Asgog Loch

The water here is dark and still, reflecting the bare hillsides in a way that feels properly isolated. Asgog Loch sits in the hills above Tarbert, and unless you're deliberately heading this way, you'll likely miss it entirely - which is rather the point.

It's a small freshwater loch with no facilities to speak of, no car park, and no obvious way in. You'll walk to it rather than drive, and that's what makes it worth the effort. The surrounding moorland is bleak in the best possible way - rolling grassland dotted with heather, and views that stretch for miles when the weather plays ball. Walkers will get far more out of this than casual visitors. There's nothing to "do" here in the tourist sense. You come to walk the hills, maybe spot some golden eagles if you're lucky, and enjoy the complete absence of other people.

Give yourself a good two hours if you're starting from Tarbert. The route isn't signposted, so you'll need decent map-reading skills or a GPS app. It's free, obviously - there's nobody here to charge you. Bring waterproofs. The weather can turn quickly, and the exposed terrain offers no shelter.

If you're staying at The Gather holiday park nearby, this makes a proper full-day walk rather than a quick diversion. Pair it with Tarbert's considerably more civilised attractions - the harbour, the seafood restaurants - to round out a day. But come here for the silence and the space, not for anything else.