Heading just 45 minutes northwest from Glasgow will bring you to an incredible house hidden within a fascinating chain mailbox.
The Hill House in Helensburgh was the brainchild of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his often unsung wife Margaret Macdonald, who were employed by publisher Walter Blackie to build a villa in build a modern villa on a plot of land in the town.
The partnership saw Charles spend time with Blackie and his family in their home to see how they moved around to see how best they could create the perfect house for them.
The result was an architectural marvel, built in 1902, which mixed 'Toshie's' designs with Margaret's artworks to create a stunning family home.
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Though it was lived in (and loved) by the Blackie family for decades, eventually problems with water damage meant that they couldn't care for it and eventually it was passed into the hands of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).
Much like the genius used to create the house in the first place, the NTS have also come up with an incredibly innovative way to protect this wonderful piece of Scottish history.
To dry out the house and prevent it from dissolving in Scotland's weather, they have encased in effectively what is a giant chainmail umbrella.
Designed with a roof that prevents the rain hitting the house and pioneering chain mail with stops the elements coming in from the sides, but allows the building to breathe, the box is helping to preserve Hill House and dry it out.
It's made of 34 million of individual links and is considered to be the largest piece of chain mail in the world.
The experimental chain mail preservation has meant that the building has become an architectural marvel encased within another architectural marvel making it even more fascinating for people to see.
Even better, the box has internal walkways meaning you can see the house from above and the side giving you access to angles like never before.
With the house itself, a shop, café and a garden it's a fun day for families with inquisitive kids. Booking ahead isn't required and the house is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, with tickets prices starting at £13 for adults and £6 for children (free for NTS members).
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