Loch Carsaig

The water here is proper dark and still, ringed by low hills that fold away towards the Lowlands. Loch Carsaig sits just outside Castle Douglas, a modest stretch of water that doesn't shout for attention the way some Scottish lochs do - but that's rather the point. It's the kind of place you stumble upon between other things, or deliberately seek out if you want an hour's walk without the crowds that plague Loch Lomond.

There's a decent path running along the eastern shore, muddy in places after rain, with decent views across the water towards the far bank. The loch itself is fine for fishing - it's stocked with trout - and if you've got a boat or access to one, you can get properly out on it. For walkers, allow a couple of hours for a circuit depending on which way you fancy going. No fee, no parking drama, just turn up. The best light hits it in the late afternoon when the hills catch some colour.

It suits people who actually want to walk rather than photograph, and families with older kids who won't complain about a two-mile tromp. If you're camping at Loch Ken Holiday Park or the more highly-rated Brandedleys site down the road - both five miles away - Carsaig is an easy morning or evening detour. Don't come expecting Instagram moments; come for the quiet. It's the sort of loch you'll forget you visited until someone asks if you've been to Dumfries and Galloway, and you suddenly remember it was rather nice.