Skibo Castle

You won't get inside Skibo Castle unless you're a member of this ultra-exclusive private club - and unless you've got serious money to spare. The castle itself sits on the Black Isle near Tain, a Victorian fortress that looks properly dramatic rising from the surrounding countryside. From the public road you catch glimpses of its sandstone walls and turrets, which is about as close as most of us will get.

That said, it's worth a drive past if you're staying at one of the nearby caravan parks - Dornoch Firth or Dornoch Caravan & Camping both sit just a few miles away. The landscape around here is genuinely striking: moorland rolling down towards the Firth, and the castle looms like something from a Gothic novel. The exterior alone gives you a sense of Highland grandeur without needing to pay for entry.

History buffs will find the castle interesting for its own sake - it dates back to the late 1800s and has that particular brand of Victorian baronial style that dotted the Highlands during the industrial boom. The grounds are private, so you can't wander about, but the setting itself tells you something about how the wealthy built their retreats in this region.

If you're after actual access, you'd need to be part of the Skibo Club members only. For everyone else, this is a drive-by attraction - five minutes, snap a photo of the battlements, and move on. Not worth planning your whole holiday around, but a solid spot to clock if you're touring the area between Tain and Dornoch.