1-Bedroom Hot Tub Lodge in Duns

Manderston is an Edwardian stately home near Duns in the Scottish Borders, remodelled by architect John Kinross with no expense spared. The opulent state rooms include a ballroom and a marble hall, and the house has the only silver staircase in the world. You can also see the extensive "downstairs" domestic quarters, and the world's largest collection of Huntley & Palmers biscuit tins.

Bamburgh Castle is a Grade I listed fortress on the Northumberland coast, built on a crag of volcanic dolerite above the North Sea. It covers nine acres of rocky plateau and is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country.

Tip: Prams and pushchairs aren't allowed in the State Rooms, so bring a baby carrier; there is a free shuttle buggy from the on-site car park up the hill.

Floors Castle is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe, near Kelso in the Scottish Borders. Despite the name it is an estate house rather than a fortress, designed by William Adam in the 1720s and later given its turrets and battlements by William Playfair.

Tip: Different parts of the estate open at different times, so check the Floors Castle website for what is open and how to enter before you set off.

Siccar Point is a rocky coastal promontory in the Scottish Borders, near Cockburnspath, and one of the most important places in the history of geology. It is an IUGS Geoheritage Site. Here, gently sloping reddish-brown Devonian rock rests on dark, near-vertical Silurian rock beneath it. This meeting of two very different rock layers is known as Hutton's Unconformity.

Tip: Head for the promontory itself, where the unconformity is best seen in three dimensions; the ruined St Helen's Chapel is about a kilometre to the west.

Lindisfarne Castle is a 16th-century fort on Holy Island, reached across a tidal causeway. In 1901 Sir Edwin Lutyens turned it into an Arts and Crafts home, and inside you can see the stone vaults of the old Tudor gun battery. Outside, upturned boats serve as sheds, and there's a walled garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll.

Tip: Check the safe causeway crossing times before you travel, then park in the main island car park. The castle is a one-mile walk each way, and the approach is up steep cobbles, so wear sturdy footwear.

Tantallon is a ruined 14th-century fortress near North Berwick, set on a clifftop headland above the Firth of Forth. A massive red sandstone curtain wall blocks off the promontory, with sea cliffs protecting the other three sides. It was home to the Red Douglas family and was besieged three times, the last by Cromwell's army.

Tip: Head up to the battlements for the views over the North Sea to the Bass Rock and its seabird colonies.

Mellerstain House is a Borders country house, and one of the first buildings Robert Adam designed in his 'Castle' style. Guided tours take you through rooms with his delicate plasterwork ceilings and wall decoration. The library is the finest of them. On the top floor, the gallery displays costumes, fans, embroideries and documents.

Tip: The house is open for tours only part of the year, while the gardens stay open year-round, so check the Mellerstain website before you set off.

Chillingham Castle is a 13th-century fortress in Northumberland, listed Grade I. It stands on what was once the border between England and Scotland, and was repeatedly attacked and besieged. Edward I stayed here in 1298, and James I in 1617. Inside you can see its grand rooms, including the great hall, and walk through the gardens and grounds. There are lakes and a tearoom too.