Lochan nam Breac

This small loch sits tucked into the hills above Gairloch, and on a clear day the light catches the water in a way that makes you understand why people bothered to name it at all. Lochan nam Breac translates as 'loch of the speckled trout', which tells you exactly what draws folk here - it's a proper spot for a quiet fish, or simply a walk that feels properly remote without being difficult to reach.

The landscape around it is classic Highland moorland: open, windswept, with views that stretch toward the coast if you time it right. There's no visitor infrastructure here - no café, no car park, no facilities - which is exactly the appeal. You'll need to park near Gairloch and walk in, which takes a good 45 minutes depending on your route and fitness. Families with young children might find that a bit much for what amounts to a moorland loch, but walkers and photographers will absolutely get their money's worth.

It's free to visit, obviously. Go in late spring or early autumn when midges are less vicious and the light's particularly lovely. If you're staying at Sands Caravan & Camping, just three miles down the road, this makes a cracking half-day walk - the kind that leaves you tired and hungry in exactly the right way. Winter's dramatic up here, but often too wet to be properly enjoyable. The real win is treating this as part of a wider ramble through Gairloch's moorlands rather than a destination in itself.