Kessock Highland Lodges - Fun Days Out

Landmark Forest Adventure Park is a nature-based theme and adventure park in Carrbridge, set within an area of ancient pine woodland. It opened in 1970 and was one of the first purpose-built visitor centres in Europe.

There are around 22 attractions, a mix of outdoor and indoor. You can zoom down the Wild Water Coasters, tackle treetop nets and climbing challenges, and meet life-sized dinosaurs in Dinosaur Kingdom. The Butterfly House, the Bamboozeleum and the Red Squirrel Trail add quieter stops, and there are nature trails through the forest. The Tropical Hot-House and Dinosaur Kingdom give you somewhere under cover if the weather turns. It works well for families with children who like to be active outdoors.

Tip: Book online in advance, as tickets are date specific and cheaper than buying on the day.

Castle Leod is the seat of Clan Mackenzie, a Category A-listed red sandstone tower house near the Victorian spa village of Strathpeffer, with Ben Wyvis behind it. It is believed to stand on the site of an ancient Pictish fort, and the Earl of Cromartie's family still lives here. Inside, the rooms hold Mackenzie portraits, antique furnishings and large old maps, and knowledgeable volunteers are on hand to tell the stories. It is widely seen as the inspiration for Castle Leoch in the Outlander books.

Outside, the tree walk is a highlight. Plaques explain who planted each tree and why, and you will pass Scotland's oldest recorded Spanish chestnut, planted in 1556, and Britain's largest giant sequoia. There is a self-service tea room with a wood burning stove. It suits Outlander fans, history lovers and anyone who enjoys remarkable trees.

Tip: The castle is open to the public only on selected days each year, so check the website before you set off. Parking is for open days and private tour guests only.

Urquhart Castle is a ruined fortress on Strone Point, a headland overlooking Loch Ness, about two kilometres east of Drumnadrochit. It was once one of Scotland's largest castles, and its story takes in the Wars of Independence, raids by the Lords of the Isles and the Jacobite Risings, when departing government troops blew it up. The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries.

Wander through the remains to see the gatehouse, picture the banquets once held in the Great Hall, peer into the gloomy prison cell and take a look at the full-sized trebuchet. Climbing the five-storey Grant Tower rewards you with panoramic views of the loch and the Great Glen. It is a good stop if you like castles, ruins and loch scenery.

Tip: Book your visit online in advance to guarantee entry.

Cawdor Castle stands near Nairn in the Scottish Highlands. It is built around a 15th-century tower house, with later additions enclosing a courtyard reached by a drawbridge. The castle began as a Calder property and passed to the Campbells in the 16th century. In the lowest level of the tower you can see the remains of the small holly tree it was built around. It is linked to Shakespeare's Macbeth, though the story is largely fiction and the castle was built long after Macbeth's time.

Outside, there are three gardens: the Walled Garden, the Flower Garden and the Wild Garden. Cawdor Big Wood has nature trails through ancient oakwood. You can tour the castle with an audio guide, available in 10 languages. There is also a 9-hole golf course and the Courtyard Café for a break.

Tip: The castle and gardens only open to visitors for part of the year, so check the Cawdor Castle website for reopening dates before you set off.

The Dalmore is a Highland single malt distillery in Alness, about 20 miles north of Inverness. It sits on the banks of the Cromarty Firth, overlooking the Black Isle, and has been making whisky since 1839. The distillery's website offers a distillery experience that you can reserve.

Dalmore whisky is matured in American white oak bourbon casks and sherry casks from Gonzalez Byass. The core range includes 12, 15, 18 and 25 year old bottlings. The stills are unusual too: the wash stills and spirit stills each come in two sizes, which changes the character of the spirit. The distillery also has a dramatic past, with a 1920 explosion from a mine detonation destroying much of the site.

Fort George is a large 18th-century fortress at Ardersier, built after the Jacobite rising of 1745 to control the Highlands. Its star-shaped design survives virtually unaltered, with grassed-over walls, bastions, a drawbridge and a wide ditch. The fortress has never been attacked, and it has been described as "a harmony of pure reason and serene menace".

Much of the site is open to visitors. Historic Environment Scotland displays reconstructions of life in the fort's early days, and the Grand Magazine holds the Seafield Collection of Arms and is a stage for actors recreating the lives and stories of 18th-century soldiers. The Highlanders' Museum, in the former Lieutenant Governors' House, shows uniforms, weapons, medals, photographs and paintings. It suits history lovers, families and anyone who enjoys a good walk around impressive defences.

Tip: Head for the Grand Magazine to see the Seafield Collection of Arms and, if you're lucky, the actors bringing 18th-century soldiers' stories to life.

Tomatin is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery in the village of Tomatin, about 25 minutes south of Inverness. The distillery was established in 1897, closed in 1906 and reopened in 1909. By 1974 it had 23 stills and was the largest malt distillery in the world. That number was later reduced to 12, as the focus moved to single malts.

The distillery offers tours, and you can book them through its website. Its whiskies are known for being unpeated, light, soft and fruity, and it also makes Cù Bòcan, a lightly peated single malt. It suits whisky lovers and anyone curious about how a Highland distillery has changed over more than a century. The Takara Shuzo company bought the distillery in the 1980s, and the Japanese owners remain part of its story.

Tip: Tours can be booked through the Tomatin website.