Cawdor Roman fort

The stones at Cawdor don't announce themselves. You'll find yourself standing on a slope near Nairn, looking at what amounts to a rough rectangular outline of a Roman fort from the 1st century AD - turf banks and the faint trace of where walls once stood. It's not Hadrian's Wall. There are no dramatic ruins or reconstructed gatehouses here. What you get instead is the genuine thing: the actual footprint of a settlement, untouched and undisturbed for nearly two thousand years.

History buffs will find this genuinely rewarding. The fort dates to the Roman push northward into Scotland, and walking the perimeter gives you a real sense of how the Romans thought about space and defence. You can make out the ditch system, trace where soldiers would have drilled. It takes about twenty minutes to properly explore, longer if you're the type to sit and absorb the weight of time.

Families with young children might find it a bit abstract - there's no interpretation board, no building to actually enter. It's field archaeology, pure and simple. Walkers, though, will appreciate the approach from Nairn and the Highland views. The site is free and accessible year-round, though it's best visited in dry weather when the banks are easier to navigate.

If you're staying at Barrow Campsite just outside Nairn, this is a cracking half-hour detour. Combine it with a proper walk in the area and you've got a proper morning sorted.