Loch Fad

The water here is flat, cold, and ringed by steep banks that make you feel rather shut in - which is precisely why locals love it. Loch Fad sits just north of Dunoon and is one of those Scottish lochs that doesn't bother with postcard drama; it's intimate and moody instead.

You can walk the full circuit if you're keen, though the path gets a bit rough in places and the vegetation closes in. Most people come for the fishing - brown trout mostly - or to kayak. The banks are accessible enough that you won't feel trapped, but there's no proper visitor infrastructure here. No cafe, no car park facilities, just the loch and whatever weather Argyll decides to throw at you.

Families with older kids who can handle a proper walk will get more from it than young children. This isn't a splash-about destination. Serious walkers and anglers will find the isolation appealing; everyone else might find an hour enough before heading back to Dunoon for coffee.

If you're staying at Beach House Pods nearby, it's worth combining with a walk here - the pods sit at a decent altitude, so you're already partway up the landscape. Bring waterproofs, sturdy shoes, and lower your expectations about signposting. What you get instead is the kind of quiet you don't find near more famous lochs. Free access, naturally.