Edinkillie Church

Tucked away near Forres in Aberdeenshire, Edinkillie Church is one of those quiet discoveries that makes you realise why people bother with Scottish Highland backroads. It's a modest kirk, but what catches you is the setting - surrounded by old stones in a landscape that feels properly ancient.

The church itself dates back centuries and the graveyard around it tells the real story. You'll find yourself wandering between weathered headstones, reading names and dates that stretch back generations. There's something compelling about places like this where local history isn't packaged up for tourists but simply exists, undisturbed.

It's a ten-minute stop rather than a day-out type attraction, which is precisely why it works. Walkers doing circuits around Forres should definitely add it to their route. Families with an interest in Scottish graveyards and old churches will find it absorbing, though younger kids might get restless quickly. There's no visitor centre, no gift shop - just the building and the stones.

Bring a camera if you're into monument photography; the light through the trees creates decent shots. The surrounding countryside is worth a proper explore afterwards. If you're staying at ACE Adventures nearby, it's an easy detour that takes minimal effort and costs nothing.

Go when the weather's decent. Rain transforms it from peaceful into genuinely bleak.