Loch Mheugaidh

The loch sits quietly in the hills above Pitlochry, the kind of place you stumble upon rather than deliberately seek out. It's a modest stretch of water - nothing like Loch Lomond's drama - but that's rather the point. You get clear reflections of the surrounding slopes, a few boathouses dotting the shoreline, and mostly just the sound of water lapping against the banks.

Walkers are the obvious winners here. The circuit around the loch takes a couple of hours at a gentle pace, and the paths are well-trodden enough to navigate without faffing about with maps. The views open up progressively as you climb slightly towards the western end, and on a clear day you can see right across the valley. It's the sort of walk that feels purposeful without being punishing.

The main pull, honestly, is solitude. You won't find cafes or visitor centres or throngs of school groups. It's just you, the water, and the Perthshire landscape doing what it does best. Fishing types might catch trout. Photographers will find it worth stopping for an hour or so, though don't expect Instagram-spectacular drama.

If you're camping at Kilvrecht Campsite - a decent spot about six miles down towards Pitlochry - this makes a cracking half-day outing. Pair it with a walk around town itself and you've got a proper day sorted. Worth the drive up from lower Perthshire, though not worth planning your entire holiday around.