Balnuaran Of Clava NE

Three thousand years old and barely touched since the Bronze Age - that's what you're looking at when you drive out to Balnuaran of Clava, just south of Inverness. The site consists of three cairns arranged in a line, each surrounded by standing stones in a perfect circle. They're modest by some standards, nothing like the drama of Stonehenge, but there's something genuinely unsettling about them. The stones are weathered and grey, the cairns grass-covered and peaceful, but you're standing in front of one of Scotland's most important prehistoric burial grounds.

Walking the site takes maybe twenty minutes if you're thorough. There's no visitor centre, no barriers, no interpretive boards - you just turn up and wander around. It's free, naturally. Archaeologists reckon the circles had astronomical alignments, and the stones were deliberately placed to track the winter solstice. Whether you buy into that or not, there's an authentic quietness here that you won't find at more developed sites.

Historically minded visitors will find this genuinely absorbing. Families with young kids might get restless after ten minutes unless you've got someone who can spin a good yarn about ancient Picts. It's a proper add-on if you're staying at Ardtower Caravan Park nearby - no more than a ten-minute drive. Best visited on a clear day when you can actually see the stones properly. Winter solstice dawn would be spectacular, though you'd need to plan that in advance.