Muirden of Cranna

You'll find yourself standing at a wind-scoured stone circle in the middle of Aberdeenshire's rolling farmland, about five miles south of Banff. Muirden of Cranna is one of those Bronze Age monuments that stops you mid-walk and makes you wonder how the hell people hauled these rocks into place four thousand years ago.

It's not flashy. There are no visitor facilities, no interpretation boards, no café selling overpriced shortbread. Just seven stones arranged in a rough circle, weathered grey and humped with lichen. On a clear day you can see across the Deveron Valley towards the coast; on a grey one (which is most days) the whole thing takes on a proper atmospheric quality.

Walkers get the most from it. It's not a destination in itself - you can examine the stones in twenty minutes - but it works brilliantly as a focal point for a longer ramble across the farmland and forestry tracks that web through this corner of the Highlands. Families with young kids might find it underwhelming unless you're the sort who enjoys explaining Bronze Age burial practices while standing in a field.

The place is free and accessible year-round, though winter mud can make the approach dicey. If you're staying at Turriff Caravan Park nearby, it's a decent half-day outing when you've had enough of the main tourist trail. Banff itself is close enough for supplies, though there's nothing built up around the site itself.