The White House, Craigmillar

You won't find crowds at this ruined fortified house on the outskirts of Musselburgh, which is rather the point. The White House, or what remains of it, sits as a stubborn reminder of 16th-century domestic life - all harled walls and crow-stepped gables rising from overgrown grounds. It's the sort of place that rewards curiosity but won't keep you more than half an hour unless you're properly into Scottish tower houses and their quirks.

The site itself is free to wander around, though there's precious little interpretation on the ground. What you get is atmosphere, mainly - the chance to read the bones of a building that once mattered to local landowners and imagine how it functioned when it was intact. The views across East Lothian farmland aren't dramatic, but they're pleasant enough on a clear day.

History buffs and architecture types will appreciate the details: the stone quoins, the fenestration pattern, the way it's positioned defensively. Kids might find it a bit underwhelming unless they're the sort to invent elaborate games in ruins. It's genuinely free and genuinely quiet, which makes it useful as a short stop rather than a destination in itself.

If you're based at Drummohr Camping & Glamping Site nearby, it's worth the five-minute drive to break up a day exploring the wider Musselburgh area. Think of it as a punctuation mark rather than the main event.