Loch Duail

The water here sits absolutely still on a calm day, reflecting the raw moorland that rises up on all sides. Loch Duail is a proper remote Highland loch near Durness, the kind of place where you might see only one or two other people in an afternoon. It's not dramatic in the way some Scottish lochs are - no mountains towering overhead - but there's something about its isolation that works.

Walkers get the most from this spot. The loch sits on open moorland, so getting to the shore and following the water's edge for a few miles is entirely doable without scrambling or technical gear. You'll see red grouse in the heather and, if you're lucky, golden eagles working the thermals. The light here changes constantly - one minute moody and grey, the next almost Mediterranean as the clouds shift.

There's no facility, no café, no visitor centre. That's rather the point. Free to visit, naturally. Allow a good couple of hours if you want to walk the perimeter and actually sit for a bit. Early morning or late afternoon is when it's worth going - midday can feel a touch bleak.

If you're staying at Sango Sands Oasis, just down the road, this makes a cracking half-day outing before heading back for something warmer. The campsite's far better developed than this wild bit of water, which means you get the best of both worlds - comfort at base camp, wildness on your doorstep.