Pitfoddel's Castle

The ruins of Pitfoddel's Castle sit quietly in the Aberdeenshire landscape, a modest reminder of medieval life in these parts. It's not the sort of place that'll knock you sideways with grandeur - the remains are fragmentary, honestly - but there's something rather compelling about standing where someone's home once stood, five or six centuries back.

You're looking at the leftovers of a castle that mattered locally, though it never made the headlines that Dunnottar or Balmoral did. The stonework gives away its age, and if you've got even a passing interest in how fortified houses worked, you'll spot the defensive logic in what's left standing. Braeside is your nearest settlement if you need supplies or directions.

It's the sort of stop that suits walkers and history types rather than families after an afternoon's entertainment - there's no visitor centre, no café, and frankly no interpretation panels telling you what you're looking at. That's either refreshingly honest or frustratingly vague depending on your mood. Allow half an hour, less if the weather turns foul.

If you're basing yourself at Deeside Holiday Park, just four miles away, Pitfoddel makes a decent leg-stretcher on a morning walk. It won't derail your plans if access proves awkward, but if you're already in the area and keen on castles, the detour's worthwhile enough.