The Highland Coos ("Cows")

Long-haired Highland cattle are dotted across fields near Callander, and spotting them is half the charm of exploring this corner of Stirling. These shaggy beasts - properly called Highland coos - are stockier than you'd expect, with horns that could skewer a car and coats designed to withstand Scottish weather that would break lesser cattle. You don't visit them so much as encounter them during a countryside walk or drive through the rolling land around Callander.

They're brilliant for families with young children because there's novelty in seeing something genuinely different from lowland cattle. The horns mesmerise kids, and unlike many roadside attractions, this costs you nothing - just the petrol to get there and time to stop and look. Photography types will spend a decent chunk of time trying to catch the light right on their coats, particularly in autumn when everything's golden.

The practicality is straightforward: there's no visitor centre or gift shop, so treat it as a quick stop during a longer walk or drive through Stirling's countryside. Callander itself is the base - a solid enough town with proper walking routes and outdoor shops. If you're staying at either Callander Woods Holiday Park or the five-star Keltie Bridge Caravan Park down the road, the Highland coos are worth a fifteen-minute detour to see them properly rather than glimpsing them from a car window. Best in late morning when they're actually grazing rather than sheltering in shade.