South Ley Lodge stone circle

You'll find yourself standing in the middle of moorland, surrounded by a rough circle of weathered stones that have been here for something like 4,500 years. South Ley Lodge stone circle sits near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, and it's the kind of place that makes you actually feel how old Scotland is - not just read about it in a guidebook.

There's no visitor centre, no interpretive boards, just you and the stones. That's either brilliant or disappointing depending on what you're after. If you like your archaeology with a bit of mystery and space to think, you'll get a lot from wandering around the circle and trying to work out why the ancients put it exactly here. If you need someone to tell you what you're looking at, you might find it a bit thin.

The walk in takes about twenty minutes from the nearest accessible point, and it's not particularly demanding - boggy in places, mind you, so good boots make sense. Allow an hour total if you're taking photos and actually sitting with it for a bit. Historians and stone-circle enthusiasts will have a field day. Families with very small kids might find the exposed moorland and lack of facilities a bit much.

It works well as part of a wider explore of Aberdeenshire's prehistoric sites. Hillhead Caravan Park is only two miles off, making it a realistic half-day outing if you're based there. Go midweek if you can - you'll have the stones to yourself.