Tom an Iasgaire Fort

The ruins of Tom an Iasgaire Fort sit on a low hill overlooking Loch Awe, and frankly, they're easy to walk past without realising what you're looking at. What remains is a rough stone broch - an Iron Age defensive structure that's probably around 2,000 years old - though time and weather have reduced it to tumbled walls and overgrown foundations. You'll need to scramble a bit to get up close, and the undergrowth can be thick, but that's half the charm.

It's the sort of place that appeals most to archaeology buffs and serious walkers rather than casual visitors. If you're staying at Loch Awe Holiday Park nearby, it's a decent detour on a ramble around the loch, giving you something tangible to look at beyond the landscape. The views across the water are the real draw - the fort sits in a proper commanding position, which explains why someone bothered building here in the first place.

There's no visitor facility, no interpretation boards, and no obvious parking, so you're relying on your own knowledge or a decent guidebook to make sense of the stones. Allow maybe 30 minutes if you're just stopping to poke about, longer if you want to photograph it properly or sit and absorb the setting. Best visited when the ground's dry - it gets boggy in winter. Free to visit, naturally, and accessible year-round, though the Argyll landscape is at its most appealing from late spring through early autumn.