Struie Hill Vista

The pull-off at Struie Hill catches you by surprise. One moment you're driving the A9 north towards Tain, the next you're standing at a proper viewpoint with the whole of the Black Isle spread out below like someone's laid it all out specifically for you. The Moray Firth stretches away in the distance, and on a clear day you can see right across to the mountains beyond Inverness. It's the kind of view that makes you understand why people stop here rather than just drive through.

This is a straightforward affair - no café, no visitor centre, just a layby with room for half a dozen cars and the sense that you've found something locals actually use rather than something built for tourists. The walk from car to viewpoint is negligible, which means families with young kids won't complain, and older folk won't feel put off. Ten minutes here, maximum, unless you're the sort who stands about taking photographs from seventeen different angles. In which case, give yourself quarter of an hour.

If you're basing yourself at Dornoch Firth Caravan Park or Ardgay Glamping, Struie Hill works as a pleasant stop on the way to or from somewhere else rather than a destination in itself. That said, the view genuinely is worth pulling over for. The landscape here tells you something about the Scottish Highlands that no amount of driving past can manage.