Watt Cairn

The cairn itself is modest - a pile of stones on high ground near Helensburgh with a marker commemorating James Watt, the engineer who revolutionised steam power. You won't find much fuss or fanfare here. What you do get is a walk worth doing, especially if you're staying at Rosneath Castle Caravan Park or Hunters Quay Holiday Village and fancy stretching your legs with some actual purpose.

The real appeal is the view. From up here you can see across the Firth of Clyde properly - the water, the hills beyond, boats moving about. On a clear day it's genuinely good. The walk to reach it is straightforward enough, though it does involve a bit of climbing and the ground can be boggy depending on weather. Allow an hour if you're moving at a reasonable pace.

History buffs will appreciate the Watt connection - he's a big deal in industrial Scotland - but frankly this isn't a destination in itself. It works as part of a morning's walking from the nearby villages rather than a standalone trip. Families with young children might find the actual cairn underwhelming once they realise it's just stones, though the walk itself is fine if they're happy trudging uphill.

Free to visit, obviously. No facilities at the site itself. If you're based at either of the holiday parks nearby and want a proper walk with a tiny bit of historical backbone, this delivers. Just don't expect tea rooms or interpretation boards. It's a cairn. You climb to it, you look about, you come back down.