Cowgill Lower Reservoir

The water sits there, calm and grey-blue, hemmed in by moorland that rolls away towards the Pentland Hills. Cowgill Lower Reservoir isn't the sort of place you stumble upon by accident - you have to want to be here, which is precisely why it works.

It's a working reservoir, so don't expect facilities or cafes. What you get instead is proper peace. The walk around it takes you through a landscape that feels genuinely remote despite being only a few miles south of Biggar. The path is well-trodden enough to follow without drama, and the views across the water to the surrounding hills are decent enough to stop you in your tracks a couple of times.

Walkers will find it rewarding, especially those based at Mount View Caravan Park five miles north - it's an easy afternoon outing without the crowds you'd get at more famous Scottish lochs. Photography types will appreciate the light on the water at dusk. Families with young children might find it a bit bleak if the weather turns, and there's not much to do besides walk, so don't plan more than an hour or two here unless you're genuinely into moorland and solitude.

Free to visit, and you can access it from various points around the perimeter. Spring and early autumn are probably your best bets for weather - midwinter can be fairly grim and windswept. Not somewhere you'll spend an entire day, but a solid addition to a weekend exploring South Lanarkshire's quieter corners.