Loch Burifa'

A quiet stretch of water in the far north, Loch Burifa' sits a handful of miles south of Thurso where the landscape starts to feel genuinely remote. There's no visitor centre or facilities here - just the loch itself, shallow in parts, ringed by low moorland that turns copper and gold depending on the season.

The main draw is straightforward: if you're after a peaceful walk with water views and barely another soul around, this delivers. The shoreline is accessible in places, and on a clear day you get proper Highland emptiness, the kind of thing that makes you understand why people move up here. It's not dramatic or particularly photogenic like some of the deeper lochs further south, but that's rather the point.

Walkers will find it worth a detour, especially if you're based nearby at Little Croft Highlands, the campsite just under four miles away. Families with young kids might struggle to find a full afternoon's entertainment, though it's fine for a leg-stretch break during a touring holiday. Birdwatchers occasionally get excited about it too.

There's nothing to pay, nothing to book, no opening hours to worry about. Just turn up whenever the mood takes you. The drive from Thurso is quick enough that you could easily combine it with a morning in town before heading out. Best visited when the weather's settled rather than in full Scottish drizzle, obviously. Allow an hour for a mooch around, longer if you fancy a proper walk across the surrounding moor.