Loch Heilen

The water at Loch Heilen sits black and still, ringed by moorland that stretches away toward nothing in particular. It's a proper remote spot, the kind of place you stumble upon when driving the A838 near Thurso and decide to take a left turn just to see what's there.

This is fishing country, first and foremost. The loch holds brown trout, and locals know it as a decent day out if you've got a rod and the patience for it. What makes it worth the detour, though, is the sheer emptiness of it all. No cafes, no visitor centre, no facilities to speak of. Just the water, the hills, and the kind of silence you only get in the far north of Scotland.

Walkers will find the landscape around the loch compelling rather than dramatic. The ground is soft and boggy in places, the paths aren't signposted, and views open up gradually as you move along the shore. Expect a couple of hours wandering if you want to get a proper sense of it. Bring decent boots and waterproofs. Families with young children might find it a bit bleak and featureless - there's no playground nonsense here, and the nearest amenities are back in Thurso.

Little Croft Highlands is only 3.6 miles away, making this a natural morning or evening walk from the campsite. It's the kind of place that appeals to people who've come north deliberately for solitude rather than scenery-spotting. Free to visit, needless to say. Go when the weather's settled. Midges can be biblical in summer evenings.