Loch nam Manaichean

You won't find crowds here, which is rather the point. Loch nam Manaichean sits on Islay as one of those quiet lochs that locals know about but tourists somehow miss, tucked away enough that you need to actually want to find it. The water is dark and still on most days, reflecting the moorland that rises around it - proper Hebridean scenery without the postcards.

It's a walker's loch, really. There's no visitor centre, no café, no interpretive boards. What you get instead is the kind of landscape that makes you understand why people come to the Hebrides in the first place. The walk in takes time depending on where you start, but it's worth allowing a good couple of hours if you want to sit by the water and actually take it in rather than power through it.

Families with patient kids would manage fine, though very young ones might find the journey tedious. Serious walkers and photographers come here for the light, especially in summer when the evenings stretch on. Birdwatchers often spot golden eagles in the area.

If you're staying at Islay Glamping Pods, this makes a decent morning or afternoon excursion - close enough to reach without burning the whole day, remote enough to feel like you've properly got away. The loch itself is free to visit, as these things tend to be on Islay. Go when the weather's settled rather than when the wind's up; the exposure round here can be fierce, and the loch looks frankly unwelcoming in a gale.