Loch a' Chinn Mhonaich

The drive to Loch a' Chinn Mhonaich takes you away from the main tourist drag around Inverness, which alone makes it worth the effort. You're looking at a proper Highland loch - dark water, steep banks, the kind of place where the light changes every five minutes and you understand why people write poetry about this landscape.

There's not much in the way of formal facilities here, which is rather the point. This is a spot for walkers and photographers who want to escape the Loch Ness crowds. The loch itself is small and intimate, surrounded by heather moorland and pine forest. You can walk the shoreline easily enough, though the terrain's uneven in places - bring decent boots. Allow a couple of hours if you're taking it slowly and actually looking around.

Families with older kids will enjoy it; little ones might find it a bit bleak and featureless. Birdwatchers and landscape painters, though, will spend half the day here happy as anything. Winter and early spring are often best for light, though you'll freeze. Summer brings midges that'll test your patience.

It works brilliantly as a morning outing if you're based at one of the nearby parks - Loch Ness Holiday Park is only 2.3 miles away, making it a manageable drive without feeling rushed. You can be back at the caravan by lunchtime. Bring a flask. There's nowhere to buy a coffee within miles.