Keppoch Stone

The Keppoch Stone sits just outside Inverness, a solitary reminder of the 1746 Battle of Culloden. It's a modest granite marker - nothing flashy - but the weight of what it represents stops you in your tracks. This is where a Keppoch clansman fell during the final Jacobite rising, and the stone has stood here for nearly three centuries as a quiet memorial.

You can visit it free, which is decent of the National Trust for Scotland to maintain. It's not a major visitor attraction - no café, no visitor centre, no crowds - but that's rather the point. History buffs will appreciate the context; casual walkers might find themselves moved by the solemnity of the spot. Culloden Battlefield itself is just a short drive away and worth the detour for proper context - the battlefield visitor centre gives you the full picture of what happened and why these stones matter.

Give yourself twenty minutes here, tops. It's a quick stop rather than a destination in itself. If you're staying at Ardtower Caravan Park nearby, it's barely two miles away, making it an easy morning walk or a quiet moment between other Inverness-area visits.

Best visited on a dry day - the Highland weather can be brutal, and standing by a stone memorial in horizontal rain loses its dignity fast. Spring through autumn is ideal. This works best for those with an interest in Scottish history; younger kids won't get much from it unless you're actively teaching them about the Jacobites.