Perth

Ancient stones dot the landscape around this historic Perthshire town like breadcrumbs from Scotland's distant past. Perth sits where the Highland fault line meets the lowlands, creating a natural gateway that's drawn settlers for millennia - hence those Shianbank Stone Circles and the scattered archaeological sites at places like Wester Bonhard and Mill of Murrayshall.

The town itself has proper Scottish character without the tourist crowds you'll find in Edinburgh or Stirling. Fair City, as locals call it, stretches along the River Tay with Georgian terraces climbing the slopes beyond. You can spot the Lynedoch Obelisk from miles around, a proper landmark that draws walkers up through the woodlands for cracking views across Strathearn.

Outside town, the countryside opens into gentle farmland peppered with old mill sites. The Beetling Mill and Innerbuist Mill tell stories of Perth's textile past, while McDuff's Monument marks another layer of local history. It's quiet walking country, the sort where you might stumble across a lone stone circle or an old sundial without another soul about.

Getting here couldn't be simpler - Perth's on the main A9 route north, with regular trains from Edinburgh and Glasgow. The M90 brings you straight up from the central belt in under an hour.

Staying at one of the holiday parks nearby gives you the best of both worlds. You're close enough for evening strolls into town for dinner, but far enough out to wake up to proper countryside. The Replica Stone of Scone might be Perth's most famous sight, but it's the layers of older history scattered across the surrounding landscape that make this area worth exploring properly. Base yourself here and you've got the Highlands beckoning to the north, the Trossachs to the west, and some of Scotland's finest glen walking within easy reach.