Lily Loch

The water here is so still on a calm morning that you can't tell where the loch ends and the sky begins. Lily Loch, just outside Stirling in the Scottish Lowlands, is a small freshwater lake that doesn't make the guidebooks but absolutely should. It's the kind of place locals know about and visitors stumble upon by accident.

What you're looking at is a shallow loch surrounded by reeds and bog land - proper wetland habitat, which means the birdwatching is genuinely good. Bring binoculars if you've got them. In spring and early summer, this becomes a haven for wildfowl, and the insect life is prolific enough to draw dragonflies that hang over the water like tiny helicopters. The walk around the perimeter takes about forty minutes at an easy pace, and it's flat throughout - no scrambling required.

This is walker country, mainly. Families with young kids might find an hour here satisfying rather than a full afternoon's outing. History enthusiasts won't find much - it's nature, pure and simple. The nearest town is Glasgow, about an hour away, but you're much closer to Stirling's castle and the Trossachs if you're planning a wider trip. Several holiday parks sit within five to six miles: Loch Lomond Retreat has solid reviews and makes a decent base for exploring this corner of Scotland. The glamping pods at Duncan Family Farms or around Loch Lomond proper offer something different if you fancy it.

Go early morning or late afternoon when the light turns golden and the place feels even more remote than it actually is.