Lochan Sgeireach

You'll find Lochan Sgeireach tucked away in the Highland landscape near Sutherland - a proper little freshwater loch that rewards those willing to leave the main roads behind. The water's dark and still most days, reflecting the surrounding moorland with that particular Scottish clarity that makes you wonder why you don't visit more often.

It's not a destination you'll queue for. No visitor centre, no café, no marked paths with waymarkers. What you get is solitude and the chance to watch what the Highlands actually look like when no one's selling it to you. The shoreline's rough and boggy in places, but that's rather the point - you're seeing it on its own terms.

Walkers will find it worth the effort, though it's not a casual stroll. Photographers sometimes make the trip for the light at certain times of day. Anglers know it too. Families with restless toddlers might find it bit underwhelming after ten minutes, to be honest.

If you're staying at Clachtoll Beach Campsite - which is excellent, by the way - Lochan Sgeireach is close enough for a morning ramble without it eating the whole day. The loch sits quietly on the landscape about 2 miles away, and the journey out is as much the experience as the destination itself. Allow a couple of hours round trip if you want to potter about properly. No admission charge, no opening hours to check. Just turn up.