Old Keig stone circle remains

The standing stones at Keig aren't going to blow your mind if you're expecting Stonehenge, but that's rather the point. What remains here is genuinely ancient - a scatter of weathered granite slabs marking what was once a proper stone circle, now mostly reduced to low stumps poking through the Aberdeenshire moorland. You'll find yourself squinting at the ground more than gazing skyward, which somehow makes it feel more real than the famous sites mobbed with tourists.

It's the kind of place walkers actually enjoy, partly because reaching it requires a bit of effort and partly because you won't be elbowing past crowds. The nearest stone circle of any size is several miles off, so if you're genuinely interested in Iron Age ritual sites rather than just ticking boxes, this rewards a visit. Allow an hour if you're coming from Keig itself - the walk out is flat enough but can be boggy depending on the weather.

History types will appreciate what the stones represent, even if the landscape itself looks fairly unremarkable. Families with restless young kids might find it underwhelming after five minutes - there's no visitor centre, no explanatory plaques worth reading, just stones and moorland and your own imagination. Best visited on a clear day when you can actually see properly. Free, obviously, and open whenever you can get there. Haughton Holiday Park, less than two miles away, makes a sensible base for exploring this corner of Aberdeenshire if you're after more archaeological sites in the area.