Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park

It was the ancient seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, and the building you see today dates largely from 1844. The National Trust for Scotland looks after it now.

Inside, the rooms are full of dark wood, rich Victorian colour and sporting trophies, along with silver, porcelain, paintings and a grand carved staircase. Outside, the gardens hold a national collection of rhododendrons, a walled garden, a Bavarian summerhouse and an old ice house, and the woodland is home to red squirrels.

Around it lies Britain's only island country park, with more than ten miles of waymarked trails running from the shore to the slopes of Goatfell. Children can spend hours in the Isle Be Wild play park, and the Woodland Cafe serves lunch. The castle opens from late March to late October; the gardens and park stay open all year.