Portknockie War Memorial

You'll find this modest memorial tucked into the village of Portknockie, a working fishing community between Banff and Cullen that doesn't get many casual visitors. It's a straightforward stone monument commemorating locals lost in the world wars - the sort of place that feels more real than grand, where wreaths still get laid and the names mean something to people who live there.

It won't take long. Five minutes to read the inscriptions, take a photo, move on. But that's rather the point. War memorials in small Highland villages carry a weight that glossy heritage attractions never manage. There's something about standing in a quiet corner of Aberdeenshire, reading the names of young men from a village you've just driven through, that hits differently than a visitor centre could.

Historically minded visitors will want to see it, certainly, though don't expect interpretation boards or facilities. Families based at Sandend Holidays or Greencraig Pods nearby could easily take five minutes to pop in during a wider tour of the Banffshire coast - the clifftop walks and fishing villages round here are genuinely worth your time. Winter's actually quite good for this sort of thing; fewer people, better light on stone, and you get the village as it actually is rather than through a tourist filter.

Free, obviously. No hours to worry about either - it's always there.