Sean Caer

Sean Caer sits on a hillside near Sanquhar as a proper Iron Age fort - the kind of place that makes you wonder how on earth people built anything up here without modern machinery. You're looking at stone ramparts and defensive ditches that have held their shape for nearly two thousand years, though you'll need to use your imagination a bit since there's not much interpretation signage about.

Histor enthusiasts will find it genuinely interesting, especially if you're already exploring Dumfries & Galloway's archaeological sites. The walk up is worthwhile for the views across the Lowlands alone. It's not a major visitor attraction with facilities or crowds - more a case of finding the site yourself and piecing together what you're seeing.

If you're staying at Sunnyside Lodges just down the road, it's absolutely worth a morning ramble. The site's free and accessible, though there's no formal opening hours or visitor centre to speak of. Allow an hour or so if you're taking your time with it. Kids who are into ancient forts tend to enjoy the scramble up, though there's not much hands-on activity once you arrive.

Go early morning if you can - the light's better and you'll have the hillside to yourself. It's the sort of place that repays a bit of effort with genuine solitude, which is increasingly rare these days.