Loch Braigh Bruthaich

Drive west from Inverness and you'll find yourself at a loch that barely registers on most tourist maps - and that's precisely why it's worth the detour. Loch Braigh Bruthaich sits quietly in the Highlands, surrounded by moorland that rolls away in every direction, with hardly another soul in sight.

It's a proper walker's loch rather than a leisure spot. There's no visitor centre, no café, no facilities really - just water, sky, and the kind of silence you don't get near the main attractions. The shores are accessible enough if you fancy a wander, and on a clear day the light across the water is genuinely lovely. It's the sort of place where you notice things: a golden eagle maybe, or how the wind moves across the heather.

Unless you're specifically into quiet lochs and moorland scenery, you won't spend hours here. An hour's walk and a good look around is probably your lot. But if you're staying at Tomatin Glamping Pods just down the road - only four miles away - it makes a cracking addition to a morning's ramble. The pods themselves are a proper retreat after a day outdoors, and this loch gives you somewhere genuinely remote to stretch your legs without fighting crowds.

Go early or late in the day. Midweek is better than weekends. And bring binoculars if you've got them - the birdwatching potential is decent.