Castle of Mey

The Castle of Mey sits on the northernmost tip of mainland Britain, and the first thing that hits you is the sheer exposure - there's nothing between you and the Arctic except a few hundred metres of cliff and moorland. This isn't some vast fortress either; it's a proper Scottish tower house, relatively modest in size but absolutely commanding in its setting.

You can walk the grounds and see the castle from the outside, which most visitors do. The building itself is sandstone-built, restored to within an inch of its life, and surrounded by formal gardens that look rather incongruous given how wild the landscape is around them. The whole place feels less like a tourist attraction and more like you've stumbled onto a private estate - which, historically, it nearly was.

Histor types will find the royal connection interesting (it was owned by the late Queen Mother), and the views alone make the drive from Thurso worth it. The surrounding moorland is genuinely spectacular on a clear day. Allow an hour here if you're just pottering about the grounds; less if you're after a quick photo stop.

Really, though, you're here for the Caithness coastline more than the castle itself. The setting matters far more than the building. It works well as part of a wider Highland road trip - you can combine it with walks along the cliffs and a night or two at Little Croft Highlands nearby if you want to base yourself properly in the area.