Larkhall Library

Larkhall Library sits in the heart of this South Lanarkshire town, about five miles south of Lanark. It's a proper local institution - the kind of place where you'll actually find people reading, working on laptops, and browsing without the corporate coffee-shop vibe.

What you get is a solid community library setup. There's a decent collection of books across fiction and non-fiction, public computers if you've forgotten your laptop, and quiet corners for actual concentration. The staff know their stock and aren't the type to make you feel rushed. It's free to join and free to borrow - no nonsense.

This isn't a tourist attraction in the traditional sense. You'd visit if you're staying locally and want somewhere warm to sit on a drizzly afternoon, or if you've got work to do during a park holiday. Families with reluctant readers might find something to grab their attention. Walkers passing through Lanark could easily pop in before heading to the Falls or out into the countryside.

If you're based at Ecosse Glamping just up the road, and the Scottish weather turns grim - which it will - this beats sitting in your accommodation. An hour here costs you nothing and kills time properly. The town of Lanark itself has more dramatic draws, but sometimes a good library is exactly what a holiday needs.