Alice Littler Memorial Park

Just outside Keith, this little nature reserve feels like the kind of place locals know about and visitors stumble upon by accident. Alice Littler Memorial Park is a proper quiet spot - nothing flashy, just woodland and open ground that's genuinely worth a wander if you're staying in the area.

What you get is straightforward: woodland trails, some open grassland, and the sort of peace that's rare near any town. It's manageable on foot, nothing that demands serious hiking boots, though the ground can be boggy after rain. The reserve works well for families with primary-school kids who won't complain about a 45-minute circuit, and it's the kind of place where you might actually see something - birds, red squirrels if you're lucky, deer if the light's right.

There's no visitor centre or café, which means it stays unspoiled but also means you're relying on decent weather. Come in autumn or spring for the best light and fewest midges. Summer works too, just plan for an early visit.

If you're based at Hillside Havens - and it's genuinely close, just 3.6 miles away - this is an easy diversion that adds nothing to your journey. It won't eat an afternoon, but on a decent morning it beats sitting in the caravan waiting for something to do. Not Instagram-worthy, but real enough.