Loch Uigeadail

The water here is dark and still, ringed by low hills that drop straight down to the shore. Loch Uigeadail sits on the Isle of Islay, about three miles south of the main settlement, and it's the kind of place that rewards a bit of effort to reach. There's no visitor centre, no facilities, no fanfare - just a Scottish loch doing what Scottish lochs do best.

You'll find it useful if you're walking the island or chasing distillery whisky tours, since the loch feeds several of Islay's famous water sources. History types might know it as the site of a 16th-century galley wreck. For most visitors, though, it's a proper excuse to get off the main road and breathe properly. The walk down takes twenty minutes from the nearest track; the water is cold enough to make you gasp.

Walkers and landscape photographers will get the most from this. It's not dramatic in the way that, say, a Highland loch can be - there's no sudden peak or waterfall. Instead, it's quietly moody, best visited when cloud is low and midges aren't biting. Allow an hour if you're lingering with a camera, less if you're just after a stretch.

If you're based at Islay Glamping Pods, this makes for an uncrowded morning or afternoon outing. Combine it with a distillery visit or the beaches near Port Ellen to fill out a proper day. The loch itself costs nothing and demands nothing except a willingness to walk.