Kytra Lock

The lock gates at Kytra are where Loch Ness proper begins, marking the southern end of the Caledonian Canal - that marvel of early 19th-century engineering that cuts right across Scotland. You can walk up to them from Fort Augustus, a short ramble that takes maybe twenty minutes from the town centre, and watch the water levels shift as boats pass through. It's free, naturally, and takes as long as you fancy standing there.

What draws people here is partly the engineering itself - those gates are working infrastructure, not a museum piece - and partly the sheer drama of the loch opening up before you. On a clear day the water stretches north proper dark and cold-looking, with the mountains rising up either side. It's the sort of spot where you understand why people get obsessed with what might be living in that water.

Families won't find much to occupy the very young for long, but keen walkers and anyone interested in the canal's history will get something from it. Photography enthusiasts come for the light on the water early morning or late afternoon. The town of Fort Augustus itself is the obvious base - it's built around these locks - though Loch Ness Highland Resort lies just two miles out if you want the park experience. The spot connects nicely with a wider day exploring the canal towpath or heading up Loch Ness itself. Go when the weather's decent; Scottish drizzle does nothing for the view here.