it interesting. There's no theme park interpretation; it's archaeology as it should be, requiring a bit of imagination and curiosity from visitors.

History enthusiasts will get the most from this one. Kids might fidget unless they're already keen on Iron Age settlement patterns, but families with older children studying Scottish history will find it worthwhile. Allow an hour, maybe ninety minutes if you're the type to sit with a guidebook and really think about how these structures worked.

Access and facilities details aren't widely advertised, so ringing ahead to Perth's visitor information makes sense before you visit. Practically speaking, it slots well into a wider Perthshire archaeology tour - the area's thick with Bronze Age cairns and Roman forts if you've got the time.

If you're based at one of the nearby sites - Scone Camping and Caravanning Club Site is only six miles off - you could easily combine this with walks along the Tay or visits to Scone Palace itself. Mill Farm rewards the kind of visitor who enjoys detective work over spectacle. Don't expect crowds or facilities. Do expect genuine Iron Age archaeology.