MUSA Collections Centre

The MUSA Collections Centre sits just outside St Andrews and houses the university's vast accumulation of treasures - think Egyptian mummies, geological specimens, and archaeological finds that would normally gather dust in academic storage. It's a proper treasure hunt of a place, the sort where you'll stumble upon a Roman coin or a Victorian naturalist's sketches and wonder why it isn't in a major London museum.

The centre works best for curious types rather than casual browsers. School groups love it, and anyone with even a passing interest in natural history or archaeology will find themselves losing track of time. The displays aren't flashy - this is genuine collection space rather than blockbuster exhibition design - but that's rather the point. You get to see how museums actually work.

It's free to visit, which is brilliant value. Allow a couple of hours; rushing through defeats the purpose. Ring ahead to check opening hours before you go - they're not straightforward during university holidays.

If you're based at one of the nearby caravan parks - St Andrews Holiday Park is closest, just over a mile away - this makes a solid rainy-day option when the East Neuk beaches aren't appealing. Pair it with a wander around St Andrews town centre, though the collections centre itself rewards a proper visit rather than a quick look-in. Families with younger kids might find it a bit dry, but teenagers with genuine curiosity will eat it up.