St. Laurence's Scottish Episcopal Church

The kirk sits modest and grey-stoned on the edge of Laurencekirk, with that particular Highland stillness that makes you want to speak quietly. St. Laurence's is an Episcopal church, which means it carries a different weight of history than the Presbyterian churches dotting the area - this one's tied to the older traditions, the kind that survived being out of favour.

Inside, the light falls proper through tall windows onto simple wooden pews. It's not vast or showy, but that's partly the appeal. The stonework speaks to genuine age, and there's a genuine quietness here that's harder to find the closer you get to Aberdeen. You won't spend hours - twenty minutes to half an hour max for a look around - but it's the sort of place where you actually notice the detail work on the fixtures because there's no crowd bustling past you.

Worth stopping by if you're church-spotting through Aberdeenshire, especially if you're based at one of the nearby holiday parks. Royal Arch Riverside Park is only 2.7 miles south, which makes this a manageable morning walk before heading out to the Cairngorms or down to St Cyrus. The village itself is quietly functional rather than touristy, which some will find refreshing and others might find a touch dull.

Bring a camera if you're interested in ecclesiastical architecture. Bring patience if you're hoping to find it open - contact details are thin on the ground, so a quick phone to the local tourist office in Laurencekirk might save you a wasted trip.