Clear Sky Lodge Park - Fun Days Out

Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined stronghold in the remote valley of the Hermitage Water, in Scotland's wild border country. It was targeted for 400 years because of its role in controlling the Scottish Middle March, and it has a name as one of the most sinister and atmospheric castles in Scotland.

Wander through the ruins and picture the brutal struggles for power that once raged along the Anglo-Scottish border. The castle's story takes in murder, torture and treason, with names such as Mary, Queen of Scots and the Earl of Bothwell woven through it. A fact-finding quiz is available to follow as you explore, which adds a bit of fun to the visit.

It's a good pick if you enjoy border history and like the splendid isolation of a castle set well away from everything else. The castle is run by Historic Environment Scotland.

Tip: In the summer season (1 April to 31 October) it is covered by the Historic Environment Scotland Explorer Pass, but not in winter, so check before you go.

Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary fort just south of Hadrian's Wall, near the village of Bardon Mill in Northumberland. It was occupied from roughly 85 AD to 370 AD and is one of Europe's most important Roman archaeological sites, with live excavations taking place every year. It is also the home of the Vindolanda Writing Tablets, wooden leaf-tablets that were the oldest surviving handwritten documents in Britain when they were found.

On site you can explore the fort and its museum, and see artefacts and films that bring the Roman frontier to life. Guided tours of the fort give an overview of the site and its archaeological highlights. The Trust also runs the Roman Army Museum, based at the site of Magna Roman Fort beside a sweeping stretch of the Wall, and a single Saver Ticket covers both sites. It suits anyone who likes history and wants to see archaeology still being uncovered.

Tip: Combine it with the Roman Army Museum on one Saver Ticket, and check the tour timetable for the guided fort tours.

Housesteads Roman Fort is an auxiliary fort on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. It sits at the end of a one-mile crag of the Whin Sill, which the Wall runs over, overlooking sparsely populated hills. It has been called the "grandest station" on the Wall and is one of the best-preserved and most extensively displayed forts. The fort's name has been given as Vercovicium, Borcovicus, Borcovicium and Velurtion.

Because the fort had no running water supply, it relied on rainwater, and large stone-lined cisterns can still be seen around its edge. It also has one of the best-preserved stone latrines in Roman Britain. Outside the fort, foundations of the civil settlement remain, including the so-called "Murder House". Finds from the fort are displayed in the site museum. The site is owned by the National Trust and cared for by English Heritage. Vindolanda fort is about 2 miles away.

Kelso Abbey was founded in the 1100s and was one of Scotland's largest and wealthiest religious houses. The monks moved here in 1128, close to King David I's new castle at Roxburgh. Next to nothing remains of the sprawling monastery precinct, but what survives of the church is one of the most spectacular architectural achievements in medieval Scotland. The standing remains are the west tower crossing and part of the infirmary, built in a massive Romanesque style.

The abbey sits on the edge of the historic burgh of Kelso, described by Historic Environment Scotland as one of Scotland's prettiest towns, and has been a favourite subject for artists since the late 1600s. It overlooks the meeting of the Tweed and Teviot rivers. Other Historic Environment Scotland sites nearby include Smailholm Tower, Dryburgh Abbey, Jedburgh Abbey and Melrose Abbey.

Tip: Smailholm Tower is about 6 miles away and Dryburgh Abbey about 9 miles, so both are easy to add to the day.