Culag Woods

The walk through Culag Woods feels more like stumbling into someone's private kingdom than visiting a public forest. Ancient pines tower overhead, their trunks thick as telegraph poles, and the ground beneath your feet is soft with decades of needles. The paths wind through genuine Highland woodland - none of your manicured forestry plantation nonsense - and if you time it right, you'll spot red squirrels flitting between the branches.

It's a solid choice for families who can handle a bit of rough terrain without needing a café at the halfway point. The walk takes a couple of hours depending on which routes you fancy, and there's enough variety that kids won't descend into mutiny before the end. Walkers will appreciate the proper wild feel of it - this isn't a tourist attraction pretending to be nature, it's the real deal.

Nearby Sutherland sits close by, and if you're basing yourself at Clachtoll Beach Campsite just down the road, Culag makes an excellent half-day adventure. The campsite itself is excellent (4.5 miles away), so you can combine a morning or afternoon here with beach time without much faffing about. No facilities in the woods themselves, so pack water and something to eat. Best visited on a dry day when the paths aren't boggy - autumn and early summer are ideal.