Broomybrae Wood

The woodland around Broomybrae isn't going to blow your mind with dramatic vistas or ancient ruins, but it's a proper breath of fresh air if you're based near Banff and fancy stretching your legs without driving halfway across Aberdeenshire. It's a straightforward forest walk through Scottish Highland terrain - the kind of place where you'll actually hear birdsong instead of car engines.

What you get is exactly what it says on the tin: trees, forest floor, and the chance to move about freely. No visitor centre, no gift shop, no manufactured experience. If you're the type who enjoys a quiet woodland ramble and doesn't need constant stimulation, you'll find it worthwhile. Kids might manage thirty minutes before asking when they can go back, unless they're the sort who genuinely enjoy building stick fortresses and spotting wildlife.

The wood works brilliantly as a quick outing if you're staying at one of the caravan sites nearby - Gamrie Bay is less than three miles away, and Clochforbie Yurts isn't much further. It's the kind of place you don't plan a day around, but you're glad it's there when the weather's decent and you want to break up a camping holiday with something low-key.

Access appears to be free and unrestricted, though it pays to check locally once you arrive in the area. Go early morning or late afternoon if you want any chance of spotting deer or other wildlife. Midday tends to be dead quiet anyway.