Pitcarmick Loch

There's a particular kind of quiet you only find at Scottish hill lochs, and Pitcarmick has it in spades. This moorland water sits high in Perthshire, surrounded by rough heather and the sort of landscape that makes you understand why people moved here centuries ago - plenty of space, reasonable shelter, fish in the water.

It's a working loch rather than a visitor attraction with facilities, which means you'll need to be self-sufficient. The drive from Erigmore takes you past proper rural Tayside, and once you're there, you're essentially alone with the water and whatever light the day decides to throw at it. Walkers get the most from it - the moorland around the loch offers decent rambles if you don't mind boggy ground and bracken, and on clear days you can see a fair stretch of the surrounding hills.

Fishing types might know it already. The brown trout population is reasonable, though you'll want local knowledge about access and seasons. Photography works well here too, especially in early morning or late afternoon when the light comes in low.

If you're based at Corriefodly Holiday Park six miles away, Pitcarmick makes an easy half-day trip - worth an hour or two if you're after some genuine solitude and don't mind a loch that's more about the walk and the view than having benches or a café. Free, obviously. Go when the midges aren't thick.