St Ternan's Scottish Episcopal Church

The kirk sits quietly above Banchory, perched on a slope that gives you proper views down the Dee Valley. It's a modest Scottish Episcopal Church - stone-built, unshowy, the sort of place that gets under your skin precisely because it doesn't try. St Ternan's dates back centuries, though the current structure is Victorian, and there's something about the light coming through those small windows that makes you understand why people bothered to build here in the first place.

You're looking at maybe twenty minutes inside, longer if you're the type to read every inscription on the walls. The churchyard itself is worth lingering in - proper old headstones, mature trees, and genuine quiet. This appeals most to walkers tackling routes in the area or anyone with a genuine interest in Scottish religious architecture rather than those after a major tourist tick-box.

There's no admission fee that we're aware of, though you should respect it's an active place of worship - check service times before you rock up. The approach is straightforward from Banchory town centre, making it an easy add-on if you're based at one of the caravan parks nearby. Banchory Lodge is practically on the doorstep at 0.3 miles, while Silverbank sits 1.4 miles away if you want fractionally more space. It works as a gentle morning walk from either, nothing strenuous, and the views across the valley are genuinely worth the short climb. Come on a clear day and you'll see why the Romans, and later the Scots, thought this spot was worth defending.