Animal Centre

You'll find this animal centre a few miles from Thurso, which makes it a decent half-day stop if you're touring the far north of Scotland. It's a proper working zoo with the usual mix of domestic and exotic animals - nothing fancy, but the kind of place where kids can actually get close to things rather than squinting through binoculars from a distance.

The layout is manageable, so you won't spend three hours trudging about in the Highlands drizzle. Depending on how much time you want to spend watching goats and having a cup of tea, allow a couple of hours. It works well as a break between longer drives - Thurso itself isn't exactly bursting with attractions, so this fills a gap.

If you're staying at Little Croft Highlands just down the road, it's convenient enough for a morning visit before heading elsewhere. That said, don't expect anything revolutionary. It's functional rather than inspiring - the kind of place grandparents take grandchildren to tire them out, not where you'll have transcendent moments with nature. The real draw of this part of Scotland is the landscape itself: the cliffs, the sea, the empty moorland. This centre is decent filler, but it's not the reason you come north.