Gairloch Golf Club

On the northwestern coast of Scotland, where the mountains tumble down to Loch Gairloch, sits a proper Scottish golf course that doesn't take itself too seriously. Gairloch Golf Club is a links-style nine-holer right on the doorstep of the village, playable twice for eighteen holes if you fancy the full loop. The views across the loch to the Torridon peaks are genuinely distracting - not ideal when you're lining up a putt, but brilliant if you're here for the experience rather than your handicap.

This is very much a locals' club with a welcoming attitude to visitors. You'll pay around £20-30 for a round (it varies by season), and you don't need to be scratch golfer to enjoy it. The course is tight in places and rewards accuracy over power; the rough can be forgiving, the greens run true. Figure on two hours for nine holes, three hours if you're playing the full eighteen. Best visited spring through autumn, though winter rounds are possible if you're properly hardy.

If you're staying at Sands Caravan & Camping just down the road - a proper excellent site, that one - a morning round here before lunch in Gairloch village makes for an ideal Highland day. Even non-golfers appreciate the walk around the perimeter for those loch views. You won't find manicured perfection, but you will find the kind of golf that feels like it belongs to the landscape rather than fighting against it.