Duff House

The façade stops you dead. Duff House sits on the edge of Macduff with the kind of confident Georgian swagger that makes you understand why its original owner was so pleased with himself - this was meant to impress, and it still does. Built in 1735 for William Duff, a local landowner with serious money, the house is a working art gallery now, run by Historic Environment Scotland, and it's genuinely worth a visit if you're anywhere nearby.

Inside, the rooms are properly elegant without feeling stuffy. There's period furniture, paintings, and the sort of domestic detail that actually tells you something about 18th-century life - not just the fancy bits. The real pull, though, is how the house itself feels. You walk through these high-ceilinged spaces imagining the parties, the wheeling and dealing, the gossip. Kids tend to find it engaging rather than tedious, especially if they're the sort who like climbing staircases and peering into corners.

Set aside ninety minutes to two hours. It's open Thursday to Sunday from 2pm to 5pm only, so plan ahead - there's nothing worse than driving out expecting a place to be open and finding locked doors. Admission's free, which is a proper bonus. The location works well if you're caravan-hopping around Aberdeenshire - Myrus Holiday Park and Banff Links are both within spitting distance, so you could easily visit Duff House as a half-day break from the caravan. The surrounding area is pleasant rather than dramatic, but that coastal Aberdeenshire walking is excellent if you venture beyond the house itself.