The Pineapple

The Pineapple is a summerhouse of 1761 built for the Earl of Dunmore at Dunmore Park near Airth, its upper storey a stone pineapple 14 metres high, carved leaf by leaf so that no joint holds water, and one of the strangest buildings in Scotland. Pineapples were then among Scotland's most exotic foods, grown in heated pits in the walled garden below. The National Trust for Scotland cares for the building, which is let as a holiday home by the Landmark Trust, and the walled garden and grounds around it are free to wander, with an orchard, an all-ability path from the car park to a viewing platform over the former curling pond, and woodland full of wildlife. Reviewers come for the photographs and the quiet, and say it is an easy stop off the M9. Tips from visitors: the access road is narrow and parking limited, there are no facilities beyond picnic spots, and the interior is not open unless you stay.