Crovie

You'll find Crovie clinging to the Aberdeenshire coast like it's reluctant to let go. This tiny fishing village sits tucked beneath cliffs between Banff and Macduff, with barely enough room for a single street of whitewashed cottages squeezed between the rock face and the sea. There's no grand entrance, no visitor centre - just a steep, narrow road that demands respect from your car and a decent pair of legs.

What you get is authenticity. Real fishermen's homes painted in that traditional Scottish way, narrow doorways opening straight onto cobbles, views across the Moray Firth that don't need filtering. It's the sort of place where you can actually imagine life as it was a century ago, minus the crushing poverty. Photography types will spend hours here. Walkers appreciate the coastal path access and the short hop to nearby Pennan Head. Families with young children might find it a bit of a squeeze - parking is genuinely tricky and the streets aren't exactly buggy-friendly.

Allow an hour, maybe ninety minutes if you're dawdling with a camera. It costs nothing to visit, though fish suppers from the local spot won't break the bank. Spring and early summer are best - fewer midges, better light. Staying at Gamrie Bay Caravan Site, just down the road, gives you base camp access without fighting the crowds. Crovie works best as part of a coastal meander rather than a destination in itself, though don't skip it thinking it's just a postcard village. It genuinely is.