Tin Cottage

The corrugated iron cottage that sits near Newtonmore is one of those unexpected stops that makes you wonder what story lies behind it. Built entirely from tin sheets in the early 1900s, it's a proper oddity - the kind of thing that catches your eye on a Highland drive and makes you pull over before you've even decided why.

You won't spend hours here. It's a quick look, really - the sort of spot where you grab a photo and maybe peer through the windows if they're not boarded up. The structure itself is the whole point: that weathered silvery metal, the way it's held together, the sheer fact that someone thought this was a sensible idea for a house. Given the Highland weather, you'd think it would rattle itself to bits within a decade.

Walkers and history types will find it more interesting than families with young children, though kids do enjoy pointing out how weird it is. There's no admission charge and no opening hours to worry about - it's just there by the roadside, free to gawp at. On a grey afternoon, it's genuinely atmospheric.

If you're staying at Invernahavon Caravan Park, it's barely four miles away, so worth a detour on your way to or from Newtonmore. Don't make it your main event though. Treat it as what it is: a quirky five-minute pit stop that fits neatly into a day exploring the Spey Valley.