St. Machar's Cathedral, Aberdeen

Legend tells us that in AD 581 St. Machar received word from on high that he should establish a church where a river bends into the shape of a bishop's crosier – and it is supposedly on that very site just north of modern day Aberdeen's city centre that St. Machar's Cathedral was founded in 1136.

Featuring a striking pair of twin towers, the building that stands today was constructed in stages between 1378 and 1552 and is a fine example of a fortified Kirk. Inside there's a magnificent 16th century wooden ceiling painted with coats of arms, and the walls may hold another, more sinister treasure.

In 1305, the legendary knight and Scottish patriot Sir William Wallace was hung, drawn and quartered for the part he played in the Wars of Scottish Independence. The quarters of Wallace's dismembered body were sent to four different parts of Scotland to act as a warning to others. It is said that his left arm was interred within the walls of St. Machar's – where it supposedly remains to this day.