Outer gate

The Outer Gate stands alone on the approach to Dunbar, a weathered stone structure that marks where the old fortified town once began. It's not much to look at if you're expecting something grand - just a single archway, really - but that's rather the point. This is proper medieval Scotland, stripped of the romance tourism usually wraps around it.

You'll walk straight through it, which takes about thirty seconds, then stand there wondering what to do next. History types will appreciate the authenticity; everyone else might feel slightly shortchanged. The gate speaks more to what was lost than what remains. Dunbar's castle and walls have largely gone, so this lonely survivor becomes oddly poignant rather than photogenic.

It's the sort of thing you visit because you're already in Dunbar, not because you'd plan a trip around it. If you're staying at Belhaven Bay Caravan Park just outside town, it's a short walk worth doing on an afternoon when the weather's decent. Bring the kids if they're into medieval stuff; otherwise they'll lose interest within minutes.

Free to visit, naturally. No opening hours to worry about since it's just sitting there by the roadside. Allow ten minutes maximum, unless you're genuinely fascinated by 14th-century fortification. The real appeal is Dunbar itself - decent enough town for an afternoon, decent fish and chips too.