There are many amazing and dramatic places in Scotland – the imposing climbers heaven that is Glencoe, the vast mountains of Torridon, or the endless emptiness of Sutherland and the windswept Granit domes of the Cairngorms, the sparkling jewels that make up the western Isles or the long, ancient split in the earth that is the Great Glen, the wonderful trees and lochs of Perthshire, the dramatic flanks of Skye and the beauty of Mull, the gentle scenic quietness of Dumfries and Galloway or the distant, other timeness of the Black Isle and the Moray Coast. There’s also the ancient heart that is Dunkeld, the canny streets of Glasgow or the Highland seat of Inverness, the seafood of Oban and the west coast and the bright lights, twisting streets and warm pubs of Edinburgh.

Scotland has a wealth of highlights and yet, my favourite place is all and none of these. My favourite place in all of Scotland is an anonymous strip of turf, tucked away amidst the trees in rural Aberdeenshire. It is so, because from here, I can be anywhere within an hour or two – from the gentle grasslands of the borders to the wind-beaten wilds of Orkney and Shetland if I so wish it, and everywhere in between. With the help of an old and tatty aeroplane, this simple, mushy stretch of sodden turf becomes a portal to every wonder that this ancient land has to offer. My favourite place in Scotland is on my doorstep, because from there, all lays at my feet.